Fighting Fatigue Guide

That’s what the compound more commonly known to us as MSG or monosodium glutamate was designed to do. It used to be derived from plant sources but economics dictated that it is cheaper to make it in the lab but with the same outcome, a crystalline food enhancer more associated with the Far East that the Western world though many processed food products from that area of the world contains the same.

Hidden under the new name hydrolyzed proteins (another description that can be used for MSG) people argue that it is harmful to ones health but on what basis? No commercial or government studies have ever come up with a result that states it is indeed bad for your health and the very few who do exhibit reactions to the food additive do not suffer long term health issues. The truth is, it may simply be a ploy to discredit the food additive’s ability to make less palatable foods easier to eat and tastier at that.

There are so many ways to fight fatigue but sometimes the easiest and simplest solution is the one that is ignored in favor of more complicated or even expensive solutions.

For example, the best way to really fight fatigue is plain old rest. A good night’s sleep is the best way to reenergize your body and allow your body to shake off fatigue. If you can’t get a full eight hours of sleep because you’re really busy, there’s a trick that you can do to keep going all through the day. Take short naps every couple of hours. These short power naps of about 15 to 20 minutes will be enough to give your mind and body much needed rest so you feel refreshed even with just a few minutes of sleep.

Don’t be alarmed. Depression is quite common in our community. But there is a big difference on how Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at it from how an ordinary person from the West regards this oftentimes debilitating disease. While Western psychiatry considers it as a chemical imbalance in the brain, Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at the chest & liver instead. To wit, the natural flow of Qi in the human body is imperative for anyone to fulfill his or her dreams. However, certain moments of loss or repression can keep the flow of Qi from reaching other vital organs like the heart & liver. That is why a person who is suffering from depression commonly feels a tightening of his or her chest.

Qi is stuck in the chest which results in anxiety or depression & to treat depression with Traditional Chinese Medicine is to allow this energy to inundate other parts of the body & mind. To laugh is to literally “lighten up.” It goes without saying that a careful kind of optimism solves most, if not all, of our problems today but herbal medicine can also assist us in our road to well-being, or being well.

Bupleurum (or chai hu) is one of the most common herbs that guide Qi out of the chest & allow it to touch the entire individual. The Mimosa bark (or he huan pi) is another example of an herb that soothes the spirit & nourishes the heart. To treat depression with Traditional Chinese Medicine is to keep our options open.

The reason for the comparison (lest our hunky jocks complain to be likened to grand-folks) is that the calcium leaking out of muscle cells – something that is prone to both athletes and the elderly. According to physiologists from the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, this process weakens muscle force and it activates protein-digesting enzyme that damages muscle fibers which may eventually cause feelings of extreme fatigue.

The study also says that,

“People with chronic heart failure are subject to this same kind of muscle leak and damage constantly even without doing any exercise,” Marks said in a statement. “One of these patients’ most debilitating symptoms is muscle weakness and fatigue, which can be so bad they can’t get out of bed, brush their teeth, or feed themselves.”

Source: United Press International

Japanese researchers from the Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Soiken Incorporation, Kansai University of Welfare Sciences, and Osaka University of Foreign, Study report that supplements of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) may actually boost physical performance and ease fatigue related to exercise. CoQ10 has vitamin-like properties but cannot be classified as such due to the fact that it is naturally synthesized in the body. According to the study, intake of about 300 milligrams of CoQ10 in eight days can result to a decreased recovery time and even feelings of tiredness.

NOTE: As this is part of scientific research, please be advised that you seek the advice of a professional before taking CoQ10.

Source: Nutra

There is actually a research that focuses on fatigue and interference with a person’s body clock. Apparently, drastic changes in body schedules, such as profound loss of daytime energy, can be considered as a symptom of chronic fatigue.

Thomas Birchler, co-lead researcher from the University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland says that the research could be relevant to further studies regarding the relation between the immune and the circadian systems which could eventually lead to a better understanding of daytime fatigue and how it could be treated.

Source: ScoutNews, LLC

I know that the holidays are just through, but I think a little advice on holiday stress is always timely. Here are tips to have a more relaxing holiday:

In charge of the family banquet?

Delegate! Try not to act the martyr and take on all of the chores. Assign children and other family members tasks (but don�t act like the General from hell. Be nice). The teenagers can be in charge of the music, a cousin and the kids can be in charge of the decorations, the aunts and sisters can be in charge of the food, the husband and the brothers can be in charge of the barbecue and the booze, the nieces can be in charge of the info dissemination, etc. Make it a time for fun and family bonding!

Expect the unexpected. Keep expectations realistic. Nothing is perfect. Do not go berserk if some mishap happens. Take a deep breath and think. Try to be resourceful. Ask help from people around. Remain calm.

Just be resigned to the fact that you lose a lot of cash during holidays (though it would save you grievances if you save a little extra money the rest of the year for the event). Make a realistic and manageable budget and stick to it. Try to be resourceful with your gifts. If you have mutual acquaintances with your spouse, sibling, or friend, why not combine your gift lists for single presents?

fotosearch.com

If you are an office worker who sits for long hours behind your desk, you may develop leg cramps that result to stress and fatigue at the end of the day.

To avoid this you can do some stretching exercises after office time to relax your muscles. Try raising your arms over your head with palms facing up and make imaginary upward pushes for 10 seconds. Do it again until you feel the strain in your upper arm.

You can also squat then slowly make your knees and chest meet for 10 seconds. Relax and do one more time. You may do these stretching routine in between your work, during coffee or lunch breaks.

Like it or not, were living in a rat race; the internet speed generation wherein everyone wants instant result. Unfortunately, the body can only stress itself so much to meet our by the minute daily deadlines. When we push ourselves over the edge, we end up paying for it in many different but all the same insufferable ways, because the fact is, most health conditions are caused by fatigue. But of course before or bodies succumb to fatigue, there the impending feeling of tiredness, a sign that we should stop and rest to recharge. But if you’re a self-supporting student like me, sometimes taking naps in the middle of the day of quick breaks when we feel like it are not an option, after all, there’s work to be done and it surely won’t be waiting for our most convenient time. Which is why like most of you, I resort to energy boosters and caffeine to keep me going even when my body is telling me not to, And predictably the results are never as good as when I’m really in top shape to work.

Yep. That�s right. To avoid fatigue, limit your caffeine intake. Sure, coffee gets you going through the long working days. But seriously, have you ever thought that perhaps you�re drinking more than you should? Remember that caffeine is not solely present coffee. It can also be found in tea and other beverages (Mountain Dew is more-ore-less liquefied caffeine). Perhaps that is why you complain of getting tired easily and that you have very few hours of sleep. Perhaps it�s the caffeine in your system that keeps you from getting those much needed Z�s. Ahh� now you�re seeing the light. Lighten the caffeine and stay on top of everything.