Menopause Fatigue: Announcing Methods to Control and Reduce It
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Sun 12 Jul 2009
We are all hard-wired with a protective stress response system and the parts are:
* the part of the brain called the hypothalamus (part of the brain)
* the pituitary gland (the master gland)
* the adrenal gland which lies on top of the kidneys
These parts of the stress response system are collectively called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis). They act in concert to protect the body when it’s exposed to stressful experiences.
Within the HPA axis, each piece releases a chemical that carries a specific message to the next part down-line. At the end of the axis is the adrenal gland whose chemical messenger coordinates many different parts of the body. DHEA and its sulfate form DHEAS are the primary chemical messengers of this gland, but with aging, production slows, leading to a condition called “adrenopause.”
The decreased output of these compounds in advancing age has been correlated with a wide range of health problems. These compounds are steroids and are involved in the maintenance of:
* immunity
* musculoskeletal stabilization
* stability of the musculoskeletal system
The body’s sex hormones, estrogen and testosterone, are manufactured from DHEA. Since DHEA output declines with age, companies have been manufacturing DHEA supplements for years. They claim benefits of fatigue relief and anti-aging for people who use this supplement form. In addition, the following conditions represent some that are supposedly helped by supplementation:
* breast cancer
* disease of the heart
* diabetes type II
* adrenal depletion
* loss of bone
* reduced function of the adrenal gland
* heart failure
* breast cancer and illness
Medications and drugs can act as stressors to the body. With increased use of medications during the aging process, one’s ability to deal with stressful exposures lessens. Medications decrease DHEA output and functional capacity is reduced. One outcome is that the stress of menopause demands too much of the body and increased fatigue is the result.
DHEA supplements were made a prescription product in 1985 but were reintroduced as a nutritional supplement with the passing of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act in 1994. Studies on the effectiveness of DHEA on many parameters of health are conflicted.
DHEA is made naturally in the body, but DHEA supplements can be made in the laboratory from a chemical substance called diosgenin, found in soybeans and in the herb, wild yam. Wild yam creams applied to the skin are used for menstrual problems. But the body cannot convert wild yam to DHEA and this step must be done in the lab.
A breakdown in DHEA production represents a reduction in the optimal function of normal body functions. I see this as a part of the whole. With normal aging there is a reduction in normal functioning in many part of the body. So, the shotgun approach of supplying one or two supplements when maybe hundreds are needed is limited in scope.
In the alternative arena to modern medicine, supplementation with various nutrients and compounds has become the popular path to take, Yet, there are many other approaches that are effective at restoring and maintaining normal function for many years to come. Identifying and eliminating some of the causes of declining function is an effective approach.
Detox has become a popular buzzword today. Unfortunately, what needs to be detoxed is not made clear to people. Also, the methods that are now popular are fraught with many problems and are ineffective. Colon cleansing and foot baths are popular approaches but offer little help. The main toxins in the environment are chemicals and heavy metals. Their targets are enzymes inside cells. Colonics and foot baths cannot make an impact in these locations.
Little known is the homeopathic approach to detox using remedies that are proven to help the body get rid of toxic compounds. This approach is not widely known, in fact, it’s hardly known at all. There is a small army of people working in these areas way under the radar.
Cleansing and rebuilding the body would help support healthy menopause and help reduce the fatigue that so often accompanies this life transition.
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Constant Fatigue: Announcing an Alternative Strategy for Why You’re So Tired
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Tue 7 Jul 2009
Constant fatigue often leads to burnout. The syndrome of burnout has both psychological and physiological components which come about from continued stress at work. People who suffer from chronic fatigue have many stress related conditions. For many, job stress leads to job burnout and is the last of a long line of insults leading to constant fatigue.
Mental withdrawal in the job occurs during burnout because of:
* job dissatisfaction
* work strain
* demands of your job
Symptoms of burnout include the following:
* withdrawal from contact with people
* lack of energy
* drawing away from contact with people
* minimizing contact with people
Burnout in the workplace affects 25-35% of the workforce. Scientists have wondered what role the stress response system plays in the syndrome but the results have not been enlightening. The problem is that tests of the stress system cannot show any problem until the system has reached a level of dysfunction that is significant.
Our body’s functions range over a wide continuum and the tests we currently use aren’t precise enough to scan this wide range and detect a loss of function. Generally, they’ll only pick-up dysfunction when we reach a high level of breakdown.
The feelings and sensations that the individual experiences are real, but tests most often cannot detect why. The failure of the tests to find anything, leads to a poor outcome in patient care.
What confounds the situation even further is that most diseases arise because of multiple causes. This is clearly the case in constant fatigue. In burnout, there is often decreased immune system functioning.
Some of the other causes of burnout and chronic fatigue are the lack of exercise, post-viral syndrome, depression, cellular toxicity, muscle weakness, and poor diet.
As in all fatigue syndromes, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivity, and all the milder, non-diagnosable fatigue complexes that millions suffer from, there are no known therapies within the framework of modern medicine.
