It's no secret that many people experience some level of fatigue on a
regular basis. Whether it's at the office, at home or anywhere else,
fatigue can truly make you miserable and it can cause the quality of
your work suffer. Fatigue makes you feel both mentally and physically
tired and weak. In short, it's no fun. All too often people that suffer
from fatigue reach for an energy drink. While this method may work for
the short term, it's only masking the root cause of the fatigue, while
at the same time causing negative health consequences.
A smarter
and more permanent approach to beating fatigue is to determine the real
cause and start making the changes there. It is safe to say that the
primary reasons most people suffer from fatigue are poor diet, lack of
nutrients, dehydration, lack of exercise and lack of sleep.
Diet
Here
is a list of types of foods that are known to cause fatigue: starchy
carbohydrates such as cakes, cookies, doughnuts and foods that contain
bleached and processed flour. Any of these types of high-sugar foods
that contain lots of simple carbohydrates will give you short-term
energy followed by a serious crash.
Certain foods do the opposite and fight fatigue by supplying long term, clean energy with no crash.
Unprocessed
complex carbohydrates are the enemy of fatigue. Some of the very best
fatigue fighting foods include quinoa, plums, nuts and brewers yeast. Be
sure to include sufficient amounts of protein in your diet as well, as a
lack of sufficient protein can cause fatigue. If you don't eat meat,
buying either a whey or vegetarian protein powder can make this much
easier.
Exercise
Lack of exercise can cause the body to
feel tired and fatigued because the metabolism slows down and the body
starts storing excess fat. Being overweight alone can cause chronic
fatigue. Even mild daily exercise is extremely effective in reversing
this.
Going for walks outside during the day will help increase
your blood circulation. Poor circulation is a known cause of fatigue.
Going for daily walks is an easy way to stay healthy and is extremely
useful in weight management. Even if you only have a 10 or 15 minute
break at work, going for a short walk outside can make you feel
refreshed and re-energized.
Dehydration
Dehydration is an
under-recognized leading cause of fatigue. Many people don't drink
water at all during the day; instead they drink soda, energy drinks and
coffee, all of which can cause even further dehydration. Dehydration not
only causes fatigue, but a variety of negative side effects including:
-Joint pain
-Dry skin
-Muscle cramps
-Bloating
-High blood pressure
-Build up of toxins in the body
-Weight gain
Dehydration
is the sole reason may people experience fatigue. Luckily this is an
easy one to fix; drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water a day to avoid
dehydration.
Vitamins, herbs and supplements for fighting fatigue
Supplementing
a proper diet and exercise regiment with the right nutrients can give
you the edge you need to stay energized and stave off fatigue.
The best fatigue fighting herbs, vitamins and supplements include:
-Ginseng
-Longan berries
-Bee pollen
-Chlorella
-Magnesium
-Carnitine
-B vitamins
-Silymarin
Other causes of fatigue
Other external factors that can cause fatigue include:
-Alcohol
-Caffeine
-Prescription drugs
-Illegal drugs
-Stress
Being
sure to get between seven and eight hours of sleep every night is
vitally important in the battle against fatigue. If you feel that your
diet, exercise regiment, sleeping schedule and supplement regiment are
all on track and you've ruled out any other external causes of fatigue,
but you're still experiencing fatigue it may have another cause such as
anemia, diabetes or a thyroid disorder, which is something that you
should visit your doctor or natural health practitioner about.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.healingfoodreference.com/fatigue.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003088.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fatigue/MY00120/DSECTION=causes
About the author:
John Mckiernan is a health and fitness writer. He is the owner of Supplement Helper where he writes about supplements, health, fitness and more. He also manages CNA Info, a small blog that is aimed at answering questions for those interested in becoming nursing assistants.
A single-celled, water-grown micro-algae, chlorella is widely known as a
powerful "superfood" supplement with extraordinary nutrient density. It
is believed to have been around for eons. One of the few edible species
of water-grown algae, chlorella is full of chlorophyll. It contains all
of the B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, amino acids,
magnesium, iron, trace minerals, carbohydrates and a higher amount of
protein (more than 50%) than meat, per grams of weight (http://www.naturalnews.com). It also has a unique set of phytonutrients (http://www.naturalnews.com/034109_chlorella_superfood.html).
It binds to toxins and carries them out of the body. It's high amount
of protein makes it a staple for many people who do not eat meat.
Phyllis Balch, CNC, says it is virtually a complete food.
Why take it?
