Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 😔

Hello everyone! Have a wonderful and safe day 🙋🏻

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: It is a disorder, relatively unknown to the public and even to the medical fraternity. It is a progressive, multi-system functional disorder involving the Neurological, Immune, Endocrine and digestive systems. As more and more cases are emerging, the diagnosis has now been established. This condition is also known as Myalgia Encephalomyelitis or systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID). The syndrome slowly progresses to functional impairment. It can affect any age group, even in children. But mostly, common in women, more than men in the age group of 40-60 years.

Symptoms: Different individual is affected with different range of severity.
1.Extreme fatigue even after long hours of rest.
2.Progressive loss of stamina, both physically and mentally.
3.Loss of concentration
4.Loss of memory
5.Headache
6.Sensitivity to food, odours, chemicals
7.Unexplained joint pain.
8.Sleep disorders
9.Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or the armpits.

Causes: The exact cause is yet unknown. But, in more and more case studies, certain contributing factors are being identified:

1.Viral infections: Like Rubella, Epstein Barr, Human herpes, Ross River viral infection can precipitate such a condition.
2.Bacterial infection like Chlamydia Pneumonia
3.Genetic Predisposition
4.Mental issues like childhood trauma, emotional trauma, stress
5.Hormonal imbalance.

Diagnosis: The diagnosis is difficult to confirm as the condition has symptoms similar to many other conditions. To make a diagnosis, doctors mainly rely on a thorough medical history, and different tests are being done to rule out other conditions. Some individual with this condition has been found to have an inadequate response to immune cells like T cells and have autoantibodies in the blood. Tests like laboratory tests, exercise tests, sleep study are done to exclude other conditions.

Management: There is as such no cure. The aim of managing such cases is to relief the individual from the symptoms.

1. Eliminate food sensitivity like common allergens nuts (peanuts, tree nuts), shellfish, gluten (wheat, rye, barley), dairy. Avoiding such food may sometimes work towards improving the symptoms.


2. Exercise and Yoga is recommended to improve physical mobility.
3. Mindfulness session to improve sleep issue.
4. Acupuncture to improve pain.

 


5. Improve diet and Supplementation with vitamin B complex, potassium, magnesium.

6. Bone Broth as a collagen booster


7. Meditation, nature walk to improve mental health, reduce stress and peace of mind.
8.Social support: Support from loved ones and friends is vital.

Thanks for reading.

Blessings and much love to all 💐

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Potassium: Facts to know 🙌

Hello everyone ! Have a great and safe day 🙋🏻

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Potassium is an essential mineral which is used as an electrolyte by our body to conduct electrical impulses throughout our body to carry out many vital functions like blood pressure regulation. Since our body doesn’t produce Potassium on its own, it has to be sourced from the food items, we eat.

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Other vital functions of Potassium include
fluid balance,
muscle contractions,
nerve impulses,
Heart rythm
aid in digestion
Maintain the ph balance

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People get enough necessary Potassium by eating a healthy balanced diet. Too little Potassium state is called Hypokalaemia may cause health problems. The Hypokalaemic condition is diagnosed by a blood level of less than 3.5 mmol/lit. Similarly, high potassium state is called Hyperkalaemia when blood level is more than 5.0 mmol/lit, which also causes health issues. So, the right balance is required. Daily Potassium requirement for the body is 3500 – 4700 mg per day. So, that is quite a massive amount of quantity for daily consumption.

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Naturally, the kidneys maintain the level of Potassium in the body with the excess being eliminated in the urine. Majority of the Potassium in the body that is almost 98% is stored inside each bodily cell and the rest in liver, RBCs and bone.

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Hypokalaemia: Symptoms can be muscular cramps, spasms, fatigue, constipation and irregular heartbeats. Health problems that cause this state can be:

Diuretics (water pills for high BP)
Excessive fluid loss (diarrhoea, vomiting, sweating)
Kidney diseases
Magnesium deficiency

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The sources of Potassium-rich food are Avocado, Potatoes, sweet potatoes, all greens, most of the varieties of beans, Salmon, bananas.

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Hyperkalaemia: In a healthy individual, the condition of Hyperkalaemia usually is not seen. So, there is no adverse effect on consuming potassium-rich food daily. However, such a state is seen in people with compromised kidney functions like in chronic kidney diseases, and those who take medications that affect kidney functions like blood pressure medication (ACE inhibitors). The most common symptom of Hyperkalaemia is abnormal heartbeat called Arrhythmia. Calcium gluconate is usually used to stabilize such cases.

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In such an individual, food that is known to be rich sources of Potassium should be avoided.

Potassium is crucial for the body’s vital functions. To maintain the correct blood potassium level, consuming varieties of food items are good enough, to add up to a group of 4700 mg per day. Over the counter, Potassium supplements can provide only a small fraction of it, which is hardly useful. So, it is not recommended to use Potassium supplements unless specifically prescribed by your Physician.

Thanks for reading.

Blessings and much love to all 💐

 

Adrenal fatigue: High Cortisol feel 🙄

Hello everyone ! Have a wonderful and safe day 🙏

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“Adrenal Fatigue” is a laymen term which we frequently come across or must have heard often these days. Stress is a common thing these days which we encounter in our everyday life, especially in today’s time. In every aspect, not just in personal and professional lives, but also financial, health-related and not to forget this pandemic time of COVID 19.

