HOW TO INCREASE YOUR ENERGY

By Lawrence Wilson, MD

© Revised, December 2011, The Center For development

A desire for more energy is one of the most common complaints to doctors. However, the medical profession has very little to offer when it comes to rebuilding the energy production system of the body.

Nutritional balancing, however, focuses on raising the body’s adaptive energy level by basically restoring excellent health. Restoring one’s energy is basically a process of restoring the correct minerals in thousands of enzyme binding sites, and it is a matter of balancing and strengthening body chemistry. This is not a do-it-yourself process, unfortunately. I wish it were. However, we find it requires a properly performed and correctly interpreted hair mineral analysis, and it requires following a clear, disciplined healing path and program. These are essential to actually rebuild the body, not just stimulate it, as is done with hormone therapies, chelation and many other medical and holistic approaches to healing. This article discusses a few of the major components of a properly designed healing program using the principles of nutritional balancing science. The factors below must be integrated carefully in a complete program for good results.

REST AND SLEEP

Most people do not get enough rest! Without this, you will never fully overcome chronic fatigue and have the best energy possible.
This is such as basic lifestyle factor that it is so often overlooked, even by natural health practitioners. Since it is such a vitally important aspect of the energy equation, to discuss if fully, read the article, Sleep, The Silent Healer.

BALANCING THE OXIDATION RATE

The oxidation rate is like the tune of your engine. If an internal combustion engine is running too slowly or if the fuel-air mixture is too rich or too lean, the engine will not run correctly and the power output drops precipitously.
Similarly, if you are pedaling a bicycle in the wrong gear, either too slowly or too fast, your power output will diminish greatly and you will become tired much faster as a result. This is why bicycles have gears, as do all internal combustion autos.
In our bodies, the shifting of the gears is done by changing the parameters of metabolism to balance the oxidation rate. This keeps the metabolic “engine” running at its optimum speed and adjustment.
The importance of this concept cannot be overemphasized. I will briefly summarize how the system works. For more information, read Fast, Slow and Mixed Oxidation
The oxidation rate is highly dependent on many factors, among which are the activity of the thyroid and adrenal glands. The adrenals increase the available fuel, while the thyroid helps “ignite” the fuel, acting like sparkplugs. This is a very crude analogy, but not that far from the truth.

A Slow Oxidation Rate. Many people are tired because their thyroid glands and/or their adrenal glands are nutritionally depleted, toxic and therefore underactive. Medical doctors and even natural healers often give thyroid hormones and even adrenal hormones for this condition. I strongly advise people to try nutritional balancing first. In most cases, replacement hormones are not needed and actually slow the deeper process of rebuilding the thyroid and adrenal glands. To read more about this problem, click on Adrenal Burnout Syndrome. One can also click on Thyroid Disease And Its Healing.

A Fast Oxidation Rate. An opposite condition can cause fatigue as well. Some people who are tired are fast oxidizers. Their thyroid and adrenal gland activity is excessive. Like a bicyclist pedaling too fast, these individuals use energy inefficiently and become tired.
These individuals are often lavish in their expenditure of energy, and accomplish much as long as their energy holds out. However, they often run on nervous energy. They may have excellent energy for a time, and then suddenly become exhausted. When they become tired, they are attracted to stimulants, alcohol or other artificial means to sustain their energy.
Part of the task in correcting energy usage in a fast oxidizer is to even out their use of energy. Through a proper diet of more fats and oils, and a few correct nutritional supplements, these individuals can be helped to become 'long distance runners' instead of 'sprinters' who become exhausted quickly because they expend their energy too rapidly.

THE ENERGY PATHWAY

Like the automobile, the body has a fuel system. Each step of the system must be operating well for high energy production. In the body, the system begins with the ingestion of 'fuel' foods, which are primarily starches and fats. Protein may also be burned for fuel, although this is inefficient and toxic. This is one problem with very high-protein diets over a long period of time.

Food Intake And Eating Habits. Food must first be digested, which includes eating in a sitting position in a relaxed manner, and ideally sitting for 10 minutes or so after eating to allow digestion to begin. It also includes adequate chewing of food, avoiding drinking large glasses of water or worse, other beverages, with the meal because these tend to dilute the digestive juices needed to digest the food.

Stomach Digestion. Once the food enters the stomach, it must there mix with stomach acid and enzymes such as pepsin and chymotrypsin. This is a critical phase of digestion. It is often hampered by drinking too much liquid with meals and/or weak production of stomach acid and stomach enzymes.

Intestinal Digestion. Eventually, proteins are broken down into amino acids, starches are broken down to simple sugars, and fats are broken down to fatty acids. These must be absorbed adequately in the small intestine.

Many people have something called leaky gut syndrome or other intestinal ailments of which they are unaware. These can hamper adequate nutrient absorption. This is why when we give supplementary vitamins and minerals, for example, we have to give doses much higher than that which is normally needed. This is also why any laws that limit the potency of minerals and vitamins will harm people, not help them. Most are not toxic if too much are taken at once, unlike drugs which are deadly if you take too much.

Absorption Into The Liver And Nutrient Conversion. Once food is absorbed it passes directly to the liver, not to the entire body, as some teach. The liver stores some of the sugars and fatty acids and converts some of them to other forms and structures such as proteins and cholesterol.
The liver. in most people, does not function optimally, although blood tests may indicate “normal” liver activity. The main reasons are two:

1. The liver is quite toxic due to the intake of too many toxic metals, toxic chemicals, food additives and toxins generated by fermentation or putrefaction of food in the intestines.

2. The oxidation rate is too sluggish. This impairs the liver’s activities, slowing all chemical reactions a little bit.

Both these can be overcome with nutritional balancing science, and helped a lot with other detoxification procedures such as coffee enemas, which are best. Infrared light saunas are also superb to help decongest and detoxify the liver and all the other vital organs.

Absorption Into The Cells. From the liver, the nutrients from the food, having been processed correctly we hope, must now pass into the cells. Here another blockage in the energy system often occurs, giving rise to fatigue. Here are the main causes of poor absorption of nutrients from the blood into the cells.

1. The cell walls are too rigid and thus less permeable to nutrients, hormones and other vital substances. Reasons for this are primarily two:

a) Relatively too many omega-6 fatty acids in the diet. These come from eating cooked vegetable oils, regular meats and all processed foods. The worst source are hydrogenated oils found in margarines, peanut butters, candies, crackers, breads, baked goods and deep fried foods.
b) Elevated tissue calcium levels tend to stabilize cell membranes. This is revealed easily on a hair tissue mineral analysis if one understands how to interpret the chart.

2. Impaired Circulation To The Tissues. This may be due to hardening of the capillaries, impaired circulation in general, congestion of the blood in certain organs due to lack of exercise, for example, fatigue, sympathetic dominance (overuse of the sympathetic nervous system) and other reasons at times.

3. Impaired insulin metabolism. This is a very important problem for millions of Americans today. Insulin helps move glucose from the blood into the cells. Insulin activity requires the presence of chromium, zinc, manganese and many other nutrients for this process to occur correctly.
If the blood sugar mechanism does not work as it should, one develops low glucose in the cells. This is a form of hypoglycemia, even though the word hypo-glycemia actually means low glucose in the blood.
If the condition worsens, glucose begins to accumulate in the blood and then the same condition is called full-blown diabetes.

Cellular Nutrition. If adequate nutrients can get inside the cells, the fuel (sugars and fatty acids) must then be converted to a special form, adenosine triphosphate or ATP. This is the form in which fuel is used in our bodies. This process takes place in small structures called mitochondria. The latest rage in medical care is to denote fatigue as “mitochondrial dysfunction”. This, of course, is partly true, but only partly so, because for the optimum energy all parts of the energy pathway and the oxidation rate must function properly. However, it is a good start on understanding the body’s energy system.
Many vitamins, minerals, amino acids and many other substances must be present in just the right amounts for optimum energy production in the mitochondria of each body cell. Also, waste products of metabolism, which are mainly lactic acid and other acids, must be removed from the cells. If the circulation is poor or the cell permeability impaired, then waste removal is hindered, and this is another cause of fatigue due to an imbalanced pH of the cells and the buildup of metabolic waste products of metabolism.

