Beyond Symptom Management: Resolving Fatigue & Brain Fog
Resolving persistent fatigue and brain fog requires a sophisticated medical approach that goes beyond managing symptoms. At SouthPark Functional Medicine, Dr. Mahtani utilizes the principles of functional medicine to conduct a deep investigation into the underlying causes of your condition, creating a strategic path toward restoring your energy and mental clarity.
What Is Fatigue & Brain Fog?
Fatigue and brain fog are symptoms that commonly occur at the same time.
Fatigue is a feeling of extreme tiredness or exhaustion. You may have low energy and feel a strong desire to sleep. Poor nutrition, lack of sleep and overexertion are lifestyle-related factors that may cause fatigue, though underlying conditions, including anemia, depression and cancer, may also cause it.
Brain fog may also be referred to as mental cloudiness. It is characterized by difficulty focusing, poor memory and confusion and is commonly caused by fatigue. Hormonal imbalances, stress, sleep deprivation and poor nutrition are other factors that may cause brain fog.
At SouthPark Functional Medicine, Dr. Mahtani identifies the true root causes of fatigue and brain fog by analyzing key factors including your nutrition, stress, and hormonal health. Her goal is not just to help you feel better, but to create a personalized path to restore your physical vitality and cognitive energy.
If you are ready to invest in a higher quality of life, we invite you to take the next step.
What Are Some Causes of Fatigue & Brain Fog Issues?
Fatigue and brain fog can be caused by a wide range of lifestyle behaviors and health conditions, which is why it’s important to work with a functional medicine medical doctor who can get to the bottom of these symptoms. Below are some of the most common causes of fatigue and brain fog.
Nutritional Deficiencies
Being deficient in certain nutrients—such as vitamin B9, or folate—can lead to anemia, fatigue and brain fog. Lack of magnesium, iron, zinc and vitamins C and D may also increase your risk for brain fog and fatigue.
Gut Dysbiosis
An imbalance in good and bad gut bacteria, known as gut dysbiosis, can lead to systemic inflammation that contributes to fatigue and symptoms of brain fog. Probiotics and improvements in nutrition can often help correct gut dysbiosis.
Toxins
Repeated exposure to toxins such as mercury, asbestos, and bisphenol A (BPA) can disrupt and block your hormone production to cause brain fog and fatigue. Adrenal fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome are both linked to excess toxin exposure.
COVID Fatigue and Brain Fog
These are the two most common symptoms reported by those affected by long COVID, according to a study in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation . These symptoms may have started after your COVID recovery or never went away.
Fungal Overgrowth
Also known as candidiasis, or Candida yeast overgrowth, this condition can occur due to a high-sugar diet, weakened immunity, birth control pills and stress. Many factors that contribute to fungal overgrowth also cause brain fog and fatigue.
Bacterial Infections
Epstein-Barr virus and Lyme disease are examples of bacterial infections that can cause fatigue and brain fog. These conditions can drive inflammation that causes these symptoms, and also make your body work harder at fighting them off.
Fatigue & Brain Fog Explained
Fatigue and brain fog are common symptoms of many short-term illnesses and usually go away on their own after you recover from the illness. However, long-lasting fatigue and brain fog that never seems to go away is usually driven by an underlying chronic condition. Over time, these symptoms can zap your energy, interfere with your memory and mental well-being and affect your overall livelihood.
Lifestyle factors that are commonly linked to fatigue and brain fog include lack of sleep, poor nutrition, excess physical activity, alcohol or drug use, and the use of certain medications. Chronic stress and exposure to toxins and electromagnetic radiation are other lifestyle factors that may cause these symptoms. A wide range of health conditions may also cause brain fog and fatigue—some of the most common of which are anemia, mental health disorders (such as anxiety and depression), diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
Identifying the root causes of fatigue and brain fog is essential to treating these symptoms. Functional medicine treatments for fatigue and brain fog may involve changing lifestyle behaviors contributing to these symptoms and managing related health conditions.
Functional medicine for fatigue and brain fog focuses on helping you adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors that can reduce these symptoms and prevent them from coming back. If you have one or more health conditions contributing to these symptoms, Dr. Mahtani will help you manage them as best as possible to improve your overall health.
