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Chronic fatigue is described as the prolonged (for one month or more) absence of physical, intellectual, and emotional energy. It was first recognized medically in the 1980s. Chronic fatigue is not cured through simple rest or sleep - a complete change in habit is required to get back on track. In an AMA study, 28% of American women and 19% of American men suffer from chronic fatigue. The symptoms of chronic fatigue are: low grade fever, recurrent sore throat, painful lymph nodes, muscular aches or weakness, joint pain, headaches, restless sleep, and possible problems with concentration and short term memory.
The mind can be either a major source of energy or a major waster of it. In order to release the natural energy that is inherent in all human beings, one must become more attuned to the cycles of nature. The human body is a dynamic field of energy - under our material being is a “quantum mechanical body” which is pure process, pure energy, and pure intelligence. This is where we find the origins of chronic fatigue and the keys to eliminating it.
We can become more attuned to the cycles of nature to feel more energized. The concept of the mind-body connection and the importance of doshas (governing agents of the body) are an ancient way of living and staying healthy. Many people suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome because they are out of synch with nature’s cycles. Once a person gets back into the rhythm of nature, they will be more energized
Ayurveda is one of the oldest healing sciences known to man. Ayurveda means "The Science of Life" in Sanskrit. Ayurvedic knowledge originated in India more than 5,000 years ago and is often called the "Mother of All Healing" and is the basis of the mind - body connection. The essential foundation of mind body medicine is the recognition that for every experience in the mind, there is a corresponding change in the physiology and biochemistry of our body. We have a vast internal pharmacy that can be accessed through conscious choices we make in our lives. A key tenet of mind-body medicine is that health is not the mere absence of disease. Rather, it is the dynamic integration of our environment, body, mind and spirit. Reducing stress through meditation techniques, improving vitality through balanced nutrition, and developing flexibility, energy and endurance through yoga and exercise are a few of the basic approaches of mind body medicine, which have demonstrable health enhancing effects. Herbal medicine, massage, sound, movement and aromatherapy are other tools of mind body medicine that can advance mental and physical well being. Mind-body medicine offers new possibilities for promoting and improving health through natural approaches that stimulate our body’s intrinsic healing system.
Neuropeptides are chemicals that are released by the brain every time a thought or feeling occurs. There are receptors located throughout the digestive system, the heart, the lungs, kidneys and the immune system. This is part of what is called the mind-body connection. One must get over the Western dicotomy of mind and body in order to fully realize the power of the mind and the energizing influences it can create.
Human beings are part of a universal flow of energy and can only feel fully energized when our biological clocks are in synch with those of nature. A major goal to achieve is the complete integration of physical and spiritual components in all experiences - mind, body, behavior, and environment.
Ayurveda includes three basic governing agents of the body called doshas - Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Vata - governs movement, Pitta - controls metabolism and digestion, Kapha -responsible for physical structure and fluid balance.
There are several techniques to help get your system back into the rhythm of nature. Between Ayurvedic oil massage first thing in the morning, resetting your biological clock to follow the sun (go to sleep before 10 and wake up by 6), meditation, and morning stretching exercises (called the Sun Salute), these steps should make you feel more energized. There are different peak times for the specific doshas: for example, Kapha peaks at 6am - 10pm and 10pm to 6am - since Kapha tends to be heavy, stable, slow and soft, it is best to take advantage of this period of the evening to wind down and go to sleep. If you go to sleep after 10pm, your body will miss the relaxing Kapha period of rest.
Also as important are the needs for proper nutrition, breathing, digestion, and elimination.
Every person has a unique flow of energy—an individual combination of physical, mental and emotional characteristics—which makes up their own constitution. This constitution is determined at conception by genetics and remains the same throughout one’s life. Internal and external factors play enormous roles in the amounts of energy we can conjure. Examples of these emotional and physical stresses include one’s emotional state, diet and food choices, seasons and weather, physical trauma, work and family relationships. Once these factors are understood, one can take appropriate actions to nullify or minimize their effects or eliminate the causes of imbalance and re-establish one’s original constitution. Balance is the natural order; imbalance is disorder. Health is order; disease is disorder.
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