Tiredness/Chronic Fatigue Basics

By David September 9, 2022

“Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.”
Albert Camus

Tiredness/Chronic Fatigue In Traditional Chinese Medicine:

There are a HOST of dis-eases in TCM that correspond to tiredness/chronic fatigue so rather that listing them all I am going to break them down into 3 basic categories.

Too Little of what you need (deficiency):

In TCM your body needs an adequate supply of “vital substances”. These substances break down into 4 categories qi, blood, yin, and yang. Since these are foreign terms to western readers lets make this simple.

Each organ (such as your liver, intestine, or heart) needs good blood flow and its’ own unique supply of various hormones, vitamins, minerals, and other important substances. This is complex because each organ often depends on other organs working properly to produce all of these different substances (your liver depends on enzymes that are produced in your intestines for example).

Symptoms caused by this category of dis-ease always include fatigue but also include a variety of other symptoms depending on what organ(s) are involved such as:

cough, shortness of breath, spontaneous sweating, tendency to catch colds
poor appetite, bloating, gas, and digestive symptoms
palpitations (uncomfortable feeling of your heart beating)
headaches, symptoms in the eyes such as dryness or floaters, menstrual issues
lower back or knee pain, frequent urination, ringing in the ears

Too much of what you don’t want (excess):

Just like in western medicine your body can accumulate too many “toxins”. In TCM there are many different types of “toxins” and each requires a different treatment option.

Symptoms caused by this category of dis-ease always include fatigue but also include a variety of other symptoms depending on what type of “toxin” is involved. Many of the symptoms are similar to those listed above but are often more intense.

One of the best ways to tell the difference between symptoms of deficiency vs excess is that deficiency issues are often improved by eating and resting whereas excess issues are often improved by fasting and exercise.

Not enough of the good stuff and too much of the “bad” stuff (combined):

In TCM there is a constant balance between having enough “good” stuff and storing too much “bad” stuff. This is very similar to the concept of the immune system in western medicine.

A healthy immune system depends on a balance between white blood cells and viruses/bacteria they come into contact with. Many dis-eases are caused by a weak immune system (cold and flu symptoms) while others are caused by an overactive immune system (allergies, auto-immune disorders).

In my experience chronic fatigue that is easy to manage with caffeine or seems to resolve on it’s own within less that a year is often caused by too little OR too much. When chronic fatigue is very difficult to manage or lasts longer than a year it is almost ALWAYS a combined issue.

Treatment Options in Traditional Chinese Medicine:

Unlike western medicine that often seeks to find “the missing piece”; TCM makes the assumption that everyone has a sort of “core” of health and energy and that this “core” is simply covered up by layers of dis-ease. The more layers or the thicker the layers the more intense and long-lasting the symptoms.

Therefore treatment is simply a matter of figuring out what layers of dis-ease you have accumulated over the years through overwork, diet, severe illness, and stress and peeling them away through lifestyle changes, herbs, and/or acupuncture.

Each different imbalance of the mind or body in Chinese Medicine can be treated through a variety of different therapies including:

Diet (what you eat, how you eat it, and your relationship with it)
Treatment of the mind (through mindfulness practices such as meditation, emotional digestion practices, and de-storying practices). (All available in a 1-1 setting)
Treatment of the channels/organs (through acupuncture, acupressure, and qigong)
Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine. Offered locally in Colorado Springs here.

I will delve into many aspects of tiredness/chronic fatigue in future posts with a special emphasize on:

Each type of imbalance, common signs and symptoms so you can get a clearer picture of where you fit
Treatment options for each with a focus on what you can do at home starting today and where you might find help from a healthcare professional most beneficial
Interviews with other specialists in their field and what suggestions they have to share for coping with and overcoming your chronic fatigue.
Interviews with others who are either currently suffering with or have overcome their chronic fatigue. What worked and didn’t work for them and their stories.

Wishing you a life of unparelleled joy and acceptance!

David

Where To Next?

Build on your understanding of tiredness/chronic fatigue in the following post: