FATIGUE

LA FATIGUE

FATIGUE


Dear friends,

Four out of ten French people, mostly women, aged between 30 and 40, mainly from urban areas, consider themselves tired , which they define as an abnormal lack of energy, making the slightest physical or intellectual effort difficult.

Most often, the drop in energy occurs between November and March, when the cold and lack of light weigh as much on morale as on the body.
There are varying degrees of fatigue. When we talk about asthenia, we are referring to fatigue that has become intense, leading to various functional deficiencies. This term is also used to refer to the weakening of the functions of an organ or system: for example, we sometimes refer to asthenia of the cardiovascular or neurocirculatory systems, or to mental asthenia, which refers to the weakening of memory, difficulty focusing attention, and a conscious slowing down of intellectual work.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a catch-all diagnosis that encompasses a multitude of symptoms, the most common of which are: low energy, low-grade fever, muscle pain, sleep disturbances, decreased cognitive abilities, a semi-depressive state, headaches, allergies, anxiety, joint stiffness, nausea, dizziness, sore throat, sweating, and recurring cough. To be diagnosed, "chronic fatigue" must cause a reduction in activity of at least 50% for six months.

Fatigue also accompanies a number of conditions that should of course be ruled out (hepatitis, infectious mononucleosis, fibromyalgia, etc.), but it is often of psychological origin.

Two types of fatigue

Faced with any complaint of abnormal and/or excessive fatigue, the doctor will begin by trying to differentiate physical fatigue from nervous fatigue, which some will call "psychasthenia" (personally, I don't like this term).

There is a somewhat simplistic way to differentiate these two types of fatigue:
  1. Physical fatigue worsens every time we increase our exertion or engage in physical activity. In fact, physical fatigue increases as the day goes on and is often worse in the evening. Conversely, it improves every time we rest, especially after a nap or a good night's sleep.
  2. Nervous fatigue is more related to a form of apprehension of not being able to succeed, of not being able to take on the tasks that one has set for oneself. Sometimes, it is mainly a lack of "punch" and desire. It is therefore above all an anticipatory fatigue, and the patient describes fatigue that is worse in the morning and gradually improves throughout the day.
The most caricatured is undoubtedly the improvement in fatigue at the end of the day, with sometimes an optimal form which can even lead to going to bed late, which is paradoxical for someone who is tired.

On the contrary, when it comes to physical fatigue, the patient will need and even want to go to bed early due to exhaustion.
This way of differentiating between physical fatigue and nervous fatigue is, however, a bit crude and cannot constitute a formal diagnosis. Indeed, there is also nervous fatigue in the evening, and this can depend on neurotransmitters, which are very involved in the concept of fatigue.

Neurotransmitters

There are several neurotransmitters that allow our nervous system to function and neurons to communicate with each other.

I will only mention here 4 molecules involved in fatigue:
  1. GABA is the neurotransmitter of zenitude. It is especially involved in anxiety and therefore in stress-related fatigue;
  2. Acetylcholine is involved in memory and learning, and can therefore play a role in nervous fatigue, but it is also involved in muscular activity and can therefore promote physical fatigue when it is too low;
  3. dopamine is specific to morning fatigue;
  4. Serotonin is often cited in questions of weight and bulimia, but it is also the other neurotransmitter of depression and it can cause sleep disturbances and fatigue rather at the end of the day.
These last two neurotransmitters are frequently involved in nervous fatigue, but, in addition, we have effective natural treatment options.

Fatigue due to dopamine and/or serotonin deficiency is always accompanied by emotional disturbances, anxiety, and even depression.

Fatigue, a hidden depression

Chronic or intense fatigue can mask true depression. Depression can be divided into two broad categories: endogenous and exogenous.

"Exogenous" means that the depression has an external cause. It is called reactive. Whether this reaction is logical, coherent, adapted, or totally excessive in relation to the cause, depression can be explained by more or less aggressive "external" events.

These "exogenous" depressions have the best prognosis. Firstly, because the external cause can disappear and be resolved, but also because the patient can be helped to accept or correct the event that triggered their depression. Fatigue in exogenous depressions is not necessarily very pronounced.
So-called "endogenous" depressions have no obvious cause, sometimes no cause at all, or sometimes a simple, very banal triggering event. The patient's psychological fragility may be linked to the person's complex history, but sometimes there is no logical explanation. In this case, it is possible to assume that there are genetic factors, such as a metabolic disorder of the nervous system with an inability to produce neurotransmitters or another neuron dysfunction.

These depressions are often more severe, more chronic and more difficult to treat.

