Impeccable digestion is fundamental to optimal functioning. Two things are very important here:
- The stomach must produce sufficient digestive juices (stomach acid) to digest the food.
- The intestines must be able to properly absorb all the necessary nutrients.
More than half of chronic fatigue patients have digestive problems. The problems can have various causes:
- A imbalance in the intestinal flora (an excess of bad and a shortage of good bacteria). Through a stool test you can see to what extent there is a shortage of good bacteria. You can tackle an imbalance in the intestinal flora by eating a lot of fiber (a Mediterranean diet with lots of vegetables, fruit, avocado and whole grain products), and by taking probiotics and prebiotics (as food for the intestinal bacteria) as a supplement.
- A intolerance to certain foods. Food intolerances are one of the main causes of fatigue problems. The most common food intolerance is to gluten (mainly wheat, rye and barley contain a lot of gluten), but there are also many people who react poorly to dairy products, sugar, alcohol and coffee. If you suspect you have an intolerance to a certain food, it is wise to eliminate it from your diet for two months and see if the symptoms improve (any longer than two months is pointless; if you don't notice a difference after that time, nothing will change after a longer period of time). If you notice that certain foods are indeed a problem, the improvement will be noticeable quite quickly: you will experience less gas, fewer cramps, less bloating and your bowel movements will become normal. After four to six months you can try to introduce the foods back into your daily diet to a limited extent, but if you notice that the symptoms return, I recommend that you eliminate the products to which you have an intolerance from your diet for life.
– Increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut) is very often the cause of fatigue. Increased intestinal permeability is a condition in which the intestinal wall is 'leaky', so that all kinds of substances enter the blood from the intestine. These unwanted substances burden the liver, cause muscle pain and fatigue. A healthy intestinal wall only absorbs the nutrients you need, a leaky gut reduces their absorption. Increased intestinal permeability is caused by a food intolerance (often an intolerance to gluten), by an unhealthy diet high in sugars or by the use of antibiotics in combination with anti-inflammatories. You can treat it by radically changing your diet: avoiding products to which you are intolerant, taking probiotics, strengthening your intestinal mucous membranes by taking a supplement with the amino acid glutamine and taking extra digestive enzymes.
– Parasites, such as candida albicans (a yeast) can promote fatigue. You can detect them through a blood and stool test. You can eliminate them by taking the drug nystatin. A stool examination can also clarify any digestive problems. If there are specific digestive problems, you can stimulate digestion by taking extra digestive enzymes and you can strengthen the intestinal mucous membranes by taking extra glutamine, just like with increased intestinal permeability.
– Many people with fatigue problems have a poorly functioning liver. This may be the result of taking too much medication for the various symptoms that may accompany fatigue. Indirectly, the traditional medication that doctors prescribe for fatigue problems and fibromyalgia can cause your body to no longer detoxify sufficiently. There are food products that remarkably improve liver function and stimulate detoxification (broccoli, artichoke). A number of specific supplements have the same properties (lipoic acid, sylimarine).