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Alpha Nutrition Health Education |
Chronic Fatigue Diet and Lifestyle
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Food Allergy, the Mechanism of Disease
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Chronic ill health is a "normal condition" among adult North Americans. Aching and fatigue are the two most common complaints. The health record in the USA and other industrialized countries is not good. While people live longer in North America, there is growing evidence that the wellness quotient of the average citizen deteriorates and the prospect of chronic degenerative disease haunts the aging population. It is easy to point to persisting, increasing, debilitating health problems such as depression, family violence, suicide, obesity, diabetes, disability from degenerative diseases, dementias, cancer and an increasing incidence of ill-defined illnesses. Close to 50% of the adult population in the US and Canada report chronic symptoms such as headache, fatigue and joint or muscle pain. Aging citizens are vulnerable to a variety of debilitating if not tragic illnesses. The rising incidence of two disabling and chronic illnesses Diabetes and Alzheimer's dementia is a major concern especially as a wave of 70 million "Baby Boomers" in North America will approach the peak and increasing incidence of these diseases in the next 30 years. Data from the U.S. National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) estimated that the number of outpatient visits for fatigue was 7 million visits; 9.6 million visits for headaches; 17 million visits for joint pains; 14 million visits for skin rash; and 7 million visits for depression. Patients commonly report experiencing multiple symptoms. Studies have shown that when patients complete symptom checklists one third of patients complain of 0-1 symptoms, one-third complain of 2-3 symptoms, and one-third complain of 4 or more symptoms. Lifestyle ConsiderationsAssumption 1: Mild or intermittent fatigue not associated with other symptoms is a life-style problem until proven otherwise. Physical fitness is an issue and many people with milder symptoms will do well with modest diet adjustments, improved nutrient intake and an exercise program. Many people eat poorly because of a busy lifestyle and may have margin nutrient deficiencies. Vitamin-mineral supplements may be helpful. A more complete nutritional formula such as Alpha ENF can replace missing meals and provide an energy boost, especially at the low points in the day. Coffee is a common cause of fatigue. The stimulation effects of caffeine are short-lived. The more you drink the worse the problem gets - you run around hyper and anxious for a few hours and then you crash. You sleep poorly and wake up groggy. You need more coffee to get going. You are in an addictive cycle and although you can stay there for many miserable years, chronic fatigue may be your final reward. Tea has similar properties but is milder and may be better tolerated if intake is limited to 2 cups/day. We have seen addicted cola drinkers in a predicament similar to coffee addicts. If you are a smoker or live with a smoker, then smoke is the cause until proven otherwise. If you smoke and drink more than 3 cups of coffee per day, there isn't much hope for you until you quit. Cigarette smoke can give carbon monoxide poisoning and hundreds of other toxins in the smoke can rob you of your vitality in different ways. If you are a drinker - alcoholic beverages everyday and sometimes to excess - then your problem should be obvious. If you drink coffee, alcoholic beverage and smoke, then there isn't any hope for you until you quit all of these addictions. You do not have chronic fatigue syndrome - you have an addiction problem, malnutrition, and self-inflicted chemical toxicity. See the alcohol center. If fatigue and/or sleepiness is associated with a specific environment, then environmental factors may the cause; our number 1 concern is carbon monoxide emissions . Persistent or Progressive FatigueWhen fatigue is associated with other symptoms that interfere with normal activities and make exercise unattractive or impossible, then another set of considerations takes over. A more detailed search for a latent disease may be required. The onset of many well-known diseases begins with aching, fatigue and cognitive dysfunction. Diabetes may present with fatigue as the dominant symptom- often associated with thirst, and increased urination. If you are overweight and over 40, diabetes should be a major concern. Viral hepatitis may simmer for many years causing chronic fatigue. Similar nonspecific symptoms occur in the early stages of the other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosis and multiple sclerosis. These are hypersensitivity diseases, driven by immune activity, which probably involve food and airborne materials that excite immune responses. A thoughtful, broad approach to environmental determinants is required. Food allergy and other food supply problems are usually not considered. Toxicity from industrial and domestic sources is also seldom considered. We recommend complete, thorough diet revision as a prerequisite of investigating and treating the problem. The Food Allergy ComplexFatigue, sleepiness, mood, and sleep-disturbances are consistent symptoms of delayed pattern food allergy. The clinical correlation of more specific food-allergic symptoms (nose congestion, headache, and abdominal pain) with fatigue and insomnia is so consistent that food allergic symptoms which do not include a disturbance of the arousal system should be considered unusual. Careful observation of family and friends before and after eating and drinking should reveal consistent and rather obvious changes in their arousal, attention, cognitive ability, and emotional expressions. The food allergy sufferer manifests the food-brain connection more obviously and will verbally report or act out some form of arousal disturbance after a meal. Irritability and inappropriate, angry outbursts may be as common as the antisocial withdrawal caused by arousal inhibition in circuits of the brain. For example, some patients report extreme sleepiness 20-60 minutes after eating. If there is no opportunity to sleep after the meal, they continue to function at a compromised level, making more mistakes in their work and having more difficulty with interpersonal relationships. Milk products and grain-related foods seem to be the most consistent sedative-hypnotic foods. All foods high in protein content may have this effect. Coffee and tea will briefly postpone the sedative-hypnotic effects of food, but at a cost to proper brain function. Alcoholic beverages increase the brain-disturbing effects of other foods. A cruel paradox of sleepiness accompanied by restless dysphoria is often experienced at night while the evening's food and drink are being processed in GIT and wrong materials trickle into the bloodstream. The sleep disturbances of food allergy are usually accompanied by physical symptoms.
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