Here are some of the many benefits of functional medicine treatment for fatigue and brain fog.
Improved Nutrition
Addressing nutritional deficiencies and reducing the amount of sugar and refined carbs in your diet may help correct imbalances in gut bacteria and hormones and address fungal overgrowth. Eating a higher amount of nutritious foods can also boost your energy and strengthen your immune system to help you combat long COVID, bacterial infections, brain fog and fatigue.
Better Gut Health
Gut dysbiosis can contribute to systemic inflammation that drives fatigue and brain fog, as well as related health conditions. Making positive diet modifications can increase the amount of good gut bacteria in your gut, which can lead to better overall gut health and a reduced risk for problems such as fatigue and brain fog.
Higher Energy
Fatigue can drain your energy daily and make it difficult to exercise, work and carry out other usual daily activities. Functional medicine treatments for fatigue and brain fog address the root causes of these symptoms so you can feel more energetic daily.
Greater Focus and Concentration
Brain fog can make it more difficult for you to solve problems, make good decisions and remember important things that contribute to general well-being. Treating fatigue and brain fog using functional medicine can lead to greater mental clarity and higher productivity.
Why Choose SouthPark Functional Medicine?
Because a complex condition like fatigue and brain fog requires a sophisticated expert. Dr. Sarita Mahtani’s unique dual expertise as a board-certified MD and an IFM Certified Practitioner allows her to move beyond symptom management. She utilizes a precise, evidence-based methodology to identify the complex root causes of your diminished energy and cognitive function and creates a personalized plan for lasting results.
Choose expertise. Choose a true partner. Choose a new standard of care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Understanding the ins and outs of fatigue and brain fog can help you take better control of your condition and health. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about these common symptoms.
What Is the Difference Between Fatigue and Tiredness?
Feeling tired every now and then is completely normal and usually refers to a short-term period of low energy that may go away after a period of rest or sleep. Fatigue, on the other hand, usually refers to long-lasting or chronic tiredness that affects your day-to-day activities. In addition to feeling extremely tired, you may also experience symptoms including dizziness, muscle soreness, slowed reflexes and hallucinations.
Which Lifestyle Behaviors Can Treat Fatigue and Brain Fog?
Many healthy lifestyle behaviors can fight off fatigue and brain fog, including good nutrition, regular exercise, stress management and low to moderate alcohol use. If your symptoms are being caused by certain lifestyle factors, changing those behaviors may improve your condition. Nutrition counseling and therapy play an important role in the functional medicine treatment of fatigue and brain fog, as good nutrition can help reduce inflammation, destroy bad gut bacteria, strengthen immunity and increase energy.
How Can Nutritional Supplementation Help With Fatigue and Brain Fog?
Nutritional deficiencies can often drive fatigue and brain fog, or cause conditions like anemia that drive these symptoms. Dr. Mahtani can work with you to identify the nutrients in which you are deficient and provide you with supplementation that boosts your levels of those nutrients. Supplements you may be advised to take to reduce brain fog and fatigue include fish oil supplements, vitamin C, vitamin B complex and L-theanine, among many others.
Which Factors Can Worsen Fatigue and Brain Fog?
In general, continuing to practice any lifestyle behavior linked to fatigue and brain fog can make these symptoms worse. Examples of lifestyle factors that may worsen fatigue and brain fog include heavy alcohol use, high sugar intake, lack of exercise and continued exposure to toxins.
If you are living with a health condition for which fatigue and brain fog are symptoms, not managing your condition or not seeking treatment for it can lead to worsened health. Request a consultation with SouthPark Functional Medicine in Charlotte, NC, for help with treating fatigue and brain fog if you have a related condition.
How Are Hormones Linked To Fatigue?
Nearly every hormone in your body plays one or more important roles in your overall bodily function—including that related to sleep, mood, appetite, sexual function and energy. Any imbalances in estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, and/or thyroid hormones can lead to fatigue, or to factors like inflammation or sleep deprivation that contribute to fatigue and brain fog.