“Proper management of fatigue symptoms must be individualized for each patient. First, the physician must understand how the fatigue is presenting for that person. Does it present as brain fog, unable to get through daily tasks, low mental energy, needing naps, muscle weakness, difficulty with memory recall, etc? Is it acute or chronic? After identifying the character of fatigue, the physician must investigate the most likely causes such as adrenal insufficiency, thyroid disorder, nutrient deficiency, poor sleep, chronic infection, environmental toxicity, and so forth. This approach is what makes our medicine at Aspen Integrative Medical Center so unique and successful in treating fatigue. Our naturopathic physicians can look at the whole picture and then have expertise to know what needs to be healed first.”
~ Dr. Paul Despres at Aspen
Time to get your energy back to do what you love
Healing Chronic Fatigue
Chronic fatigue can range from mildly low energy to a complex and at-times debilitating condition characterized by severely low energy not relieved by rest. When severe it is often diagnosed as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and can prevent you from being yourself and completing daily activities such as being productive at work, taking care of your family, exercising, completing chores, etc. In addition to prolonged low energy, people with chronic fatigue may experience a range of symptoms, including brain fog (difficulty with concentration, memory, and overall cognitive function), shortness of breath, depression, sleep problems, muscle and joint pain, and headaches. At Aspen Integrative Medical Center, our naturopathic physicians have the unique training and experience to determine the underlying cause(s) of your chronic fatigue and then use natural therapies to help you recover. Please give us a call today, so we can help you resolve your chronic fatigue and help you feel like yourself again.
What symptoms indicate you might have chronic fatigue?
Fatigue most commonly presents as difficulty waking in the morning, inability to get tasks done, crashing right when you get home from work, lack of motivation, being unproductive at work, feeling like you need to take a nap during the day, having trouble remembering appointments, etc. All around not feeling like yourself and struggling to get by on a daily basis.
In addition you may experience a range of symptoms, including:
- Cognitive difficulties: Many people with chronic fatigue report problems with concentration, memory, and overall cognitive function, often referred to as “brain fog.”
- Sleep disturbances: Individuals with chronic fatigue often have problems with sleep, such as insomnia or disturbed sleep patterns.
- Mental illness: Depression and anxiety are very common as the body and mind are overwhelmed with daily demands.
- Poor exercise endurance: Very common to have difficulty exercising for any period of time along with muscle weakness.
- Shortness of breath: This can occur at rest or with activity.
- Cardiovascular symptoms: Uncontrollable rapid heart beat, heart palpitations, and chest pressure/pain.
- Muscle and joint pain: Pain and stiffness in the muscles and joints are common symptoms of chronic fatigue.
- Headaches: Persistent headaches, often of a new type, pattern, or severity, can be a symptom of chronic fatigue.
- Sex hormone dysfunction: Can have symptoms of infertility, painful menstruation, low libido, erectile dysfunction.
- Sore throat and swollen lymph nodes: Some individuals with chronic fatigue may experience a sore throat and swollen lymph nodes that are not due to infection.
What can cause chronic fatigue?
Our physicians at Aspen Integrative Medical Center specialize in identifying the underlying causes of your fatigue which can be one or more contributing factors and/or conditions:
- Adrenal insufficiency
- Thyroid disorder
- Abnormal sex hormone levels such as with PCOS, endometriosis, painful menstruation, low testosterone
- Immunological factors such as autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, etc.
- Anemia and/or blood loss
- Poor blood sugar regulation such as caused by Type 2 Diabetes
- Nutrient deficiencies such as iron, B vitamins (especially B12)
- Gastrointestinal problems such as food sensitivities, abnormal gut bacteria (dysbiosis, SIBO), IBS, Irritable Bowel Diseases (Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis), Celiac disease
- Cancer and malignancies
- Mental illness such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder
- Acute and chronic infections such as Long Covid-19, EBV, Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases, Mycoplasma
- Mold toxicity such as exposure to water damaged buildings and black mold
- Chronic kidney disease
- Neurodegenerative conditions with neuroinflammation such as Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, etc.
- Traumatic brain injuries, concussion, PTSD, stressful life events
- Environmental toxins such as heavy metals, pesticides, insecticides, plastics
- Adverse effects from pharmaceuticals
How do you diagnose chronic fatigue?
Diagnosis must always begin with a thorough intake of your experience, physical examination, routine screenings (men and women wellness exams, cancer screenings), and also laboratory assessment looking at which bodily systems are impaired. Our physicians will look at the whole picture while ruling out other potential medical causes for the symptoms.
Frequently ordered work-up for chronic fatigue includes:
- Complete blood count and complete metabolic panel
- Adrenal levels – AM cortisol
- Thyroid panel – TSH, free T3, free T4, thyroid antibodies
- Iron panel
- Sex hormone testing – testosterone, estrogen, progesterone levels
- Inflammation and immune system markers
- Autoimmunity testing
- Infectious disease testing – EBV, Mycoplasma
- Specialized testing:
- Comprehensive hormone testing such as the DUTCH test.
- Stool collection tests looking at abnormal gut bacteria, inflammation, infections, and parasites
- Lyme disease and tickborne infectious diseases
- Mold mycotoxin urine testing
- Nervous system testing
- Urine heavy metal testing
How is chronic fatigue treated?
Management of chronic fatigue often involves an integrative approach, including symptom relief while also addressing the underlying cause(s). Support from our naturopathic physicians, as well as understanding and support from family and friends, is crucial for individuals with chronic fatigue.
Treatment of chronic fatigue must be personalized for each patient depending on their symptom presentation, underlying causes, financial means, etc. With that said some commonly used treatments include:
- Dietary and lifestyle changes
- Nutritional supplements
- Botanical medicine
- Intravenous (IV) therapy
- Thyroid hormone replacement
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) – testosterone, estrogen, progesterone
- Acupuncture
- Craniosacral therapy and visceral manipulation
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)
- Detoxification and infrared sauna
- Compounded medications – Low Dose Naltrexone
- Stress reduction
- Homeopathic medicine
- Botanical medicine
- Mind-body medicine
If you need help finding the cause of your symptoms and getting safe, effective treatment for your chronic fatigue, call Aspen Integrative Medical Center or schedule an appointment online today.