[Author]by Cindy L.[/Author]

Sufferers of chronic fatigue often find themselves both frustrated and helpless. Many of them have tried explaining their condition to their doctors, but they are either not taken seriously or not given much useful advice on the cause(s) or effective treatment(s) of this ailment.

With little help coming from conventional doctors, some sufferers decide to take things into their own hands and start adopting some general healthy living tips in the hope of alleviating their condition. While they may encounter some improvements, the gains may be short-lived or limited.

These are the mistakes they may be making:

1. Not getting enough sleep

Research suggests that most adults require about 8 hours of sleep each night for physical and emotional well-being. But the average American gets only about 6.7 hours of sleep each night. This means that many Americans are chronically sleep-deprived. Consequently, their fatigue could simply be a signal from their bodies to get more sleep.

2 . Feeding their hunger with refined sugars and flour

Consuming refined sugars and flour (in confectionery products, sweetened beverages, processed snacks, etc.) can cause wide fluctuations in one’s blood-sugar levels. That is why, after a sugar high from consuming refined foods, many people suffer an energy crash. If they attempt to counter it by consuming more “energizing” sugary or floury foods, they actually create a vicious cycle, which worsens their chronic fatigue.

3. Trying to get away with poor nutrition

Many alternative health practitioners are recognizing nutritional deficiencies as one of the major causes of chronic fatigue. This is because the body is not provided with many essential nutrients, such as iron, magnesium, potassium and germanium, as well as vitamins B, C and D (amongst others), which it requires to produce energy. Sometimes, the body is loaded with substances that actually deplete its important nutrients (e.g., sugar metabolism depletes B vitamins). It is thus no wonder that the body simply does not function as it is supposed to.

4. Using coffee to perk themselves up

To counter fatigue caused by poor nutrition, chronic stress and lack of sleep, many people resort to downing loads of coffee every day, making matters worse. This is because coffee stimulates the already overworked adrenal glands to produce more adrenaline to perk the body up, leaving the body even more overworked. The root issues are not resolved, and a vicious cycle is established.

5. Thinking that their amalgam filling has nothing to do with their fatigue

According to experts like Edward Arana, D.D.S., President of the American Academy of Biological Dentistry, California, one of the problems that mercury amalgam fillings bring is chronic fatigue. This is because mercury poisoning is linked to conditions like inability to concentrate, confusion and depression, which are also symptoms of chronic fatigue.

6. Using antibiotics frequently to deal with common infections

The rampant use of antibiotics upsets the micro- floral balance found in the intestinal tract, leaving users more susceptible to systemic infections like candidiasis and parasite overgrowth. And such infections are found to be major contributors to chronic fatigue, as the immune system becomes exhausted from fighting infections that have gone out of control.

7. Thinking that there is one single cause for their fatigue

Medical researchers and doctors often look for the solution of chronic fatigue in a single place (e.g., treating a specific infection). Such efforts, however, often end in poor treatment outcomes.

On the other hand, when alternative health practitioners take a multidisciplinary approach and help patients address their specific health issues, they have better success in dealing with the problem. This means that, when it comes to chronic fatigue, there is no simple answer — a holistic approach is a must.

Sources for this article include: Trivieri, Jr., Larry, and Anderson, John W. Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide. 2nd ed. New York, USA: Celestial Arts, 2002. Print. Larson, Joan Mathews, PhD. Depression-Free, Naturally: 7 Weeks to Eliminating Anxiety, Despair, Fatigue, and Anger from Your Life. NY, USA: Ballantine Books, 1999. Print. By Natural News.

[Author]by Reuben Chow[/Author]

Milk thistle is most well-known and widely-studied for its benefits on liver health. However, milk thistle also has numerous other proven health benefits not many know about.

Milk thistle boosts overall liver function and health, protecting the liver from damaging toxins, detoxifying it, regenerating its cells, and giving it a glutathione boost.

Research has also shown milk thistle helps with various liver conditions, including cirrhosis, poisoning, hepatitis (viral or alcoholic, B or C), sluggish liver, liver congestion, fatty liver, jaundice, and other liver issues related to drug use and alcoholism.

Boosting the liver results in other benefits:

Milk thistle’s positive effects on liver health have a direct impact on a number of bodily functions and health conditions.

