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The following article was published in Your Health Magazine. Our mission is to empower people to live healthier.
Jeanne W. Shiffman, MD, DABFP
Stop Fatigue
Steinmetz Integrative & Functional Medicine Center

Stop Fatigue

East-West Medicine Reaps Results

Patients are under the mistaken impression that fatigue is normal and to be accepted. It is not.

Fatigue needs to be treated like any other medical condition because the cost of fatigue can be very high
from making minor mistakes, to home and work-related incidents such as leaving a stove on and causing a house fire, to deadly car or truck accidents.

Diagnosing and effectively treating fatigue can be tricky and time consuming. This is why fatigue often goes untreated.

Integrating traditional Western medicine with traditional Eastern medical approaches, such as acupuncture, homeopathy, and medicinal herbs, is reaping significant results for patients of all ages, lifestyles and degrees of wellness.

An integrated approach involves partnering with a patient to investigate his or her health history, symptoms, and lifestyle. The doctor listens closely to patients over an extended visit, routinely an entire hour or more. Patients bring their supplement bottles along with them so a thorough analysis can be conducted to (a) determine if they are appropriate; and (b) determine if, and how, they interact with current medicines, such as statins.

Tailored lab work also yields superior information to help ensure a proper diagnosis. Specialty lab tests are one of the best tools in an integrative medical expert’s arsenal. Going beyond the standard thyroid hormone level test and examining how the thyroid interacts with the adrenal gland can be very valuable. Chronic emotional stress, for instance, may result in adrenal fatigue, a condition that occurs when adrenal glands shut down production of adrenaline due to an over-active fight-or-flight response.

It is important to note, that a highly qualified integrative medical expert may not take a patient off all prescription medication. One should have an expert evaluate how supplements interact on a scientific level with pharmaceutical drugs, diet, and a lifestyle habit to affect energy levels if possible.

Many times an herbal supplement is fantastic at relieving a prescription drug’s side effect, or may be able to take care of the problem altogether. For instance, fish oil capsules can level-out mood swings but the correct dosage needs to be calculated. Drugs, homeopathic medicines and a patient’s existing supplements can often be adjusted and combined carefully for optimal results. An integrative medical expert would consider it essential to optimize a prescription and supplement regime to minimize the amount of pills.

Too often, self-medication results in wasting money. Using those same monetary resources elsewhere to affect an optimal health result, for instance, for lab tests to pinpoint exact health issues, and acupuncture to balance “chi” (energy), patients can often obtain and sustain the results they seek feeling more energetic.

For those suffering from drowsiness, forgetfulness, lethargy and other signs of fatigue, patients should consult a board certified physician and consider a practitioner that uses an integrated approach to wellness and a track record of successfully treating fatigue.

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