Natural Treatments for Fatigue and Exhaustion

Emotional changes is one of the symptoms of menopause. The feeling of fatigue and exhaustion is one emotional change women in menopause may experience. The changes in hormone levels is the most likely explanation of this symptom of menopause.

Natural treatments for fatigue and exhaustion includes herbs, vitamins and minerals such as:

• Gotu Kola
• Damiana
• Oats
• Vitamin B complex
• MultiVitamin
• Iron and Vitamin C
• Ginseng

Gotu kola, damiana are nervous system tonics that provides relief of fatigue and mild anxiety. Gotu kola was traditional used as an adaptogen. A herb that is an adaptogen is considered to be an innocuous substance with non-specific action that has a normalizing action. Gotu kola is considered to have similar actions to ginseng, another herb used to treat fatigue and exhaustion.

Oats is used to support the nervous system and is also used to relieve nervous debility, fatigue and exhaustion.

Vitamin B complex plays an essential role in metabolic processes. It is used as coenzymes to metabolize food into energy, thereby relieving fatigue and exhaustion. Vitamin B complex can also be useful in times of stress.

A multivitamin may be useful to combat fatigue in cases where an imbalanced diet is causing a lack of essential vitamins and minerals for optimal functioning of the nervous system.

Iron may provide relief from fatigue and lethargy due to low iron levels. Iron is essential for red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body. Low iron levels results in less oxygen available to organs and therefore reduced metabolic rate causing fatigue.

Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin that should be taken in conjunction with iron to enhance gastrointestinal absorption of iron.

Ginseng is another adaptogen that can improve energy production by its action on the adrenal glands. Ginseng is used to

• enhance the body's stress-coping mechanisms
• increase mental alertness
• improve work output
• improve the quality of work under stressful circumstances
• reduce the effects of fatigue
• enhance stamina and endurance

Ginseng is believed to increase the utilization of fatty acids and the sparing of stored glycogen in muscle tissue. This results in increased physical endurance and energy.

Side effects of ginseng are rare. They can include:

• mild diarrhoea
• insomnia
• skin rash
• breast tenderness
• abnormal menstrual bleeding