Steven Purse Wellness Clinic
Steven Purse Wellness Clinic
Helping people live happier, healthier lives
CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME CONSULTATION
There are many causes of fatigue, my patients will always present with their own unique combination of factors.
Naturally, treatment needs to be individualized to address the major underlying factors for individual clients, keeping in mind that mitochondrial function and nervous system function are usually central.
We all get tired, but when does tiredness become fatigue ?. When it impairs our ability to live our life to its potential. Significant fatigue should not be taken for granted as a part of getting older, or having children, or being busy. Effective solutions are at hand which can harness that natural power inside us all: energy.
During the full Naturopathic Consultation all known factors that may contribute to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome will be investigated, they include;
- Dietary evaluation of the patient especially acid/base balances. Decreased pH impairs cellular energy production and promotes a chemical stress response leading to reduced growth and repair, impairing thyroid function and increases cortisol levels.
- In treating fatigue, complete stress support needs to be one of the primary considerations. Chronic stress can lead to fatigue down a number of paths - affecting mood, adrenal function and ability to sleep. When consulting fatigued clients, I will always consider that the fatigue could be steaming from the nervous system. Depression in fact, often presents with similar symptoms to chronic fatigue - lack of motivation and interest in activities, a feeling of heaviness in the body, and a general absence of vitality . Although mitochondrial support may provide a boost to energy in these clients, boosting mood and adrenal function would be the primary stratergy of choice. I have designed a very specific mood and stress questionare to help identify the correct nutritional/supplemental support for my clients unique stress response picture.
- Sleep disturbances - a longer time to fall asleep, and a broken and restless sleep pattern are common in patients with chronic fatigue. It appears there is a shift in cicadian rhythm, resulting in a late-night to late-morning sleep cycle, further impairing the ability to function normally in daily life.
- I know that when clients come into the clinic and say those classic words " I'm tired" many other possible causes jump to mind. How's the thyroid function, are they anaemic, do they have insulin resistance or do they have post-viral fatigue. These nutritional, endocrine and immune factors are some of the most frequently seen underlying drivers of fatigue.
- In chronic fatigue syndrome, the degree of leaky gut can be correlated with the severity of symptoms. Repair of the gut has been shown to effectively improve chronic fatigue syndrome. This can be tested for in the clinic and the use of iridology.
- Believed to be caused by poor digestion, hypochorhydria and abnormal peristalsis, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth has been demonstrated to be present in around 20% of the population. 77% of my patients with chronic fatigue syndrome have a small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
- Other , more well known infectious causes of fatigue are the chronic viral infections (Q fever, Epstein-Barr and Ross River Fever) . When researches have looked inside the cells of those suffering post-viral fatigue, they have found signs of rare mitochondrial degeneration in around 80% of patients.
A full Naturoapathic consultation here at the Blackheath Clinic will leave no stone un-turned in discovering the cause/s of chronic fatigue syndrome. The preparation of an effective treatment protocol including nutritional and lifestyle changes along with appropriate supplementation will be worked out with your unique health status.