Perhaps the most common complaint we hear from our patients is that they lack energy.
The possible causes of low energy are many. Fatigue can originate in the body, mind, or spirit. If your body is damaged, your energy will be low. If your mind is full of distaste for whatever you’re doing, you won’t be able to bring a lot of energy to the task. If you’re emotionally distraught, you’ll feel drained, and your posture will reflect the fact – you’ll slump, and you’ll have little energy or enthusiasm to bring to your life. Finally, when you’re feeling unconnected with your soul, the link to the infinite source of all energy, your physical energy will take a hit.
The bodily system most closely linked to the deep energy network of the nervous and organic chemical systems that create energy is the endocrine glands.
When your adrenals are depleted or over-stressed, or when your thyroid is functioning at a low level, or when your ovarian or testicular hormones are on the wane, you’re bound to feel draggy and fatigued, until those imbalances can be corrected.
Your body’s glandular system is also closely connected to the nervous system. The neurotransmitter chemicals that play an intricate role in many glandular functions can also affect our emotional state of being. It’s how our feelings and body are connected.
Negative emotions like fear, anxiety and depression have a physiologic basis in our biochemistry. That’s why these negative emotions can cause detrimental physiologic changes over the long haul. It’s why our unresolved negative emotions deplete our energy. Feelings of conflict, distress, sorrow, and resentment hit the body hard and consume a huge amount of energy.
Every one of our body’s organ systems, right down to the cells and even the mitochondria of the cells, is affected by our neuro-endocrine system. When this delicate system gets out of balance or fails, it’s not good news for our bodies. Our emotional, mental, and spiritual issues evoke a cascade of chaos for our bodies. Our cardiovascular system may be impaired. Our respiratory system may be unable to take in enough oxygen. And when our tissues are starved of oxygen and other nutrients, we cannot produce a normal amount of energy.
Our bodies can also become energy-depleted from external factors. Perhaps we aren’t breathing properly, or we aren’t getting appropriate nutrients in our diet. Perhaps we’re taking in toxins through our food or the air we breathe, and these toxins are poisoning or otherwise disrupting our cellular metabolism. Perhaps we’re suffering from a microbial infestation, whether fungal, viral, or bacterial. Any one of these factors can cause fatigue.
What’s the answer?
With so many factors involved in healthy energy metabolism, identifying the cause of a given person’s fatigue can require a wide range of tests, from microscopic intracellular nutrient testing, to a macroscopic analysis of the environmental, mental, emotional, and spiritual situation of the person who’s feeling energy-depleted.
The most effective treatment may involve energy medicines. These medicines are most effective when they resonate with the unique person being treated. Energy medicines include homeopathy, flower essences, acupuncture, and therapies that use color, sound, and light.
The best treatment may involve a unique cocktail from the naturopathic armory, including counseling, lifestyle changes, hard or soft tissue adjustments, nutrients, plant medicines, glandulars, bioidentical hormones, or in some cases, conventional medicines.
It’s rare for a single intervention to fully solve a person’s lack of energy; usually, there are several contributing factors. But it’s also quite rare for naturopathic medicine not to be able to provide answers that can make a significant difference in the person’s quality of life.
It takes comprehensive evaluation, a willingness to make changes, and the faith that our quality of life can improve.
Find out more about Dr. Connie’s work HERE.