Burnout

Depression is increasingly being confused with burnout, a fashionable term that reflects a reality: the world and society are moving faster and faster, demanding more and more performance, and many people are burning their wings, or rather their brains!
Burnout can result in a feeling of intense exhaustion, with an inability to go to work and a decline in physical and intellectual performance. It is linked to the fear of no longer being effective and of risking disappointing one's professional or even family circle, of no longer being in tune with one's values, and of practicing a profession that is contrary to one's life principles.

Burnout is such a profound disorder that treatment can be lengthy, with extended periods of time off work to allow the body and brain to recover and reprogram themselves, as burnout is often the result of a headlong rush that the patient is no longer even aware of! These are serious situations with often profound depression.

8 key criteria

Here are the criteria that allow you to know if you are at risk of burnout:
  1. You work in a high-risk profession: it's very common among healthcare professionals, but also in other professions requiring a high level of empathy, such as teachers. Executives are also a common target, as are self-employed professionals, artisans, and farmers.
  2. You are constantly tired.
  3. You work too much.
  4. You lack recognition or room to maneuver.
  5. You are demonstrating “excessive” professional conscientiousness.
  6. You're hyperconnected. This leads to hyperactivity, but also constant contact with screens and, above all, the inability to recharge your batteries, to isolate yourself a little to get back on your feet. And everything is moving faster and faster, with the feeling that if we stop, we'll be "kicked out" of this crazy round!
  7. You are isolated. This is the opposite of the previous mechanism, which prevents you from "getting things off your chest" and, above all, from experiencing the pleasures that only human relationships offer us.
  8. Know how to recognize the warning signs: insomnia, migraine, intellectual fatigue, irritability...

Physical fatigue

True physical fatigue is just as common as nervous fatigue, and it is the result of a wide variety of causes, from the most trivial to the most serious. It will take the doctor's experience and diagnostic skill to determine that the fatigue is not of psychological origin.

Fatigue of physical origin is recognized above all by 3 criteria:
  1. it gets worse as the day progresses or as activities increase;
  2. it is improved by rest;
  3. There are no emotional factors that could lead to nervous fatigue.
But once we have said that, we are very far from having understood the cause(s) of this fatigue.

Several criteria will guide the doctor's diagnostic approach:
  1. The extent and depth of fatigue will be assessed using the visual analogue scale which measures pain intensity from 0 to 10;
  2. The age of the fatigue is essential. If the fatigue has lasted for years, one can often rule out a number of serious illnesses that may have worsened over a long time;
  3. of course, the symptoms possibly associated with this fatigue will be determining elements in guiding the assessments and the diagnosis.

Making a diagnosis for the symptom “fatigue”

If the fatigue is of recent onset, it will be essential to rule out a number of potentially serious illnesses that require rapid treatment:
  1. cancer should be considered even if it is, fortunately, an uncommon cause in the face of these symptoms; a cardiovascular disorder is not the most common cause either but should also be considered in order to be treated quickly and effectively;
  2. a hormonal imbalance, particularly at the thyroid level, is a fairly common cause that is systematically sought in the face of any recent fatigue;
  3. An infectious disease is often a source of fatigue, but its diagnosis is rarely difficult in the face of other symptoms such as fever, aches, or symptoms of the infection itself;
  4. inflammatory diseases, such as autoimmune diseases, can cause fatigue, but they are more often chronic and develop gradually;
  5. Nutritional deficiencies, and particularly anemia, also cause frequent fatigue, but again, it develops gradually. Except, of course, in the case of recent hemorrhage, which is so obvious that diagnosis is easy.
Chronic or progressive fatigue will often be more difficult, both to recognize and, above all, to determine the cause:
  1. Sleep disorders are surely one of the main causes of these fatigues. If the patient describes typical insomnia, the diagnosis is immediate. But in the case of sleep apnea, the patient may not be aware of their disorder and only describe fatigue that sets in gradually;
  2. Nutritional deficiencies are a classic cause of chronic fatigue that is not always easy to identify;
  3. Anemia is obviously a well-known cause of chronic fatigue. It itself has several possible causes: either through nutritional deficiency in people who do not eat enough iron (especially strict vegetarians), or through chronic bleeding.

Treatment

Homeopathy

Depending on the probable cause

Big effort, moving, intensive sports session... (general physical fatigue with aches and pains), ARNICA MONTANA 9 CH

Significant physical effort (muscle fatigue), LACTICUM ACIDUM 5 CH

Studies, school rhythms (student fatigue), KALIUM PHOSPHORICUM 9 CH
Infectious disease, NATRUM MURIATICUM 9 CH

Loss of biological fluid (hemorrhage, diarrhea, vomiting, heavy sweating, etc.), CHINA RUBRA 5 CH

2 granules 3 times a day, until symptoms disappear.