In summary, any imbalance in the human oxidation rate or any deficiencies, blockages or waste buildup in the energy pathways causes a loss of energy or fatigue. Hundreds of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other nutrients are needed to keep the system running smoothly. This is why a natural food diet, plenty of rest and sleep, mild exercise, deep enough breathing, and even healthful attitudes are so important for our health and abundant energy.

INFECTIONS AND FATIGUE

Low energy is often caused by chronic infections anywhere in the body. Most people have half a dozen or more of these. Common sites are the teeth, gums, ears, eyes, throat, bronchials, sinuses, intestines and elsewhere. These very chronic or low-grade infections are not usually detectable medically. Often, however, a tendency for this problem to be present is shown on a hair analysis as a low sodium/potassium ratio, the presence of toxic metals and low energy indicators as well.
Nutritional balancing programs will correct these infections slowly, though, at times, a tooth must be extracted or filled, and rarely other procedures or methods are needed as well.

RESTORING HUNDREDS OF NUTRIENTS

Another focus is to restore nutrients. We do this primarily by eating a lot of cooked vegetables, and avoiding many foods that upset the body, including wheat, fruits, sweets, nightshade vegetables and all refined and overly processed foods. Diet and supplementary nutrients ideally need to recommended using the principles of interpreting a hair mineral test taught by Dr. Paul Eck and refined by myself and our practitioners. Guessing usually wastes time and money, and easily makes a person worse. For a more complete description of the diet we find works best, read The Healing Lifestyle.

OTHER CAUSES FOR FATIGUE

Chronic pain, structural imbalances that require chiropractic or other care, and unresolved medical conditions may occasionally also cause fatigue. However these are usually not major causes of fatigue in most people.

TOXIC METALS AND ENERGY LEVELS

Toxic metals devastate the body's energy system. The energy-producing glands and glucose tolerance systems are often out of balance due to the accumulation of toxic metals in the body tissues.
These metals include lead, cadmium, mercury, copper, nickel and aluminum, among many others. Toxic metals replace vital minerals in enzyme binding sites and interfere with many body functions. This means the toxic metal fills a key position in an enzyme, but it stops the enzyme from functioning correctly. This is like placing the wrong key in a lock. It may go in, but it will not allow the lock to function correctly, and it even keeps the right key from being inserted in the lock. The wrong key much be removed first, and then the right one, a vital mineral, must replace it.
High levels of toxic metals are common today, due to contamination of the air, water and food, and in some cases due to occupational exposure. In addition, many children are born with high levels of toxic metals passed on from their mothers through the placenta.
Scientific nutritional balancing programs and detoxification with sauna therapy and coffee enemas, primarily, will slowly, safely and gently in most cases remove about two dozen toxic metals from everywhere in the body. To read much more about these, click on toxic metals.

For example, we do not use and do not like most chelators or chelation therapy of any kind, even natural chelation therapy. We find it is not needed in almost all cases. Click here to read more about chelation.

STIMULANTS AND YOUR ENERGY SYSTEM

Many people believe the answer to low energy is to use stimulants. The most popular ones are caffeine, such as drinking coffee, and sugar. Others include such things as worry, fear, anger, a lot of exercise and perhaps stimulant drugs such as methamphetamines or cocaine.

These don’t work long term. They provide a short energy boost, but they do this by stimulating or irritating the glands or the nervous system. Over time, the system becomes very depleted and then the stimulant won’t work any more. One is left much more tired than before one began using the stimulant.