Since modern medicine admittedly has no treatments for fatigue, many people are turning to alternative treatments to find help and relief for many conditions for which medicine has no solutions. In fact, out-of-pocket spending on alternative treatments now exceeds that spent on conventional treatments.
People are finding solutions to their health problems from the use of alternative therapies. They rarely mention this fact to their physicians for fear of a “dressing down” since doctors are generally against any treatments that they don’t control. Most doctors believe that nothing in the alternative treatments of health problems are of any value.
Medicine does not support the use of nutritional supplements even though it knows little about it. This fact doesn’t matter and it ridicules the use of supplements as untested. The medical community still supports the low-fat diet even though it’s well-known that it’s useless and even dangerous. It puts down supplements as a waste of money. Medicine does not research these topics, yet is uninhibited in condemning alternative approaches to the programs it supports.
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Could Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Be Linked To A Vitamin B Deficiency?
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Mon 6 Jul 2009
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a condition that causes excessive fatigue. The diagnosis is given to patients who have suffered from extreme tiredness for more than six months. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome often occurs following an infection or illness or stressful event, due to the stress that is caused on the persons system. However, it is not known to be directly caused by any other illness or infection.
People who suffer from this condition can experience symptoms like muscle pain, tiredness, depression, memory loss and other neurological problems, fever, headaches, enlarged glands, digestive problems along with many others. Recently, CFS has been attributed to a Vitamin B deficiency in many patients. Anyone that suffers from ME/CFS will find their daily lives disrupted to differing degrees by the fatigue that they are experiencing. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can cause it to be extremely difficult to complete normal daily activities. It will generally cause people to tire very easily from simple tasks.
Sufferers can also experience a myriad of physiological and psychological changes in the body. These can include changes in the nervous system, immune system, and muscle function. Not everyone has all of these symptoms or issues. Furthermore, some of the symptoms in the body and mind can also be found in people who dont have the condition. This makes diagnosis and treatment a very complex matter for everyone involved.
In South London, researchers at Kings College Hospital have recently completed a study of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and its relationship with B Vitamins in the body. Physical examinations of sufferers appeared normal, but blood analysis provided some insight. When blood samples were tested, Vitamin B6 had significantly lower levels than what is considered normal. In addition, Vitamin B1 and B2 showed small deficiencies.
These vitamins are directly related to energy levels and proper body function, which makes them a potential contributing factor in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In 1939, a group from the University of Cincinnati performed a study to document the relationship between Vitamin B deficiencies and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Sufferers were all found to have deficiencies of certain B vitamins. Vitamin B6 was significantly low in CFS patients compared to healthy levels. Vitamin B1 and B2 also had small deficiencies. This discovery led the researchers to administer synthetic pyridoxine, or Vitamin B6, to sufferers, with positive results.
The original study is not well documented, causing a debate as to whether this is a new find or not. For medical purposes, it doesnt matter when this discovery was made. What matters is that B vitamin supplements could be a helpful consideration to improve and manage the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It would be necessary for anyone considering this approach to consult their doctor before taking a course of dietary supplements.
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Symptoms of Fatigue: How You Can Fight this Crippling Condition
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Mon 6 Jul 2009
Chronic fatigue drains our resources. As a first step in dealing with fatigue, we must have an idea about how our body maintains its health. During conception, we were set-up by Nature with the ability to maintain our health and our functions. Yes, you can heal yourself but only if you have enough resources. By definition, chronic fatigue means that your resources have been depleted.
Disease is actually a fight for health. And symptoms represent that fight. But symptoms should come and then go away after restoring one to balance. Symptoms that go on and on mean that the fight to restore health isn’t being won. This is the nature of chronic fatigue.
Inflammation is actually generated by the body in an effort to heal itself. But, a great deal of medicine’s efforts have been the development of drugs to fight inflammation. The result is that there is a reduction in inflammation, but the causes of inflammation remain and continue to damage your body.
Inflammation is a fight for health and there are five cardinal signs:
* swelling * loss of function * heat * pain * redness
These five aspects of the inflammation response are generated as one becomes afflicted with chronic fatigue.
Chronic Fatigue: Why Do So Many People Have It?
Remember, what I wrote in the opening about the amount of healing capital that you start off with in your healing bank account. So, fatigue occurs when there is less healing capital available to deal with the stresses of life that drain us.
We know that all forms of fatigue come from many diverse causes:
* lack of exercise * diet * drug-induced changes in cellular function * environmental pollutants * too much stress * emotional stress * post viral
These represent some of the causes, but that is much too complicated for medicine to deal with because it needs one disease/one cause to craft a picture.
There are no drugs for the symptoms of chronic fatigue. Since there are no accepted causes, effective therapies do not exist. Is it likely there will ever be any drugs? I don’t think so. The symptoms are from the body fighting for its health. The way to help is to help the body do what it’s trying to do.
