Category: Fatigue

Posted by Christine Pope on in Ageing, Detoxification, Energy, Fatigue, Health Care

Heat and cold, stressors which boost energy and slow ageing

Looking for a way to improve your energy levels ? Turns out we can certainly benefit from some of the strategies from Nordic countries particularly in regards to saunas and cold plunging. Mild hormetic stressors such as heat and cold can be really beneficial (and enjoyable).

What is a hormetic stressor ? It’s a mild stress to the body which actually generates a low level of free radicals. In the presence of a low level of free radicals we produce more mitochondria. Mitochondria are the energy producing part of a cell and as we age we tend to start losing them. The major hormetic stressor which we are all familiar with is exercise and the reason this is beneficial is it encourages the body to make more mitochondria which in turn means we can produce more energy. Stimulating these processes gives us improvement in both our short term and long term health.

Often we talk about stress as being negative for our health however it really comes down to the type of stress and the dose. Prolonged stress of any type can have negative implications for our health in the same way that prolonged exposure to cold water can result in hypothermia. A few minutes in the cold water is beneficial, too long an exposure is a problem.

What are some other types of hormetic stress ? The top 10 include the following;

  1. Intermittent Fasting
  2. Cold
  3. Heat
  4. Hypoxia
  5. Red and near infrared light
  6. Exercise
  7. Dietary Phytochemicals
  8. UV light
  9. Xenobiotics
  10. Intermittent Nutrient Cycling

In this blog we are going to focus on the benefit of Heat and infrared light however there is more information on some of these options in my blogs such as Is Fasting for me ? and Six ways to increase your energy If you are interested in looking at cold hormetic stressors the latest blog on my clinic page is also useful Is it good to have a cold shower every day

Infra red light such at that from an infra red sauna penetrates soft tissue up to 3 centimetres warming the body and opening blood vessels in a process called “vasodilation.” The blood vessels on the surface expand and as the body heats it encourages sweating. Spending 30 minutes in a sauna is believed to increase heart rate and improve your exercise tolerance. A small study in 2005 showed that a month of sauna bathing in a group with Chronic Heart Failure saw improvements in 13 of 15 participants. In addition to a reduction in blood pressure and improved exercise tolerance they also say reduced levels of stress hormones. (1)

Recently my husband decided to see if a month of infra red sauna was beneficial and he found after a few weeks that his heat tolerance had improved, he felt his stress levels had reduced and he was noticing less muscle pain. He is a much smaller study group but still interesting to see the benefits over a short period of time. He is also quite keen to continue so expect an update on his progress in a couple of months.

A recent article in The Conversation “Can’t face running try a hot bath or sauna” looks at some of the benefits of hot bathing and also the advantages of using sauna to build up your tolerance when you are unable to exercise. In this way it could be useful for those people suffering from Chronic Fatigue for slowly improving resilience and assisting in recovery so that they can start to exercise. It is important if you suffer from Chronic Fatigue that you build up very slowly and gently with any new routine.

Need more assistance with improving your energy levels ? Book in with Christine Pope at Elemental Health at St Ives on Tuesday or Wednesdays. Bookings online at http://www.elementalhealth.net.au or by phone on (02) 8084 0081 .

(1) https://www.onlinejcf.com/article/S1071-9164(05)00108-9/fulltext

Posted by Christine Pope on in exercise, Fatigue, Health Care, Tea, vegetables

Post Viral Fatigue (and other symptoms)

Most people when they get sick usually find that after the initial illness they probably need to spend one or two days recovering and then they are fine to get on with their work and lives as per usual. For a small percentage after a virus they may find that they are slower to recover and what usually took a few days is now taking a few weeks or months. If you are finding that your recovery is much slower than usual it might be good to review some of the strategies recommended below and see if adopting these assists with your recovery.

There are three main areas to focus on in terms of post viral recovery, namely, rest, immune support and good quality nutrition. In addition if recovery is protracted its a good idea to check with your healthcare practitioner and ensure that there are no other factors which are contributing. For example its not uncommon for women suffering with anemia (low iron) to find it takes a long time to recover from an illness. Another factor that can be problematic is a history of glandular fever as people who have had this virus are more prone to developing post viral fatigue.

REST

Once upon a time when people had a serious illness there was this concept called convalescence. It was expected that people continued to rest and recover after an illness. In today’s world I tend to recommend streaming sessions, find a series online that you enjoyed and rewatch it. A series that you have watched before does not require as much concentration and you can doze on and off without affecting your viewing.

It also important to ensure that even when you feel well enough to return to work you schedule rest into your day, whether it’s a short nap on the couch if you are working from home or just making sure you get out for a break at lunchtime. In this era of constant busyness it can be very hard for people to cut down their workload to allow time for this but adequate rest post virus will reduce the amount of downtime you need.

You may also find that its useful to gradually return to exercise slowly. This might mean starting with short walks of ten minutes and building up gradually, rather than just returning to a full on gym or pilates session. If you are coping with short walks once a day then build to twice a day consistently. However if you do find that heading back to the gym wipes you out for a day or two, then its time to regroup and gradually build up again.

IMMUNE SUPPORT

If fatigue and other symptoms are continuing for a protracted period then its possible you have a low level of the virus continuing in your system. There are a number of options for supporting your immune system to enable it to recover. These could include anti-viral herbs as well as nutrients which support the immune system, such as Vitamin D, Zinc and Vitamin C. With Vitamin C aim for 500mg three to four times a day however with Zinc 25mg daily is a useful dose. It is helpful to know your Vitamin D levels before supplementing however 2-3 weeks of higher dose Vitamin D 2-4000 IU daily should be manageable for most people when recovering from a virus.

One useful option for supporting the immune system is medicinal mushrooms in particular supplements with Reishi, Cordyceps, Turkey Tail and Shitake being useful. These are often supplemented in powder form rather than consumed as mushrooms. If brain fog is problematic post virus then Lion’s Mane is useful for brain function, however it is also important to consider other key nutrient to support brain health including good quality fatty acids, such as fish, avocado and nuts and seeds.

GOOD QUALITY NUTRITION

An over looked area for recovery is diet. To really assist your immune system to work effectively its important to ensure that you are eating a wide range of vegetables and fruit, up to 30 different types in a week. Its really easy the first couple of days to build good variety but then we often have the same vegetables every two or three days. This recent blog provides you with a good range of options for feeding your microbiome as well as possible What are the best vegetables for feeding your gut ?

In addition to the three cups of vegetables a day make sure to include a small amount of protein as well as a couple of serves of carbohydrates, from potatoes, rice or grains. At this stage in recovery easily absorbed carbohydrates are quick sources of energy.

Depending on whether your stomach was affected you may find that its easier to start eating bland food initially and then gradually add more variety. Start with warm foods as it requires less digestive energy to break it down. This might include soups, steamed vegetables or casseroles if you are up to meal preparation.

For those who are struggling with thinking about what to cook there are a few blogs on the site meal plans Meal Plan Week One and Meal Plan Week Two could be a couple of options or if you would prefer lighter healthier foods then Spring Reset Meal Plan might be useful for you.

For more support with post viral illness book in an appointment with me at my St Ives clinic or online. Bookings are available through http://www.elementalhealth.net.au or on (02) 8084 0081.