I’m just tired from all of the summer activities.
It’s just that I haven’t been getting to bed early enough.
It has to be the weather.
You may find yourself saying these things if your general practitioner has concluded after a few tests that you are overall generally healthy, but may just be getting older or should consider an anti-depressant.
However, you may not be satisfied with that answer and don’t feel that you should settle for always feeling fatigued or being told that you are depressed.
Well, you’ve found the right place, because we’re here to tell you that you don’t have to!
Many of our clients suffer from chronic fatigue when they make their first appointment. We understand that clients are searching for answers and solutions to a problem that affects every aspect of their lives.
But how do you know if you are dealing with general fatigue?
Symptoms may include, but are not limited to:
– energy crashes in the afternoon
– a feeling easily overwhelmed and stressed
– having a sense of exhaustion after normal exercising
– sleep issues such as not being able to fall asleep, stay asleep, or both
– a general overall feeling of being wiped out
When you are suffering from any of these symptoms, life can seem pretty exhausting and even the small things take every ounce of energy you seem to have. At this point, you may know that it’s time to figure out the issue and work towards feeling better.
Functional Medicine Work-Up For Fatigue
Functional medicine focuses on finding the root cause of your fatigue. A specific blood work-up is important to look at all aspects of adrenal gland and thyroid function as well as iron counts.
Specifically, we test:
– Full Thyroid Panel: at a minimum, we look at TSH, Free T4 and Free T3, Thyroid Anti-bodies, and Reverse T3
– Ferritin Levels: a test to analyze iron stores in the body (not just the amount of iron such as in a CBC test) to check for iron anemia
– Adrenal Testing: Salivary Cortisol 4 Point Test and DHEA
Functional Medicine Natural Treatments For Fatigue
Analyzing the above blood test results allows us to create a unique plan of care and healing for each client. The following protocol may be used, depending upon results.
Adrenal Restoration
With a goal of proper adrenal function, this treatment may include:
– resting
– restoring sleep
– digesting more protein throughout the day to stabilize blood sugar (any type of protein is good, but animal based protein has show us to be more dense and concentrated for more support)
– use of adaptogen herbs and supplements such as Adreno Mend™ and Adrenal Response® (both of which can be ordered through the CNMA office)
– acupuncture to calm the nervous system and begin to induce relaxation to the brain
Thyroid Support
– If thyroid levels are slightly off, we concentrate on supporting healthy levels with:
– herbs such as Thyroid Support Complex by Pure Encapsulations®
If thyroid levels are significantly out of the normal range, we work to replace the hormone naturally with:
– Nature-Throid®, Armour® Thyroid, or Synthroid®
– acupuncture to calm the body, which in turn, encourages hormones to regulate and recover
Ferritin/Iron Support
For ferritin levels below 25, we encourage:
– cooking with cast iron pots/pans
– ingesting more red meat
– using natural herbs such as Ferrisorb or Ferrofood® (both sensitive on the stomach)
It’s important to note that depending on what you are suffering from and how significantly levels are off, we typically:
1. treat aggressively for 3-6 months to restore proper function
2. work to maintain the proper function
3. wean to a minimum, although change in lifestyle and supplements may be a lifelong journey
Suffering from chronic fatigue is life changing. It can affect almost every part of your life and your relationships. However, there are options to discover the root cause of your fatigue and natural ways to restore your energy.
Are you ready to be you again?
If you live in Castle Rock, Castle Pines, Parker, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Monument, Larkspur, Colorado Springs, or the Denver Metro Area and are in search of a naturopathic doctor to discuss your symptoms and concerns with, look no further.
Please contact us at (303) 688-6698 or online here to schedule a free 15 minute phone consultation with Dr. Graves. During this call you can share your issues and learn how they can be treated in a natural way.
Find your energy, call us now.
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