In alternative thinking, symptoms represent the body’s fight for health and therapies must support them. People are now looking for alternative disciplines in their fight against chronic fatigue. This isn’t supported by medicine and you have to be careful as there are a lot of for-profit people selling lots of misinformation.
If we accept that symptoms are the fight for health, then squashing them is not what we want to do. We want to strengthen the healing capacity of the body and help it do what it’s trying to do. The body wants to get rid of anything that’s bothering it and return itself to balance and health.
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Chronic Fatigue Syndrome And Its Link To Vitamin B Deficiency
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Sun 5 Jul 2009
Anyone who is excessively fatigued for over six months could be suffering from a condition known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). ME/CFS usually begins following some type of illness, infection or stressful event. The reason it is contracted at this point is because of the stress that the body is under. However, it is not thought to be directly caused by any other illnesses.
Common symptoms of the condition include muscle pains, neck glands that are enlarged or sore, mood change, poor memory, mild fever, headaches and many others. This condition has recently been linked to a deficiency of certain B vitamins in the body. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers have differing degrees of disruption in their everyday life as a result of this condition. Many will find it hard to complete normal daily activities, and will tire very easily.
Sufferers can also experience a myriad of physiological and psychological changes in the body. These can include changes in the nervous system, immune system, and muscle function. Not everyone has all of these symptoms or issues. Furthermore, some of the symptoms in the body and mind can also be found in people who don’t have the condition. This makes diagnosis and treatment a very complex matter for everyone involved.
London’s Kings College Hospital has recently completed a study that proved that various B vitamin deficiencies were common among those diagnosed with ME/CFS. When blood work was performed on the members of the study group, it was noted that Vitamin B6 was particularly low as compared to the levels in healthy subjects. Vitamin B1 and B2 were also found to have lower levels in these patients.
Since these deficiencies can affect energy levels and other body systems over time, they could provide a contributing factor in the development of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The first report of this relationship between Vitamin B deficiencies and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was documented in 1939 by a group from the University of Cincinnati. A study was performed on a group of patients who suffered from the symptoms of CFS. At that point, the disease was not well known. However, the patients in the study did show improvement when given Vitamin B6 in synthetic form.
This original information however, is not electronically documented, so many people aren’t aware of it. Whether this information is new or old does not matter. What matters is that Vitamin B supplements could be a reasonable consideration for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients. For anyone considering this approach, the first step would be to consult their doctor.
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Chronic Fatigue: Introducing the Multiple Reasons Why People are So Tired
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Sat 4 Jul 2009
Modern day poor health conditions are often associated with fatigue. Specifically, there are now conditions where fatigue is the main symptom of the disease. All of these conditions, regardless of the disease name, have similar symptom patterns. The most common names are fibromyalgia, Sjogren’s Syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and Gulf War Syndrome.
CFS is considered by medicine today to be a subclass of chronic fatigue. Chronic fatigue is characterized by the lack of defining symptoms that allow for a medical diagnosis. The pathology and causes of CFS and of chronic fatigue are unknown.
A small percentage of chronic fatigue sufferers are diagnosed with CFS. The symptoms experienced by people with CFS include:
* headaches
* disabling fatigue
* concentration and memory problems
Multiple symptoms are expressed:
* sleep disturbances
* tender lymph nodes
* psychiatric problems
* skeletal muscle pain
* sleep disturbances
* sore throats
People’s lives are disrupted as a result of the symptoms and often lose jobs, have social problems, and get divorced. Even across the spectrum of the more severe symptoms of CFS, chronic fatigue sufferers can experience the same life-changing situations.
The Interesting Feature of the Causes of Chronic Fatigue is that They are Multi-Factorial — Many Symptoms at the Same Time.
There is much medical work going on to try to figure out what causes these syndromes which make such a huge impact on people’s lives. Daily chronic fatigue plaques a large portion of the population.
When researchers began to look more deeply into the Gulf War Syndrome, they uncovered the fact that vaccines may have contributed to the condition. This goes against the prevailing belief system. The idea is that a vaccine will stimulate the immune system, but if it turns-on, it must turn-off again and if it doesn’t, then it begins to do harm.
What’s interesting about this observation is that it supports the arguments of many parents of autistic children that vaccines were a prime factor in the cause of autism. The medical establishment and government, however, have squashed these assertions.
Medicine has a strangle-hold on health care and most people rely on the medical system to guide health choices. Chronic fatigue presents people with a problem: they have fatigue, but medicine has no solutions. There are other choices such as alternative medicine, but it’s hard to find reliable practitioners who understand the options that are available.
It’s clear that chronic fatigue and CFS patients possess an immune system imbalance. There is decreased function in:
* macrophages
* macrophages
* other immune system markers
As of now, there’s no obvious connection between CFS and an abnormal immune system. This lack of clarity is what clouds the picture of trying to figue out what’s going on. This lack of success has gone on a long time and opens the door to look at therapies that are outside of the mainstream medical community.
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