One
of the main uses of chlorella is to detoxify, or cleanse, the body. It
has been found to chelate, or remove, heavy metals from the body
according to a Russian study (http://www.naturalnews.com/035177_chlorella_cilantro_detox.html). A study involving rats demonstrated the effectiveness of using chlorella as a counteragent for heavy metal poisoning ( http://www.naturalnews.com). Chlorella-treated rats also had less tissue damage than the control group.
Heavy
metals are typically very difficult to get out of your tissues. If you
have mercury fillings in your teeth, work in certain industries, have
received vaccinations, or have been exposed to radiation, you have heavy
metals. Most people have at least some, from our environment and food
supply, such as the mercury found in fish. NaturalNews' Paul Fassa
reports on a Japanese study which found that all cancer cells contain
mercury (http://www.naturalnews.com/035177_chlorella_cilantro_detox.html). Additionally, heavy metal toxicity has been associated with mental decline illnesses such as dementia and Alzheimer's.
Additional Benefits
Chlorella
cleanses the blood and optimizes oxygen into the blood. It alkalizes
the body, correcting a state of acidosis, in which most disease thrives.
By definition, then, it also relieves inflammation, which is the root
of much disease. It follows that chlorella is a pain reliever, reduces
hypertension and enhances the immune system (http://www.naturalnews.com).
In
this NaturalNews report, Donna Earnest Pravel says a study on
fibromyalgia patients showed a significant reduction in pain and
tenderness. In a similar study, hypertension patients were able to go
off of their prescriptions upon taking chlorella (http://www.naturalnews.com).
In
addition, Pravel also cites a study done on patients receiving flu
shots. They took chlorella before receiving their vaccine for a few
weeks. They were found to have 2 - 4 times more antibodies when tested, a
few weeks after being vaccinated.
Chlorella has also been proven effective for:
• Balancing hormones (relieving PMS, regulating cycles, etc.)
• Treatment of ulcers
• Balancing the digestive system (improving digestion, relieving constipation)
• Increasing the white blood cell count (helps with infections, warding off of illness)
• Reduces or eliminates body odors
• Balances blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar (fighting/preventing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity)
• Reduces occurrence of asthma attacks and allergies
• Treats fatigue
• Helps boost immune response
• Protects the brain and nervous system
• Supports elimination of many kinds of pollutants, from heavy metals to molds
• Boosts tissue growth, healing and repair
• Detoxifies harmful radiation, protects organs
(http://www.naturalnews.com/034109_chlorella_superfood.html, http://www.naturalnews.com/031779_spirulina_radiation.html, http://www.squidoo.com/what-is-chlorella-good-for?)
These
are just some of the benefits of taking chlorella. These statements
have not been validated by the FDA, but have been validated by centuries
of use across many cultures.
How to get it in your diet
Chlorella
requires processing due to a strong cell wall that makes it otherwise
impossible to gain access to its nutrients. Be sure the products you buy
do not use heat or chemicals in their processing. Fassa says a special
milling process or rapid pressure change method is necessary to break
down the cell wall and make the nutrients bioavailable. You can find
chlorella in pill form or powder form, to add to smoothies.
The
herb cilantro is also known for its ability to leech mercury out of the
body. It combines nicely with chlorella as a superfood and detoxifying
combo (http://www.naturalnews.com/035177_chlorella_cilantro_detox.html).
Other things you should know
According
to Michelle Bosmier, because of the toxic load the average person
carries, sometimes when people start a regime of chlorella they think
they are experiencing side-effects. In reality, they are experiencing
the effects of detoxification. The cleansing of toxins from the body may
give you gas, nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, etc. For this reason,
its good to start taking chlorella on a weekend, when you can stay close
to home. If the side-effects of detoxing are too much for you, ease up
on your consumption, adding it in slowly. The symptoms will pass in a
couple of days.
Chlorella has a high amount of vitamin K, so it could interfere with blood thinning medications (http://www.naturalnews.com/028017_chlorella_diabetes.html). It also contains iodine, so if you are allergic, avoid it.
Chlorella
is inexpensive partially because it is one of the fastest growing
plants on Earth. It is the most potent source of pure chlorophyll
available (http://www.naturalnews.com/034109_chlorella_superfood.html).
Chlorophyll is identical to human blood except for the center element -
blood's is iron; chlorophyll's is magnesium. For this reason it is
uniquely wonderful for our health. It is a good addition to most diets
and disaster kits. It is readily available and stores well, so stock up!
