Welcome to my Blog on fatigue, its many challenges, sources, and potential solutions. I am Heather Budd, a Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach who empowers and encourages busy people to overcome fatigue by finding tools and strategies to take control of their health. Current reports suggest that 10-20% of visits to primary care physicians involve fatigue as a chief complaint. After experiencing this in my own health, I believe this issue is particularly urgent with the rapid rise in chronic disease and the fact that chronic diseases are progressive and happen over a long period of time. The blog posts that follow are dedicated to deconstructing fatigue, citing science-backed information and evidenced-based approaches to help you find the tools and strategies that work for you.
Deconstructing fatigue: The root cause of fatigue is a complex interaction of people’s genes, environment, lifestyle, experiences, and stressors. Getting to the root cause of your fatigue from a biological and lifestyle perspective can be like putting together a 1000-piece puzzle. And it’s a puzzle that is unique to you and unlike anyone else’s. However, I believe you can solve it through actionable steps on your own with support from your doctors, health coaches, family and friends, and countless community members who share their experiences in overcoming challenges and obstacles to better health.
In these blog pages, I will be suggesting something radical: for you to become your own doctor. Yes, you heard me correctly. This statement is not intended to disrespect or disparage physicians and their critical and valuable role in managing our health. My intention is to emphasize that YOU are the expert on your body, how you go about change, your needs, and what brings you fulfillment and helps you thrive. Once you become the expert, you begin to take complete control of your health by shifting pieces of the puzzle into place. Only YOU are the expert on what goes into your body, your mental and emotional states and the lifestyle and daily habits that work best for you. It is within your reach to put in place a lifestyle that is healthy, joyful and meaningful to you. Ways to influence our health outcomes, along with some of the topics relevant to persistent fatigue that will be discussed are:
- chronic stress
- adrenal exhaustion and burnout
- hormonal imbalances
- parasites, bacteria, yeast overgrowth and other viral infections
- leaky gut
- suboptimal functioning of the body’s detoxification systems
- sleep apnea and other sleep disorders
- insomnia
- environmental toxicity
- food intolerances
- unsupportive key relationships and emotional trauma
- lifestyle habits that are risk factors for poor health outcomes
The last thoughts I will leave you with are my philosophy on health and well-being. I genuinely believe that a diagnosis is not your destiny (unless you think it is). The information and tips are offered on these blog pages as “food for thought” and not definitive guidance or actions you should take. Take what resonates that is helpful and set aside anything that does not. Keep a healthy perspective on health and lifestyle changes as a process, and don’t dwell on where you are in the journey. If it feels like it’s helping, keep doing it. If it doesn’t work for you, then it’s not a failure. It is signal to progress to the next option. There are more sources of support than ever before at your disposal to help you positively influence your health and well-being.
Most topics we cover on this website will come from topics recommended by you. So, if there is question, an issue or story you’d like to see or learn more about, then submit a request here. Until next time, be safe, be well, and know you are appreciated. Thanks for your interest in my content and services.