• It helps those attempting to recover from substance addiction, including drugs and alcohol.

• By boosting the liver’s ability to deal with environmental triggers, milk thistle can help those suffering from chronic allergies, especially multiple-chemical sensitivity.

• Milk thistle increases bile production by the liver, which then helps the body to remove via bowel movements the testosterone by-products that cause acne. Further, by boosting liver function, milk thistle helps to remove harmful toxins in the blood which can cause skin flare-ups. Along the same vein, this makes milk thistle also helpful for other skin conditions like chronic rashes, eczema and psoriasis.

• Increased bile production helps to relieve constipation.

• The additional bile helps to protect the intestinal lining, which then aids in alleviating Crohn’s disease symptoms.

• Milk thistle also helps to relieve intestinal inflammation, and it has been used for inflammatory bowel disorders.

• By protecting the liver, milk thistle protects the body against the potential harmful effects of long-term prescription medication use and harmful toxins in the workplace.

• This herb has been successfully used against deathcap mushroom poisoning.

• Traditionally, naturopathic physicians and herbalists have used milk thistle to help deal with hemorrhoids and varicose veins. A clogged or sluggish liver does not process blood very well, and that tends to cause blood to back up in the leg veins and rectum. Thus, with a healthier liver, these conditions can be improved.

• A cleaner and better functioning liver is better able to process and deal with various hormones in the body, promoting better hormonal balance.

• This makes milk thistle helpful for premenstrual syndrome and prostate enlargement.

• Some healing modalities, eg. Traditional Chinese Medicine and French folk medicine, see the liver as closely tied to emotional well being. This makes sense because the liver metabolizes neurotransmitters and hormones and thus has great influence on the overall biochemistry of the human body. A toxic or unhealthy liver can cause emotional discomfort, frustration, anger and even depression. By detoxifying and improving the health of the liver, milk thistle can thus help with emotional issues.

Other benefits:

Silymarin in milk thistle is a potent antioxidant, while milk thistle can also increase the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione, other strong antioxidants. Other health benefits of milk thistle include helping to:

• stabilize blood cholesterol levels, reducing total cholesterol levels and helping to convert LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol.

• stabilize blood sugar levels; used to help with type 2 diabetes.

•improve appetite and digestion, including fat digestion.

• improve gallbladder disorders, including dealing with gallstones.

• boost immunity.

• alleviate some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, including heartburn and constipation; increased glutathione levels also help slow the disease’s progress.

• improve adrenal disorders.

• prevent altitude sickness.

• prevent and/or fight against certain types of cancer.

• slow atherosclerosis development by preventing plaque formation on artery walls.

Sources for this article include:

Stengler, Mark, ND. The Natural Physician’s Healing Therapies: Proven Remedies Medical Doctors Don’t Know. New York, NY: Prentice Hall Press, 2010. Print.
Balch, Phyllis A., CNC. Prescription for Herbal Healing: An Easy-to-Use A-to-Z Reference to Hundreds of Common Disorders and Their Herbal Remedies. New York, NY: Avery, 2002. Print.

Bratman, Steve, Dr. Complementary & Alternative Health: The Scientific Verdict on What Really Works. London, UK: Collins, 2007. Print.

Gaby, Alan R., MD. The Natural Pharmacy: Complete A-Z Reference to Natural Treatments for Common Health Conditions. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Three Rivers Press, 2006. Print.

Murray, Michael, ND. The Pill Book Guide to Natural Medicines: Vitamins, Minerals, Nutritional Supplements, Herbs, And Other Natural Products. New York, NY: Bantam Books, 2002. Print. http://www.insights-on-health.com

About the author: Reuben Chow has a keen interest in natural health and healing as well as personal growth.

Subscribe to his natural health newsletter or follow his health websites on Facebook.

His main health websites Insights on Health and All 4 Natural Health focus on being healthy naturally, while his other health websites cover topics such as cancer, depression, holistic depression help, as well as omega 3 fatty acids. He also owns self improvement and inspirational websites like Inspiration 4 Living, allinspiration.com, Life Changing Quotes, and 101 Inspirational Ideas. Through his network of sites at The Journey of Life, he hopes to help improve people’s lives. Natural News.