Depending on the symptoms

General slowing down, BARYTA CARBONICA 9 CH

Coldness, SILICEA 9 CH

Hair loss, SELENIUM 5 CH + TALLIUM ACETICUM 5 CH + PHOSPHORICUM ACIDUM 7 CH

Impatience of the legs, ZINCUM METALLICUM 5 CH

Weight loss and tendency to ENT disorders, TUBERCULINUM RESIDUUM 5 CH

2 granules 3 times a day, until symptoms disappear.

Sudden physical and psychological collapse, GELSEMIUM 9 CH + BARYTA CARBONICA 9 CH

Fatigue, irritability, insomnia, KALIUM CARBONICUM 5 CH

After too much intellectual work, KALIUM PHOSPHORICUM 9 CH

Memory lapses, PHOSPHORICUM ACIDUM 9 CH

Agitation preventing concentration, ARGENTUM NITRICUM 9 CH

2 granules 3 times a day, until symptoms disappear.

Drowsiness after meals, insomnia at night, NUX VOMICA 5 CH : 2 granules 30 minutes before meals, 2 granules 1 hour after. 9 CH: 2 granules at bedtime. Until symptoms improve.

Dietary advice
  • Focus on cereals and dried fruits for manganese and vitamin B.
  • Eat seafood for cobalt and vitamin B.
  • Consume brewer's yeast for vitamin B.
  • Favour green vegetables and fresh fruits (kiwi, lemon, orange) for vitamin C.
  • Use garlic, cinnamon, ginger, mint, and pollen extensively, which have a long tradition of toning.
  • Eliminate or limit as much as possible animal fats, meats, processed and denatured foods which, during the effort of digestion, consume a lot of your energy. Favor green vegetables to benefit from the solar energy they have stored. Take an interest in whole grains (start with bread), it's the time to discover their often remarkably fine taste and their energetic virtues. Eat plenty of fresh organic fruits with the skin.
  • Don't forget seeds: peanuts, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts... all very rich in energy.
  • Take a course of ginseng tincture (available in pharmacies), eleutherococcus (6 capsules per day), fresh royal jelly, aloe pulp... all of which are natural revitalizers, remineralizers and restoratives.
  • Integrate brewer's yeast, ginger, and thyme into your diet.
  • In herbal tea, think of red ginseng, eleutherococcus, rosehip, angelica, hogweed, sage, thyme...
To be sure you're eating healthy food, take a look at the "organic" section!

Natural foods
Royal jelly : A luxury honey intended for queen bees, who live much longer than worker bees, it is one of the richest foods in trace elements, amino acids, and B vitamins (especially B5). It also contains small amounts of vitamins A, C, D, and E.

Wheat germ : This is obtained by soaking the grains in water and letting them germinate for two days. It constitutes the living part of the plant, contains all the constituents necessary for its growth, provides twice as much calcium, three times as much magnesium and phosphorus, and significantly more vitamins B, C, D, and E.

Apples : The nutritional and vitamin value of apples is well established. They contain numerous mineral salts, trace elements, vitamins (A, B, and C), iron, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, and silica. The rapid combustion of its fructose, a simple, easily assimilated sugar, makes it a high-energy food.

Walnuts : a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-6, but especially omega-3, they are a health food par excellence provided they are consumed in small quantities, because of their high energy content. They also provide vitamin E, fiber, and magnesium.

Onion : Its vitamin C, selenium, and quercetin content give it anti-inflammatory properties. It is also said to have diuretic properties (due to its potassium and fructose-derived sugars, fructosans), anti-infectious properties, and hypoglycemic properties (due to its sulfur compounds). It reduces platelet aggregation, thus limiting the formation of atheromatous plaque.

Aromatherapy
  • Physical fatigue: 1 drop of cinnamon essential oil, 1 drop of peppermint essential oil, in the morning on an empty stomach in a teaspoon of honey. For lower back massage: 1 drop of cinnamon essential oil, 1 drop of peppermint essential oil, 3 drops of black spruce essential oil.
  • Mental fatigue: 1 drop of basil essential oil, 1 drop of tea tree essential oil, in the morning on an empty stomach in a teaspoon of honey.
  • Muscle fatigue: 3 drops of rosemary cineole essential oil, 3 drops of Ravensara essential oil, in 3 drops of grape seed oil or cold-pressed olive oil, massaged locally.
Gemmotherapy

Morning: 50 drops + water Ribes nigrum (blackcurrant) Bg. Mac. Glyc. 1D, 1 bottle 125 ml. Blackcurrant stimulates cortisol in the morning.
Noon: 50 drops + water Quercus robur (oak) Bg. Mac. Glyc. 1D, 1 bottle 125 ml
Evening: 50 drops + water Ficus carica (fig tree) Bg. Mac. Glyc. 1D, 1 bottle 125 ml
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