Chronic Tiredness

Scott Luper, N.D.

Nancy came into the clinic because she was desperate. She did not have enough energy to do the basic tasks of living. Her house was a mess. She had cut back to half time at work. Her boyfriend was on the verge of leaving her. Her energy had been falling gradually for several years and she just couldn’t cope anymore. "On my worse days I am so tired that even the air feels heavy. I have to push my way through it." Feeling like you are "pushing air" is a serious impediment to quality of life.

Tiredness or fatigue is one of the most common symptoms that a physician sees in their practice. The causes are many and varied. Everything from a cold to cancer can cause tiredness. The most difficult cases are of course when the physician can’t find any cause. These patients are given the diagnosis "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome", which is another way of saying the patient has chronic tiredness and the doctor can’t find the cause. Nancy had been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but having a name for her condition did not make her feel any better.

The good news for people with chronic tiredness is that many more previously overlooked causes are being discovered. Much more can be done to help the condition now than even a few years ago.

Nancy had been thoroughly worked up before she came to us. She had her blood and urine tested. She had an x-ray and a MRI. She had been questioned and every part of her body examined. She been tested for anemia, infections, autoimmune disease, thyroid disease, organ failure of every kind and nothing was abnormal. To her and her doctor’s surprise the test results were basically all normal. The only abnormalities discovered were that her cholesterol was slightly elevated and one kind of white blood cell called lymphocytes was slightly elevated, but everything else was normal. After her work up she was diagnosed with depression and prescribed Prozac, which unfortunately did not help at all.

In cases like Nancy’s it pays to continue to look for causes. Nancy didn’t give up. She knew something was wrong. She figured that since she did not feel profoundly tired before, something must be causing it. She admitted to feeling depressed and discouraged at times, but wasn’t ready to quit looking for solutions. She looked for a second and third opinion on her case.

During Nancy’s intake several important clues came to light. These clues helped us to understand the multiple causes of Nancy’s tiredness. First, Nancy had lived in Fairbanks for many years. She had lived north of town and had used untreated well water to drink and cook with for many years.

Heavy metal contamination can be a cause of tiredness. Fairbanks was founded because of the local high concentration of a certain heavy metal. They continue to mine it from the ground north of town. The heavy metal is gold of course. Toxic metals such as arsenic and tin also occur naturally in pockets in the ground around Fairbanks. Nancy tested high in arsenic, tin, lead and especially mercury. She began a protocol to remove the toxic metals from her body.

Another clue was Nancy’s blood pressure. While it was normal while she was sitting, it dropped when she stood up, a condition known as orthostatic hypotention. Normally blood pressure should rise about 10 mm Hg when going from sitting to standing. If it drops it can be an indication of dehydration, shock or adrenal gland disease. In Nancy’s case her adrenal glands did not produce enough adrenal hormones for her body’s needs. She began a program to increase her levels of adrenal hormones. She began to feel better right away.

Yet another clue was her blood test results. Remember the slight elevation in one of the white blood cells? Lymphocytes are an important part of the immune system. They are especially important in fighting viral infections. The disease AIDS results when one type of lymphocyte, the T-helper, is destroyed. We tested Nancy for several chronic viral infections. We discovered that she was infected with herpes virus 6. This virus is known as a stealth virus. It quietly saps your energy. Nancy started antiviral treatments.

With the correct treatment, Nancy’s energy began to return. As her energy began to return, she was able to eat better, clean her house, exercise and return to work full time. The same vicious cycle that caused her to spiral down in the first place now worked in her favor. The more energy she had, the more she was able to do to help herself. The relationship with her boyfriend did not survive her recovery, but in her own words "There are more fish in the sea and now that I can fish, I have a decent chance of catching one."