Fatigue
Fatigue refers to a feeling of
tiredness or weariness. It can be temporary or chronic. Almost every person has
to work overtime on certain occasions, sacrificing rest and sleep, which may cause
temporary fatigue. This condition can be remedied by adequate rest. Chronic or continuous fatigue is,
however, a serious problem which requires a comprehensive plan of treatment.
Chronic
fatigue
can result from a variety of factors. A specific character trait, compulsiveness,
can lead to continuous fatigue. Many persons constantly feel that they cannot
take rest until they finish everything that needs to be done at one time. These
persons are usually perfectionists, tense and cannot relax unless they complete
the whole job, no matter how tired they may be.
Causes
The chief cause of fatigue is lowered
vitality or lack of energy due to wrong feeding habits. Fatigue is an
indication that the cells of the body are not getting sufficient live atoms in
the food to furnish them with a constant flow of needed energy. The habitual
use of refined foods such as white sugar, refined cereals and white four
products as well as processed, tinned and preserved foods have a very bad
effect on the system in general. Foods ‘denatured’ in this way are deprived, to
a very great extent, of their invaluable vitamins and minerals. Such foods lead
to nervousness, tiredness, obesity and a host of other complaints prevalent
today. Certain physical conditions can cause fatigue.
Anemia is a very common
ailment leading to tiredness. It is known as ‘tired blood’ disturbance. In anemia,
very little oxygen reaches the tissues with the result energy cannot be
produced normally. This causes constant tiredness and mental depression. Anemia
usually results from deficiencies of iron and vitamin B12. Sometime
deficiencies of vitamin B6 and folic acid are also involved.
Insomnia or lack of sleep can
be a cause of torturing fatigue. Sleep induced by sleeping pills and other
drugs does not banish fatigue. Intestinal parasites can also lead to fatigue as
they rob the body of good nourishment and gorge themselves on rich red blood.
Other ailments which can cause fatigue are low blood pressure, low blood sugar,
any kind of infection in the body, liver damage, a sluggish thyroid and allergy
in foods and drugs caused by additives including artificial flavours, colours
and preservatives.
Mental tension is one of the major
causes of fatigue. A person who is tense and cannot relax has all the muscles
of his body more or less contracted. This leads to needless waste of unusually
large amounts of energy. Food is continuously burnt, lactic acid accumulates
more rapidly than it can be carried to liver for conversion to body starch.
Persons who are high-strung, nervous and irritable usually suffer from this
type of fatigue.
Treatment
Nutritional measures are most vital in
the treatment of fatigue. Studies reveal that people who eat small mid-meals
suffer less from fatigue and nervousness, think more clearly and are more efficient
than those who eat only three meals daily. These mid-meals should consist of
fresh or dried fruits, fresh fruit or vegetable juices, raw vegetables or small
sandwich of whole grain bread. The mid-meal should be small and less food
should be consumed at regular meals. They should be taken at specified time
such as 11 a.m. , 4 p.m. and before retiring to bed. The patient should eat
health foods which supply energy to the body. Charles De Coti Marsh of London
in his book ‘Prescription for Energy’ prescribes foods to relieve fatigue and
gain energy. He says, "Regenerating
must begin with foods..... They must be taken in their natural state. These
cereals are corn seeds, wheat seeds, rye seeds, maize seeds, barley seeds and
oat seeds. They must be freshly milled. In uncooked cereals, we do have one
perfect food for perfect health which contains essential vitamins and energy
creators."
In addition to cereal seeds, Marsh
recommends fresh raw nuts taken directly from the shell and root vegetables. He
says, "Any seed or root vegetable that will grow again will renew human
vitality." The patient should take an optimum diet made up of (i) seeds,
nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables, and (iii) fruits. Roughly, each food group
should supply the bulk of one of the three meals. Sprouting is an excellent way
to eat seeds, beans and grains in raw form. Sprouting increases the nutritional
value of foods and many new vitamins are created or multiplied in seeds during
sprouting. The patient should supplement the three health-building food groups
with special protective foods such as milk, high quality cold-pressed unrefined
vegetable oil and honey. The patient should also take natural vitamin and
mineral supplements as an effective assurance against nutritional deficiencies,
as such deficiencies have been found to be a factor in fatigue.
Lack of pantothenic acid, B vitamin in
particular, leads to extreme fatigue as deficiency of this vitamin is
associated with exhaustion of the adrenal glands. In fact the entire B-complex protects
nerves and increases energy by helping to nourish and regulate glands. The
vegetarian foods rich in vitamin B are wheat and other whole grain cereals, green
leafy vegetables, rice polishing, milk, nuts, banana, yeast, pulses and peas.
Minerals are also important. Potassium
is especially needed for protection against fatigue. Raw green vegetables are
rich in this mineral. Calcium is essential for relaxation and is beneficial in cases
of insomnia and tension both of which can lead to fatigue. Sodium and zinc are
also beneficial in the treatment of fatigue. Raw vegetable juices, especially
carrot juice, taken separately or in combination with juices of beets and
cucumbers, are highly valuable in overcoming fatigue. The formula proportions considered
helpful in the combination juice of 500 ml. are carrot 300 ml. and beet and
cucumber 100 ml. each.
The patient should avoid depending for
an energy lift, on crutches such as taking aspirin, tranquilizers and other
drugs, drinking coffee or alcohol, smoking, eating some sugar or sweets. They
give only a temporary boost and this is soon followed by a downward plunge of
energy, leaving a person worse than before.
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