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Want More Energy?
Fatigue is a primary symptom of toxicity. Reversing toxicity, by undergoing a process of detox, can lead to more energy. Why? Because it liberates the body from an excess workload imposed on the body's organs, primarily on the liver. When this overload is relieved, it allows every part of the body to function more effectively, which leads to the feeling we call energy.
But the need for detoxification filters all the way down to the level of the individual cell. Each cell is like a little factory. It has to have proper supplies coming in, it has to have machinery that works and it has to have the garbage taken out. If any one of those aspects fails, the work of the cell fails. Each cell has a need for proper nutrients coming in, it has a need for a lack of interference within the cell, and it has a need to "sweat" the toxic byproducts of its processes. That is the natural process of detoxification at a cellular level.
On the cellular level, the needed supplies are the well known ingredients of a healthy diet, plus exercise that increases the body's supply of oxygen, and the essential supplements to make sure the cells have the biochemical necessities, not just for cell processing, but also for the detoxification processes. What few people are aware of is that, on the cellular level, detoxification is a process of synthesis (rather than deconstruction) that adds additional biochemical parts onto toxic molecules to turn them into a new molecule that can be excreted through one of the body's excretory systems–the bowel, the kidneys, the skin, the lungs and even hair. According to Sidney MacDonald Baker, M.D. in Detoxification & Healing: The Key to Optimal Health, "For a child, the cost of growth is also very high, but in adults, detoxification is the major molecule-making activity...Even detoxification jobs that look as if they are mostly breaking things down turn out, in the end, to involve costly steps in which new molecules are made just for the sake of safe disposal...As it is, a faulty detoxification system is a common reason for poor sleep." (Pg. 140-141).
Looking for a quick fix in the improved energy department? If you're basically healthy, and not more than 30 pounds overweight, not pregnant or nursing, fasting can be very helpful. Otherwise, we don't really advocate quick fixes because we don't believe most people are prepared to undergo the major, if temporary, discomforts, that rapid detox can bring. Our first suggestion is to learn How to Detox. But if you want the shorthand version, here's a brief summary of our suggestions and why:
Reduce your exposure to toxins. For more information on sources of toxins and how to avoid them, review Sea of Toxins, Consumable Toxins, Personal Care, Personal Environment, Work Environment, Community Environment.
Increase the amount of water you drink to 8 to 10 glasses of purified water per day. Additional water is the easiest and cheapest way to improve your body's detoxification processes.
Go to bed as often as possible at 9 p.m. with a hot water bottle over your liver (right side, just below your ribcage). This allows the liver to use additional time and energy for detoxification processes because the liver works at a slightly higher temperature than the rest of the body. The hot water bottle allows it to save that energy for other purposes. The extra rest will probably help as well. Take melatonin, not only is it a powerful antioxidant that can help your detoxification processes, but it can help you get a great night's sleep as well. (Tell your friends and family it's for medicinal purposes.)
Make sure you're taking the essential supplements.
Increase exercise. If you're almost totally sedentary, start with 15 minutes a day of walking. If you're too busy before you go to work and too tired after you come home, then take a pair of walking shoes to work along with a healthy brown bag lunch. Spend the first 15-30 minutes of your lunch period walking. Then eat. If you're in better shape than that, do whatever you enjoy most. Exercise should be enjoyable, otherwise you won't continue. If you feel you don't have time for anything, try jumping rope, or incorporate your exercise into something else you do, for example, if you work or live in a high rise building, take the stairs up and down.
Enhance your elimination function. In large part, this should be accomplished by improving your diet and drinking more water. But if you're not having at least one bowel movement per day, Psyllium seed products can be very helpful. Enemas and colonics can help, and some people swear by them, but if that's not something you're ready for, you're not alone.
If you've tried all these, and are being very good about the diet (that means, no alcohol, caffeine, wheat, sugar, processed or deep fried foods, no dairy and no beef, lots of complex carbohydrates, fresh fruits, raw or lightly steamed vegetables and very little if any fish or chicken and yes, we know that's difficult) and you're still feeling very fatigued, the areas you need to further investigate are allergies, your personal stress management systems, possible unresolved emotional trauma (if this rings a bell for you, it's probably true) or a systemic yeast infection, possibly caused by a dose of antibiotics. You need to find a holistically oriented, licensed health care practitioner to help you with more detective work. Finding Allies in Health Care
Stay with us, however. It's our goal to provide you with support in this process, and we want you to share what works for you with the rest of our visitors.
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