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Fatigue is a very common complaint we see daily. It’s not something that should be taken lightly, however. Often, we’re told that it’s a normal part of the aging process. Not if you’re thinking that aging is a gradual and progressive degradation of parts and function. We do have a choice. We can age gracefully or we can age “badly,” for lack of a better word. If a person would like to age well, then they better take care of the basics such as good nutrition, adequate water intake, breathing properly, restful sleep, sensible exercise, stress reduction, detoxification, nutritional supplement intake (individualized) and hormone balancing (through diet and perhaps, the use of bioidentical hormones).
Anyway, back to the subject of fatigue. Fatigue (tiredness) is a vague, subjective symptom. It’s normal to get tired or fatigued at times. But, if it’s chronic and unrelenting, then it need to be addressed further. There are a lot of possible causes of chronic, persistent fatigue. I can enumerate a few here. These include nutritional deficiencies (lack of B vitamins, Coenzyme Q10, etc), heavy metal toxicity (lead, mercury, arsenic), hormonal imbalance (low thyroid, adrenals, growth hormone, low testosterone in men, estrogen/progesterone imbalance in women), poor detoxification mechanisms, anemia, heart/lung problems, pathogens (Lyme’s disease, chronic candidiasis), etc. It’s best to find out the cause/causes of fatigue rather than masking it with excessive caffeine intake (coffee) or using energy drinks (high in sugar).
Once pathologic causes of fatigue are ruled out, then someone may consider incorporating the following nutrients to improve energy levels. Coenzyme Q10 (or better yet, Ubiquinol), L-carnitine, B vitamins and D-ribose. Consult with your holistic healthcare practitioner however, before incorporating any of these into your health program.
Hot Tips, News and Trends for Healthy Aging By Dr. Joel Lopez, M.D. 
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