The Fatigue Epidemic
Americans are tired. Look around. Look in the mirror. Are you tired?
Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms physicians encounter in their offices every day. So here’s the question: Is it normal? Is being tired simply a normal part of the aging process. Should I just accept the fact that I don’t have the energy I used to enjoy, and never will again?
The answer: No.
Over the past few years, the science of aging and the science of energy have exploded. Armed with lots of new information, scientists understand not only HOW the body generates energy (we’ve actually known that for a long time), they now understand two very important processes that for years were beyond our comprehension.
First, we now understand WHY most of us tend to feel more tired as we age. We understand the mechanisms underlying that dysfunction.
Secondly, and here’s the good (actually, great!) news: we’re now learning more and more about how to rekindle that energy-manufacturing process. We’re learning what the body needs to make more energy. We’re solving the fatigue epidemic.
ATP—The Gasoline of the Human Body
So what do we mean when we use the word energy? What is it that fuels the human body?
The answer: ATP.
For a very long time now, we’ve known that in order to do anything, anything at all, our bodies require a tiny little molecule called ATP. It’s our fuel. Just like gasoline fuels cars, ATP fuels us. Without it, we can’t do anything. We can’t lift a pencil, or digest food, or walk across the street, or even have a thought. Without ATP, we’re dead. No ATP? No life. It’s that simple.
Also for a very long time now, we’ve had a keen understanding of precisely how our bodies generate ATP. We understand how all that works. ATP is manufactured in every cell in our bodies. In fact, inside every cell we find tiny little sub-cellular ATP factories, called mitochondria. Without healthy, functioning mitochondria, we can’t make ATP. Again, no mitochondria? No life. It’s that simple.
The Fatigue of Aging
Why do we feel more tired as we grow older? Our mitochondria start breaking down, that’s why. They stop functioning efficiently.
Now, understanding that the human body is comprised of some 30 to 40 TRILLION cells, and acknowledging further that many cells may contain 2,000 mitochondria, it makes sense that it may take quite a long time for us to feel the effects of mitochondrial demise. And it does take time. It’s a process. It’s the process we call “aging”.
For some folks, that process clearly starts earlier and younger than it does for others. But eventually, for all of us, that day will come. We all, somewhere along the way, will begin to feel the effects of all that mitochondrial wear and tear and the resultant decline in ATP production. We feel like we’re running on empty. We feel like we’re running out of gas. And that’s because, quite literally, we are.
Reversing the Process
About a year ago, Scientific American published a blog reporting that certain, specific nutrients can help reverse the aging process.
How do they do that?
The answer, though enormously complex, basically involves 2 steps. Step number one involves repairing those broken down factories (the mitochondria). Step number two involves making sure those factories have what it takes to stay healthy and to generate fuel (ATP) in abundance.
Basically that means embarking on a course of taking, in the form of select supplements, those key nutrients that are known to repair and restore mitochondrial function. Understandably, this can be a time-consuming process. It can take many, many months, in fact. It makes sense that the time required for optimal repair depends on the severity of the problem in the first place.
But that time is going to pass one way or another anyway. And at the end of that time, at the end of those months, we’re either going to feel even more tired than we do right now (because the process of mitochondrial repair doesn’t happen on its own), or we’ll be on the road to recovery. We’ll have more energy. More vitality. More life.
Interested in Learning More?
Call for an appointment with Dr. Elliott today.
Energy Boosters: Focus on Supplements
Americans are tired. Look around. Look in the mirror. Are you tired?
Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms physicians encounter in their offices every day. So here’s the question: Is it normal? Is being tired simply a normal part of the aging process. Should I just accept the fact that I don’t have the energy I used to enjoy, and never will again?
The answer: No.
Over the past few years, the science of aging and the science of energy have exploded. Armed with lots of new information, scientists understand not only HOW the body generates energy (we’ve actually known that for a long time), they now understand two very important processes that for years were beyond our comprehension.
First, we now understand WHY most of us tend to feel more tired as we age. We understand the mechanisms underlying that dysfunction.
Secondly, and here’s the good (actually, great!) news: we’re now learning more and more about how to rekindle that energy-manufacturing process. We’re learning what the body needs to make more energy. We’re solving the fatigue epidemic.
ATP—The Gasoline of the Human Body
So what do we mean when we use the word energy? What is it that fuels the human body?
The answer: ATP.
