Tired All The Time

You're tired a lot (or utterly exhausted) and nobody seems to have any miracle suggestions. Why is this? What's it called? And what really works?

Why Am I So Tired?

Fatigue has a lot of different causes (thyroid imbalance, adrenal imbalance, anemia, diabetes, autoimmune/inflammatory disorders, heart disease, depression/anxiety, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, cancer, Addison's disease, chronic fatigue syndrome/ME, fibromyalgia ...and more.) If you don't have urgent symptoms, doctors often watch and wait. And they use a process of elimination to answer these questions.

Urgent Symptoms?

WebMD encourages you to call your doctor if you believe you might have chronic fatigue (you experience 4 or more of these common symptoms):

• Trouble sleeping
• Not feeling rested or refreshed after sleep
• Trouble with concentration or memory
• Muscle pain and soreness
• Joint pain without redness or swelling
• An unusual headache
• Tender lymph nodes in the neck or armpit
• Sore throat that won’t go away or keeps coming back

You may also have some of these less common symptoms:

• Vision problems that may include blurring, light sensitivity, or eye pain
• Irritability, mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks
• Chills or night sweats
• Low fever or low body temperature
• Irritable bowels
• Allergies or sensitivity to foods, alcohol, odors, chemicals, medications, or sounds
• Numbness, tingling, or burning in hands, feet, or face
• Dizziness when you stand

The Usual Path

Most doctors run some tests and will tell you to pay attention to sleep, diet, exercise and limit stress...and see them again in 1-2 months. Months? And then on top of this, there are more doctor visits and tests. Frustrating, right? Especially if you're fighting poor concentration/memory, mysterious weight gain/loss, pain/soreness, depression...and so many other symptoms that go with feeling weary. How are you supposed to go on with your work, your relationships and your life?

Good News

There's something really helpful you can do between those doctor visits. No matter what's causing your tiredness, stress is almost always involved. Stress causes fatigue and fatigue causes stress. Lack of sleep too. There's nothing like massage to relieve anxiety and help you sleep better. Get rid of the stress, sleep better and you often get more energy.

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Massage also boosts your immune system while relieving pain and soreness. Another huge reason massage helps: it pushes the lethargy-producing toxins right out of your body, as Michele Naumann Carlstrom, licensed massage therapist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and Dr. Oz point out.

Even for Desperate, Extreme Cases

This is exactly why Alex Terry says massage "transformed my life." Before age 16, Alex had been a bright, overachieving student. And then came the severe exhaustion, sore muscles, poor memory and her brain kept blanking out. Her doctor, who eventually diagnosed her with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME), did very little to help. For 15 years she struggled. Every time Alex pushed her body or mind hard enough to achieve something, she crashed. And every crash took longer to recover from. She finally decided to consult an experienced massage therapist. Her first few massage sessions were painful - even though they were very light and delicate. Each week for 12 weeks, Alex treatments gently drained more lymph and toxins from her body. As she began to get stronger, she graduated to massage sessions every two weeks. After 8 months, Alex had pain-free joints and muscles. Her concentration improved and she felt so much more energy. Even when symptoms reappeared, just one session got rid of them again. Alex adds, "I wish one of the many GPs (doctors) I begged for help had bothered to do research and told me about it (massage). They could have saved me from a living hell."

What Can Massage Do For You?

Everybody's different. And there are dozens of reasons for fatigue. Yet studies and experience keep proving that massage fixes the main things that cause the tiredness and symptoms. And despite the frustration many feel with doctors, it's also vital to find a good doctor and get professional health advice. Especially if your fatigue is severe. When is it severe?

• It's not relieved by sleep or rest
• It's not the result of strenuous physical labor
• It significantly lowers your ability to function normally in most situations
• It gets a lot worse after mental or physical exertion, or after you’ve been sick

As WebMD points out, the best treatment for chronic (or any type of) fatigue is what makes you feel better. And they acknowledge that massage is now becoming a popular treatment choice. Of course, not all types of massage are good for people with fatigue and related symptoms. You need an experienced massage therapist.

Call us at 303-920-2350 with any questions, concerns or to find out how massage and essential oils can make life better for you.