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Not a medical diagnosis, this term ‘adrenal fatigue’ was coined by a Naturopath named James Wilson. He referred it to a set of unspecified symptoms which arises due to the hypofunction of the adrenals.

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When adrenal glands, a small pair of organs which lies above each kidney doesn’t function at an optimal level, there is an imbalance. When the body is in a state of prolonged stress, the adrenals keep secreting hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones are meant to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system during fight or flight response. Without the presence of any potential threat, the person tends to remain in this fight or flight response state due to chronic stress.

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So specific symptoms appear like
anxiety,
high blood pressure,
elevated heart rate,
puffy face,
Sleep disturbances
weight gain and fatigue
As a result of the prolonged release of cortisol, the adrenals tend to get fatigued and burn out. Hence, the term adrenal fatigue aptly is referred to such a state.

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Cortisol, as such, is not a harmful hormone. This is a useful hormone which, since evolution has been with us, which helps us with our survival instinct to protect us from potential threat or danger. Typically, this hormone is produced at a necessary level to carry out its normal function of helping in the metabolic process in the body. Cortisol is always at a balance with the growth hormone, which is secreted by the pituitary. The growth hormone is an essential hormone for growth and regeneration. But as we age, the growth hormone release decreases. So, there is a somewhat an imbalance of the growth hormone and cortisol balance. That’s where the different troubling symptoms start appearing.

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Some ways when cortisol can be lowered in the body naturally:
1.Increase growth hormone release by sleep, exercise like walking.
2. Intake of Vitamine D3 of 10,000IU daily, Vitamin like B1 and B5, which also supports the adrenals. Sun exposure can be beneficial in this aspect.
3. Omega 3 fatty acids are useful for the adrenals—wild fishes like salmon, codfishes, flax seeds, avocado are some sources.
4.Minerals like potassium, magnesium: Banana, soy products like tofu, edamame beans, walnuts, almonds.
5. Herbs like Ashwagandha, Ginseng, Rhodiola.
6. Relaxation methods like mindfulness, meditation, yoga

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Specific hormone-like Oxytocin which is also called the love hormone, secreted by the posterior pituitary, helps to balance the cortisol level in the body. Some simple ways to increase or ensure the release of oxytocin in our daily life
1. Take a walk, spend time in nature, or with a pet.
2. Self-love and self-care
3. Laughter
4. Hugging and cuddling

Thanks for reading.

Blessings and much love to all💐

Magnesium : A mineral with great benefits 🙌

Hello everyone. Have a beautiful and safe day 🙋🏻

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Being irritable at times, feeling less energetic, having sleep disturbances may not be familiar with me alone but with many of you as well. We blame it to our lifestyle of working up to late hours, stress, anxiety or maybe having too much tea/ coffee in the day. But, we fail to understand that this could be the reason for the deficiency of mineral-like Magnesium—an unknown epidemic which most of us are generally not acquainted. About 80% of the population suffer from magnesium deficiency, so imagine how prevalent the problem exists.

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A vital mineral as well as an electrolyte, Magnesium is used in many biochemical processes within our body. Lifestyle habits like stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, sugar intake, having carbonated drinks can deplete magnesium storage in the body. Even the soil where crops and greens are grown can be devoid of Magnesium. Therefore, many reasons contribute to magnesium deficiency issue. So, despite following a healthy diet, we may end up having a magnesium deficiency.

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Magnesium is a vital mineral used as a co-factor in many of the essential enzymatic biochemical processes. Energy production cycle called the Krebs cycle; it plays an important role. Magnesium contributes as a vasodilator, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant. It is used in a considerable amount in the mineralisation of bones. Almost 60% of Magnesium is stored in bones, and the rest is stored in the red blood cells, kidney.
Clinically, Magnesium deficiency or Hypomagnesemia is measured by a blood test or magnesium level in urine. But, despite being such a common problem, many physicians failed to acknowledge it because of lack of enough researches or maybe it isn’t easy to measure the exact level in the body.

Some common causes of magnesium deficiency are:

1. Decreased intake: High intake of processed food and prolonged fasting.
2. Malabsorption: Irritable bowel syndrome-like Crohn’s disease, frequent laxative use and diarrhoea.
3, Certain conditions like SIADH (a condition in which the body secretes too much of antidiuretic hormone),
4, Acute pancreatitis, Burns, lactation, diabetes, excessive sweating and alcoholism.
5. Medication that causes of depletion of stored Magnesium are antibiotics, antivirals, antiepileptics,
6. Uses of Cisplatin, corticosteroids, proton pump inhibitors and diuretics.

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Some common symptoms are :
1. Muscle twitching, cramps, spasm.
2.Tiredness, dysphagia.

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3. Irregular heartbeats.
4. Migraine headache.
5. Insomnia
6. Kidney stones
7. Weight gain
8. Anxiety
9.Autoimmune diseases
10. Ringing in the ears.

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Usually, the ideal dose is about 400mg/day. The important sources can be dietary sources like Almonds, nuts, seeds, spinach, pulses.
Other methods are magnesium ionic drops, magnesium oils for body massage and supplements. Oral supplements are available in bound form like Mg oxide, citrate, glutamate, glycinate, taurate and so on. But, supplementation should be used under a physician’s supervision.

Thanks for reading.

Blessings and much love to all 💐