For a very long time now, we’ve known that in order to do anything, anything at all, our bodies require a tiny little molecule called ATP. It’s our fuel. Just like gasoline fuels cars, ATP fuels us. Without it, we can’t do anything. We can’t lift a pencil, or digest food, or walk across the street, or even have a thought. Without ATP, we’re dead. No ATP? No life. It’s that simple.
Also for a very long time now, we’ve had a keen understanding of precisely how our bodies generate ATP. We understand how all that works. ATP is manufactured in every cell in our bodies. In fact, inside every cell we find tiny little sub-cellular ATP factories, called mitochondria. Without healthy, functioning mitochondria, we can’t make ATP. Again, no mitochondria? No life. It’s that simple.
The Fatigue of Aging
Why do we feel more tired as we grow older? Our mitochondria start breaking down, that’s why. They stop functioning efficiently.
Now, understanding that the human body is comprised of some 30 to 40 TRILLION cells, and acknowledging further that many cells may contain 2,000 mitochondria, it makes sense that it may take quite a long time for us to feel the effects of mitochondrial demise. And it does take time. It’s a process. It’s the process we call “aging”.
For some folks, that process clearly starts earlier and younger than it does for others. But eventually, for all of us, that day will come. We all, somewhere along the way, will begin to feel the effects of all that mitochondrial wear and tear and the resultant decline in ATP production. We feel like we’re running on empty. We feel like we’re running out of gas. And that’s because, quite literally, we are.
Reversing the Process
About a year ago, Scientific American published a blog reporting that certain, specific nutrients can help reverse the aging process.
How do they do that?
The answer, though enormously complex, basically involves 2 steps. Step number one involves repairing those broken down factories (the mitochondria). Step number two involves making sure those factories have what it takes to stay healthy and to generate fuel (ATP) in abundance.
Basically that means embarking on a course of taking, in the form of select supplements, those key nutrients that are known to repair and restore mitochondrial function. Understandably, this can be a time-consuming process. It can take many, many months, in fact. It makes sense that the time required for optimal repair depends on the severity of the problem in the first place.
But that time is going to pass one way or another anyway. And at the end of that time, at the end of those months, we’re either going to feel even more tired than we do right now (because the process of mitochondrial repair doesn’t happen on its own), or we’ll be on the road to recovery. We’ll have more energy. More vitality. More life.
Interested in Learning More?
Call for an appointment with Dr. Elliott today.
Energy Boosters: Focus on Supplements
- Energy Booster of the Day: ATP Fuel
Made by Researched Nutritionals, ATP Fuel, has been extensively studied and found to be a powerful contributor to restoring and optimizing mitochondrial function and energy production. - Energy Booster of the Day: Niacel
Made by Thorne, Niacel improves intracellular levels of NAD, an important ingredient needed to optimize mitochondrial function and energy production. - Energy Booster of the Day: Resveratrol Supreme
Resveratrol has been well known for years as an important and potent anti-aging supplement. Now we know how it works: by enhancing and improving mitochondrial function. While you can get a little resveratrol from red wine, it’s just that: a very little bit. You’d have to drink way too much red wine to derive significant benefit. Resveratrol Supreme is made by Designs for Health. - Energy Booster of the Day: Corvalen D-Ribose
- Ribose is a very special type of sugar. Unlike glucose, fructose, sucrose, or other sugars, it serves two basic functions. First, it’s a key constituent of both DNA and RNA, those specific molecules that make each of “us” uniquely, well, “us”. Secondly, mitochondria use D-ribose to make ATP. Made by Douglas Labs, Corvalen D-Ribose offers a simple way to enhance energy production. Also: it’s not the kind of sugar that makes you gain weight.
- Energy Booster of the Day: L-Carnitine
Here’s the analogy. Mitochondria are our intracellular factories that make ATP. ATP is the fuel, the gasoline, for the human body. So where does L-Carnitine fit into the picture? L-Carnitine is the train that transports the raw material (the crude oil, so to speak) into the factory (the mitochondria) so that it can do what it does: make gasoline (ATP). Made by Orthomolecular, L-Carnitine helps make energy production more efficient. - Energy Booster of the Day: CoEnzyme Q-10, or CoQ-10
A number of prescription medications actually deplete your CoQ-10, which is a necessary component in the metabolic process mitochondria go through to produce ATP. Statins (cholesterol lower medications) are among the worst offenders. But even folks not taking statins can benefit in a number of ways from supplementing with CoQ-10, not the least of which is a boost in energy. But be careful with this one. CoQ-10 can be rather pricey, so knowing that you’re getting yours from a reputable, high-quality manufacturer, is crucial.
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