Q and A to Important Health Questions
The expert answers health questions
January/February 2004
By Kathi Keville and Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa
Enhance Your Energy
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I need some suggestions for safe and natural ways to increase my energy. I try to get enough sleep, but I tend to be tired by mid-afternoon. I’m 31 years old and don’t have any known health problems. Do you have any advice?
M.T.
Monterey, California
Keville responds: Low energy certainly is a common complaint, and there are numerous physical and emotional conditions that cause fatigue. You say you try to get enough sleep instead of that you do get enough. Perhaps you are too physically demanding on yourself. Many people are so busy that they try to use superhuman energy to keep up with their lives. Since you sound healthy, I’m wondering if that is your situation.
Herbal remedies are much better at correcting health problems than at making us do more than we’re designed to do. The first step to correcting low energy (before even thinking about herbs) is to make lifestyle changes. You need to also assess if you really are getting enough sleep, exercise, a wholesome diet and are keeping stress to a minimum.
It’s encouraging to hear you only become tired in mid-afternoon rather than feeling tired all the time. That means everything that comes into play to create energy is working, but the level is not being maintained. I can’t help wondering if boredom or stress, at work or from caring for your family, is overtaxing your brain or body.
Depending on your situation, I might suggest energy-promoting herbs such as Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) or eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus), but these herbs aren’t for everyone. If your fatigue is depression-oriented, perhaps St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) is in order.
Cutting back on or eliminating stimulants such as coffee, tea and other caffeine-laden herbs can improve your overall energy. Tired people typically turn to stimulants to keep them awake, but this can affect the adrenal glands and can make you more tired in the long run.
If you haven’t done so already, you might have some simple tests done to rule out disorders such as low thyroid or blood sugar, both of which can contribute to afternoon exhaustion while not displaying any other obvious symptoms. Many people, especially women, have an underactive thyroid and don’t know it. A low basal body temperature upon awakening is one clue that your thyroid may be low.
Chemical sensitivity (or any type of environmental sensitivity) also can sap your energy. Another thing to consider is whether you are properly digesting foods, such as protein, that provide your body with fuel (food allergies or skin problems may be indicators there’s a problem with digestion). If not, digestive aids such as herbal bitters are in order. Examples of these are dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and gentian (Gentiana lutea).
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