5 Secrets to Improving Your Energy
Energy loss is one of the most common symptoms I hear from patients. We all could use more energy at some point during the day. Heck, if you told me I could improve my energy by 20-25%, I would do whatever it took to acquire the boost.
After consulting with thousands of patients over the last 12-years, the number one cause of energy loss I have seen is due to autoimmune conditions.
Guess what? Autoimmune conditions are on the rise! Drastically, on the rise. For example, there are over 20 million hypothyroid patients in the US. 90% of these patients are misdiagnosed and suffer from an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s Disease. Energy loss is one of the most common symptoms in these thyroid patients.
That is about 18,000,000 patients struggling with energy loss…and this is only one autoimmune condition. There are over 80 types of autoimmune disease, that we know of.
According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA), there are over 50 million Americans struggling with autoimmune conditions.
Autoimmune is Autoimmune, and this means Energy Loss!
While I focus a lot of my attention on thyroid patients (my fiancé, step-father, mother-in-law and sister-in-law all have Hashimoto’s Disease), I continue to work with and consult patients with Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Type 1 Diabetes, to name a few.
When I begin evaluating patients with energy loss, I start by looking at 5 aspects of each patient’s health. I like to call them the 5 pieces of the health puzzle.
People with low energy, will typically have one, if not more than one, of the following:
- Leaky Gut Syndrome – This is when the gut lining is inflamed, broken down, and not absorbing vitamins and minerals
- Infections – Doctors miss infections, a lot. Parasitic infections are the most common type of infection I see in patients. On top of parasitic infections, there are hidden bacterial infections and even viruses that start to break the body down.
- Food sensitivities – YES, YES, and YES!!! Many people suffer from food sensitivities and may not even know it. Autoimmune patients ALL have some type of sensitivity, or multiple food sensitivities, that are affecting their health condition.
- Blood sugar stability – Blood sugar fluctuations will affect the adrenal glands, a couple of very important organs that regulate hormones in the body. If blood sugar is up and down, so is your energy.
- Liver health – Your liver plays a vital role in detoxification and hormone regulation. If your liver is not working well, energy loss is sure to occur.
BONUS…I also look at antibody markers to determine if someone is suffering from an autoimmune condition. Patients routinely say, “My doctor told me my lab tests are normal, but I still don’t feel well”. That is a sign that there is an underlining issue and someone needs to dig deeper.
Healing the Gut Lining
80% of your immune system is dependent upon a healthy functioning gut. Once the gut lining breaks down, then all bets are off. Most of the time this leads to an autoimmune condition.
Why does the gut lining break down?
- Food allergens: this is one of the most common reasons why people’s gut lining breaks down, causing Leaky Gut Syndrome/Intestinal Permeability.
- Adrenal gland stress: the adrenal glands are the STRESS GLANDS! Stress is one of the driving forces for autoimmune conditions and cancer, as they release hormones that can cause lots of destruction. Show me a chronically sick patient, and I will show you someone with dysfunction of their adrenal glands.
- Infections:infections destroy the gut lining.
- Medications:antibiotics not only kill the bad guys, but they kill the good guys that help to absorb your vitamins and minerals, your gut flora.
Hidden Infections/Critters
Hidden infections are a HUGE culprit that cause energy loss. As I mentioned above, parasitic infections are the most common infection I find in my patients, even after the patient has been to their “traditional doctor”.
Why do doctors miss these infections? Simple, most basic blood tests are not sensitive enough to find deep rooted, hidden infections.
Parasites (critters, as I like to refer to them) can be undetectable in basic blood work, and more in-depth stool testing is required (note: not all stool tests are created equal, either).
Bacterial infections, especially H. Pylori, wreak havoc on the stomach and the GI lining, affecting energy, and causing acid reflux/indigestion.
Viral infections are another MAJOR cause of energy loss. A lot of people have heard of Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), commonly seen in athletes.
After working with a ton of professional athletes that suffered from EBV, and having a fiancé that struggled with it, I can tell you that EBV is one of the worst viruses you can develop; sapping you of your energy to the point where you can’t even get out of bed, or walk up a flight of stairs.
Don’t Eat That Food!!!
Be careful with what you are eating now-a-days. The nutritional quality of food in the United States is poor. Yes, we see more and more organic foods in the grocery stores, but there are companies out there (we won’t name names) that are only interested in one thing, MONEY!
When money is the only driving force behind people’s motives, they will do anything it takes to make more, including putting poison on/in our food.
Don’t forget to note, that our foods have been genetically modified in order to increase supply, but our bodies don’t recognize these genetically modified foods, as food, anymore.
What happens when you put a foreign substance into your body that your body doesn’t recognize? Your body attacks it and destroys it! When the genetically modified grain is destroyed, inflammation is created which causes destruction o the GI lining.
Anytime, someone reports a loss of energy, I always look at what they are eating.
Control Your Sugar!
Did you notice I didn’t say stop eating sugar? That should be obvious, but many people eat a TON of sugar, and some don’t realize it. Diabetics (Type II) are guilty of this, as lot of them eat an enormous amount of sugar, in the form of fruit.
What I said was, control your sugar! Meaning, you need to stabilize your blood sugar throughout the day. This means, eating frequently enough that you do not let your blood sugar (glucose) get low. When it gets low, cortisol gets released, and large amounts of cortisol cause lots of inflammation.
Certain foods contribute to spikes in blood sugar as well, which is not ideal. How someone eats, and when, is extremely important to their health.
Clean Out the Filter
Your body has a filter that gets clogged up, much like the lint filter in a dryer. That filter is called, your liver. If your liver, which helps to detoxify your blood and utilize hormones, gets clogged up, you will suffer B vitamin deficiency, emotional distress and even thyroid gland dysfunction.
Cleansing the liver is one thing almost every patient of mine goes through. There are many different liver cleanses out there, so make sure to choose one that is doctor guided.
Lots to Think About
You probably thought I was going to tell you to eat a newly discovered berry and drink this special organic, fermented drink.
Well, while those may help give a healthy person a boost of energy, they won’t help heal someone’s body that is suffering from some of the what we discussed.
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with energy loss, make sure they have a doctor that is looking at the 5 pieces of the puzzle above.
If you would like to read more about autoimmune conditions, download healthy recipes, or ask me any questions, head over to www.askdrking.com.
