Chronic fatigue - my top 5 supplements
Well, I've tried a lot of things in my time. I think it's good to keep trying new things - it gives you a sense of empowerment. Here are the ones that had the most positive effect on me:
1) Fish oil - I use one with vitamin D. Not sure if it's the oil or the vitamin D, but there was a slight easing of symptoms. Nowadays I can take it or leave it, but the doctors seem to have a fixation with vitamin D and fatigue so I keep on popping them in.
2) Acidopholus - without doubt the supplement that had an instant effect. One of the things with my condition over the years has been problems with my gut - several million lactobacillus definitely help.
3) A vegetable smoothie every day. I've posted various recipes on this blog but beetroot, cucumber, celery, spinach and carrot seem to be the staple ingredients (topped up with some fruit juice and various berries (apparently blackcurrants are the best, followed by raspberries)). Many times I've woken up like a corpse and one of these seems to get me going.
4 and 5 - erm, that's it. I couldn't get anymore.
To give you an idea of the supplements I've tried but have concluded that they were not doing it for me - ginseng (various forms), rhodiola complex, holy basil, spirulina (powdered and capsule), olive leaf extract, wheat grass, multi vitamins, B12 injections (gave me weird dreams), various green powders, homeopathic sugar pills of various kinds, herbal teas (cutting out caffeine did help), l glutamine, and probably a few more I've forgotten.
The jury's out on a gluten free diet - maybe I'll talk about that separately. Processed foods give me mouth ulcers, so I avoid those. High sugar stuff is also out for similar reasons, although I crave biscuits all the time.
If you're unlucky enough to have chronic fatigue then try what you can to give you that extra 5% or 10%. When you're functioning less than 50%, it makes a big difference.
1) Fish oil - I use one with vitamin D. Not sure if it's the oil or the vitamin D, but there was a slight easing of symptoms. Nowadays I can take it or leave it, but the doctors seem to have a fixation with vitamin D and fatigue so I keep on popping them in.
2) Acidopholus - without doubt the supplement that had an instant effect. One of the things with my condition over the years has been problems with my gut - several million lactobacillus definitely help.
3) A vegetable smoothie every day. I've posted various recipes on this blog but beetroot, cucumber, celery, spinach and carrot seem to be the staple ingredients (topped up with some fruit juice and various berries (apparently blackcurrants are the best, followed by raspberries)). Many times I've woken up like a corpse and one of these seems to get me going.
4 and 5 - erm, that's it. I couldn't get anymore.
To give you an idea of the supplements I've tried but have concluded that they were not doing it for me - ginseng (various forms), rhodiola complex, holy basil, spirulina (powdered and capsule), olive leaf extract, wheat grass, multi vitamins, B12 injections (gave me weird dreams), various green powders, homeopathic sugar pills of various kinds, herbal teas (cutting out caffeine did help), l glutamine, and probably a few more I've forgotten.
The jury's out on a gluten free diet - maybe I'll talk about that separately. Processed foods give me mouth ulcers, so I avoid those. High sugar stuff is also out for similar reasons, although I crave biscuits all the time.
If you're unlucky enough to have chronic fatigue then try what you can to give you that extra 5% or 10%. When you're functioning less than 50%, it makes a big difference.
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