Nutritional balancing, or rebuilding the body, is the exact opposite of the use of stimulants. It requires more rest and it restores the body’s entire energy system by removing toxic metals, replacing vital minerals and other nutrients, removing chronic infections such as parasitic, yeast and others that just use up energy, and balancing the body gently and delicately, over and over so that the body regains its former energy producing capacity and, in many cases, becomes far more energetic than it was previously. This approach, in my experience, is far better than stimulant herbs, adaptogen herbs, various vitamin regimens, or the large number of energy products that are offered in the health food store. It is more work, more discipline and requires hair mineral analyses to assess one’s needs, but it is much more precise, safe and a long-term solution.

OTHER CAUSES OF LOW ENERGY

Developmental Fatigue. Some people are tired these days because they are undergoing a process that I will call mental development. This is a change that can take place in the brain, and in a few other areas of the body that basically enhances the body in some ways. It requires much more rest ands sleep. In this situation, one’s fatigue may be for good reason, and not necessarily due to any biochemical or nutritional deficiencies or imbalances. To read more about it, click on Development.

RESTORING THE BODY’S ENERGY SYSTEM

Over the past 30 years, I have helped literally thousands of people recover their full energy level with nutritional balancing science. This method is extremely well-suited to correcting most of the causes above of chronic fatigue syndrome. Many people are so sick and tired of being tired they are ready to give up. However, you can recover your energy and vitality, in my experience, and without using hormones or other drugs.

Nutritional balancing is a lifestyle and diet-based system. This is extremely important for correcting the dietary and lifestyle components of chronic fatigue. I find this aspect lacking in many holistic approaches. There is often an emphasis on high-tech testing and many remedies, and not enough attention paid to the exact diet, drinking water consumed, and the lifestyle. So I would urge anyone with low energy to pay more attention to these factors.

Safety. Nutritional balancing is extremely gentle and safe. This cannot be said of other methods of treatment that are used today. For example, I would warn the reader to avoid the use of low-dose cortisone such as Cortef and others. I would also warn against the use of any natural, bio-identical or synthetic hormones such as DHEA, pregnenelone, adrenal cortical extracts, testosterone, progesterone and others. These will give a person some energy, but they upset the delicate hormone regulatory feedback system of the body and they make full correction much more difficult.

They are also expensive to test for and monitor. I find them unnecessary and harmful in almost all cases. Even thyroid hormone replacement is almost always unnecessary and harmful if the proper diet, supplements and detoxification protocol are followed fully. For more on hormones, read Hormone Replacement Therapy on this website.

Autonomic nervous system correction. This is an important part of every nutritional balancing program. It is another aspect of health and healing that is often overlooked or glossed over too easily by physicians working with chronic fatigue. Most people with this condition have a pattern on a hair mineral test called sympathetic dominance. In some cases, it may take a year or more for the pattern to reveal itself. However, it is often present and it stops many people from getting well. The person is overusing the sympathetic or fight-or-flight nervous system, and this inhibits the digestion, elimination and the immune response. It must be corrected or progress will be very slow or non-existent. For more on this, read Sympathetic Dominance on this website.

Other procedures. Adding the daily use of a near infrared light sauna and daily coffee enemas is needed in many cases of low energy or chronic fatigue syndrome. Each of these therapies is carefully chosen and has over a dozen therapeutic effects, many of which are excellent for those with chronic fatigue. For more on these therapies, read Sauna Therapy and Coffee Enemas on this site.

Mental/emotional aspects. Nutritional balancing has as its goal far more than just symptom removal. In my own case of chronic fatigue syndrome, as well as most others, there are subtle factors that are causative and need to be addressed. Often, for example, changes in attitudes are needed and absolutely essential if one is to recover completely, which is always our goal and a very achievable goal. In my own case, persistent daily use of the Roy Masters meditation was extremely helpful and probably absolutely necessary for my full recovery. For more on this subject, read Meditation on this site.

These are a few of the major aspects of restoring the body’s energy system using nutritional balancing science.

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