Neuro Fatigue

I’ve been thinking a great deal about fatigue lately as a symptom- the consideration probably stems from some very recent experience I’ve had, but it seems to indicate that a) the body's needs are not being met, and thus a lethargy and fatigue has settled in, or b) the rest is the need, and something or a series of things has finally caught up.

In my case, right around October I began to experience a strange sensation that is hard to describe. I began to experience a dull/flat exhaustion, that while relatively peaceful, was making it harder and harder to go through an average workday, even though my work is one of my great pleasures in this life: I love what I do. There was also a strange… vibration in my body that was hard to describe. I began to notice my interest in the gym becoming less and less, and my ability to get through an eight-to-ten-hour workday began to wane to maybe six hours, with only three of them being quite productive. I seemed to hit an insurmountable wall everyday after lunch that felt like jet lag mixed with a low-grade depression.

I am fortunate to work amongst those who work in a functional medicine box, so I was given an assessment and two differing tests: one was a dried urine stick, the other a hair follicle sample.

The results came back a couple of weeks later, as laid out in a series of charts and graphs that (I am oversimplifying here) but more or less reduce the body to a table of periodic elements, like you’d see in high school science class. My understanding of the readings boiled down to this: our panel of 50 hormones governs most of the body’s functions, though the minerals and nutrients and determining factors in how effectively those operate. There are other considerations like microbiome and what the colonies of bacteria in the stomach are up to, but basically if a person’s minerals are out of whack, everything else is sure to follow.

Predictably, these eight charts and graphs seemed to lay out a biology that was starting to malfunction: I had an iodine deficiency. Potassium, iron, and zinc were horribly low. My testosterone was suffering, though estrogen(s) were found in extremely high levels, and my concentration of cortisol was all but absent. The latter had meant that my had adrenals glands, had in effect, crashed.

I ended up going through a Canadian company called Vykom, who took a working set of my labs and blended a gallon of nutraceutical powder specifically geared to get my body back online. I imagined the process to be a bit like mixing household latex paint, if you’ve ever watched that programed device operate blending microbursts of reds, oranges, and teals to give you the custom color on the paint swab. That, and of course: major diet shift. Lots of potassium tea. And tons of rest. One prescribed nap every day, which I took full advantage of.

The whole process begged the question to me: how did this happen? Or rather…what happened? I found myself combing over the stressful events of years past, trying to pinpoint which work or family situation got me so stressed my adrenal glands crashed. And while, 2022 had its own set of challenges, they were no greater or lesser than any of the years that had come before. I didn’t have the answer. At least, not yet.

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It doesn’t feel good, to not feel good. And as laid out above, while forensically there is much you can do to locate the source, I’d encourage those with fatigue not to read too much into it. While it mostly feels like the body is fading into sickness, sometimes fatigue can be a side effect of good healing: this is especially true of some interventions like hyperbaric oxygen or going into ketosis. It takes a great expenditure of energy to recover, or to quote a band (Hot Water Music) that I enjoy from time to time,

“Healing Takes Some Time”

Here are some simple remedies you may consider that are easy to apply, that may cut the fatigue some, if it seems to be chronic:

Water. “Bummer,” you’re thinking- is this what you are really offering?

In part, yes. I’d be willing to bet as a result of the fatigue, your trips to the kitchen or cooler to hydrate are few and far between. Not getting enough water causes people often to overeat* as a result of unsatiated hunger (which if the overeating is carb dense foods…causes inflammation which causes more fatigue) and also makes you feel tired; unenergetic. I read somewhere that a grown adult should consume half their body weight in fluid ounces of water per day. For me, it is that ratio: 105 oz + 1 glass for good measure.

I read that to hydrate accordingly, the water breaches the cell wall of all the soft tissues in the body and fills them: making them active, bright and spongy. The remaining and excess water consumed that can no longer penetrate the cell wall (now presumably full) serves as a rinsing agent to wash excess plaque and bacteria from the exterior of the cell wall.

Quercetin: While I have not had much success with Quercetin in cap form, there is a liquid you can buy at Whole Foods: it is the color of mustard seed and the consistency of olive oil. Quercetin is an extract from the skin of grapes that was compounded and used in trials on cancer patients for fatigue. It gives a burst of natural bright energy that will last almost a workday. Coupled with a B-12 shot, this might cut your symptoms greater than half.

Sleep: Tis isn’t so much about sleep, but about you giving yourself permission to rest. I’d say an hour before 1:00 PM (to not disturb your sleep cycle) should be plenty. Probably enough information to do three more blogs on just sleep, but the point is: give your body what it requires, this will pass sooner. Give yourself permission.

Low Carb Intervention: Start with the idea of crowding out your plate by drastically reducing potatoes, rice, red meat, canned fruit, cereals, oats, corn and especially processed foods. Your food can be- if you allow it- a primary part of the healing process. All the food listed above twist inside a cell and produces a “triglyceride”- a bonded sugar that can no longer be released from the cell wall. The overall effect is inflammation which is the root cause of dozens of syndromes, and the precursor to diseases of varying types. But, keeping to the topic, inflammation of the brain tissue will cause fatigue. You may need support: a 12 step program or a good nutritionist to maintain healthy balance here. Food is a human being’s oldest comfort, and does not yield easily, even when seeing the need for change.

Toxic Relationships: Like all these bullet points listed, an entire volume could be written on the framework of why people find themselves in- if not drawn to- unhealthy relationships. But to keep this more of a short and simple point: make notice of the things in your life that cause elevated levels of fatigue, and/or stress. When possible, either set boundaries or remove yourself from that situation altogether: this is particularly key, as no amount of “self-care” will make much difference if you are unwittingly manufacturing your own misery by inviting it in. One small example from my world: I do not accept money from paying clients who are narcissistic, abusive, or demeaning- regardless of the amount of contract, term, or financial gain. I deserve to be treated well and settle for nothing else. As do you.

Energy Drinks: Energy drinks is the biological version of a credit card with an extremely aggressive APR: you are borrowing energy against the house, and the same could be said for excess caffeine. They drain on (in context of this topic) what is already a depleted adrenal system, setting you up for long term debilitating fatigue. If you choose to do so, I’d say two drinks a week is probably plenty.

Thanks as always, for reading.