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Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a long-lasting illness that can last years or a lifetime. As the name implies, a person with CFS usually feels very tired, regardless of how much he or she rests. Physical and mental overactivity can worsen the symptoms. Symptoms vary and may include depression, muscle pain, difficulty concentrating and insomnia, despite feeling very tired. It’s not clear what causes it, but there are likely multiple reasons it develops, including stress, infection or immune disorders.

Traditional medicine doesn’t have an effective treatment for CFS, beyond antidepressants and pain relievers for symptom relief. There is still

Stress from modern life, chronic illness or endocrine imbalance can lead to adrenal fatigue. Adrenals are sensitive to stress just as the thyroid gland is, so if the thyroid is out of balance, it’s likely the adrenals are also. If you only support the thyroid and the adrenals are out of balance, it will be an uphill battle to resolve your symptoms. Fortunately, adaptogenic herbs can be very helpful. There isn’t a specific test for this condition, but if you have several of these symptoms, your adrenals may benefit from some support.

Adrenal Fatigue Symptom Checklist:

_ Fatigue, even after a

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (aka NAFLD) is a somewhat common liver condition that affects about 25% of Americans. A healthy liver naturally contains some fat, but NAFLD is a condition where there is an excessive build- up of fat. Alcohol consumption can be one reason for increased fat in the liver, but not in the case of NAFLD. Instead, it’s caused mainly by obesity, diabetes, elevated cholesterol or poor dietary choices.

NAFLD can be mild and symptomless, but it can also cause problems such as fatigue, swelling in legs, nausea and other non-fatal conditions. There is even the possibility that

Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune condition that causes low thyroid function and symptoms of hypothyroidism. A blood test can diagnose this condition by measuring anti-TPO antibodies. These antibodies damage the enzymes involved in thyroid hormone production, causing typical low thyroid symptoms.

As with many autoimmune conditions, lifestyle factors, foods and nutrients can play a role in the triggering the disease. In patients with Hashimoto’s disease, vitamin D deficiency is quite common, but it’s not clear if it’s the cause or effect of the disease. More research is needed to explore this connection, especially since vitamin D deficiency is quite prevalent.

Although we’d like to believe our healthy diet provides all the nutrients we need, the sad fact is that it probably doesn’t. Here’s a few reasons why, and how a multivitamin can amp-up your vital nutrient levels!

1) Most of us could use a little energy boost

One of the benefits of a good multivitamin is that it contains the entire family of B vitamins. We use B vitamins for our get-up- and-go; they support the production of energy in cells. For example, thiamine (B1) and niacin (B3) are co-factors in the storage of energy through the

Prior to 1920, the northern US had a region known as the “goiter belt” due to iodine deficiency that ran along the Great Lakes, Appalachians and Northwest. Up to 70% of children in this region at that time had a visible goiter. Because of this, in 1924 the US started to implement a non-mandatory salt iodine fortification program which still continues to this day.

Some, but not all countries in the world eventually adopted a similar program. It wasn’t until the year 2000 that the country of Denmark instituted their own iodine fortification program to help lower the risk of thyroid

The American Thyroid Association (ATA) has long maintained that the only form of thyroid medication that should be used to treat hypothyroidism is levothyroxine (Synthroid), and that alternative forms, such as Armour, the natural thyroid which contains T3 and T4, and Cytomel (T3 alone), don’t have enough research behind them to recommend their use. Yet, many patients taking Synthroid for hypothyroidism complain to their doctors that they still feel terrible, despite taking the “correct” form of thyroid medication and the correct dosages.

Many of the frustrated patients that have switched from Synthroid to alternative forms do ultimately find relief, but these