A lack of energy can impede daily functioning – but you don’t need to continue living with this. This article may inspire you to re-energize with our functional treatments, including IV therapy from our Toronto practice. 

Despite having eight hours of sleep at night, a deprivation of energy levels can still occur. Each living thing, including humans, thrives off energy for optimizing cellular functioning. It sparks brain and muscle function, fosters physical exertions, and is a must-have for developing and repairing tissues. Incessant fatigue can be detrimental to physical and mental states and can cause mood issues, anxiety, weakness, and malaise. 

Not to mention, low energy is alarming in the workplace. According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), fatigue is a “…form of impairment, making [it] a workplace hazard…” as it slows down reaction time, can degrade cognitive function and mental clarity, and lessen motivation. Thus, poor energy not only affects us as individuals, but also the people around us. 

At the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre (TFMC), we help patients explore the source of health concerns with integrative functional medicine strategies. Here, learn about the different causes of low energy and how our health team can potentially lift your daily functioning. 

Why you might be tired 

There are several explanations for frequent fatigue. However, the root causes vary between individuals, as we all have a different quality of life, genetics, medical history, lifestyles, and environmental surroundings. So, here some reasons why excessive fatigue may occur: 

• • Unhealthy lifestyle (i.e. sedentary living, alcohol and drug overindulgences)
  • Using certain medications (i.e. some cancer treatments)
  • Depression, anxiety and stress
  • Sleep issues (i.e. sleep apnea, working night shifts)
  • Nutrient deficiencies
  • Hormonal imbalances
  • Dehydration
  • Obesity
  • Medical conditions (i.e. mononucleosis, the flu, heart conditions, autoimmune conditions, cancer, diabetes, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, etc.)

If you’re persistently exhausted, our functional healthcare providers can offer assistance. During your initial session, we’ll have a hearty chat about your lifestyle, current medications, chemical exposures, family history, etc. This is because we adhere to the functional medicine model, which recognizes that health issues contrarily manifest between individuals. Understanding these components helps us investigate your possible fatigue triggers. 

We might also recommend lab testing services, especially if we suspect that vitamin/mineral deficiencies and hormone imbalances are affecting energy levels. We use these results to tailor your treatment plan – picture this as a trunk full of health modalities that are adapted for your needs only! This can include Eastern and Western medicine, herbal remedies, holistic nutrition, and a wide range of other modalities. Your lab results also help us establish your tailor-made dose of nutrients for IV drips, booster shots, and more. 

Recommended Reading: 5 Lifestyle Tips To Reduce Estrogen Dominance With Functional Medicine From Toronto

Personalized functional medicine and vitamin IV therapy tips 

So, what are some ways to support healthier energy levels? Here are some examples: 

• • Lifestyle modifications: Start hitting the gym if you haven’t already! Exercise promotes changes to your cells by creating additional mitochondria. Extra mitochondria can potentially boost energy. 

• • Oral supplementation: If lab tests reveal nutrient deficits linked to liveliness, or that your hormones are imbalanced, we may discuss supplementation. B complex supplements – which can promote the conversion of food to energy – can help relieve B deficiencies. Licorice root (DGL) may also be mentioned for increasing cortisol; it’s been thought that chronic stress can “drain” the adrenal glands, which may deplete cortisol levels and cause exhaustion. 
  • IV drip therapy: Intravenous drips bypass the digestive tract to assure a complete, rapid absorption of nutrients. Some patients have malabsorption due to a digestive health condition. For these cases, intravenous therapy is useful, as a nutritional drip can be custom-blended and doesn’t require the digestive process for administration. The drip solution is directed through an IV tube, then into the vein and blood stream for immediate use. 

These recommendations should not be stand-alone approaches to increase alertness; they should be combined with a healthy lifestyle, regular supplementation, and functional medicine treatments. Please speak to our health team to rule out underlying conditions and to tailor your treatment plan – details are below. 

Request your initial visit at the TFMC’s IV Lounge

Getting a boost in energy is different for each patient – this is because we have individual health statuses, different genes, ways of living, and such. Thus, a wellness strategy that invigorates one patient may not necessarily apply to another. At the TFMC, our functional medicine programs recognize your uniqueness. They’re intended to address your biological deficits with several therapies, including naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, adaptogens, herbal tinctures, and IV therapy.

Intravenous infusion drips are administered in our IV Lounge, which is located in our Toronto practice. We can produce a custom-made IV drip that may target your personal health goals, including those related to optimizing immunity, muscle recovery, concentration, and more. In addition to other treatments and lifestyle modifications, IV vitamin drips can credibly contribute to health upgrades. 

Revitalizing much-needed energy may require an individualized approach – take advantage of our lab services to understand what is going on in your body! Act now for a tailored treatment plan – just click here, and then you can request your consult with the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre. 

Disclaimer: The information in this article is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting a doctor. You should always consult with a health care practitioner before relying on any information in this article or on this website. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider because of information you have read from the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre website or other affiliate media. 

 

References

“Does exercise really boost energy levels?” from Harvard Health Publishing, posted on July 1, 2021, viewed on May 24, 2024. 

“Fatigue” by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), OSH Answers Fact Sheets, viewed on May 24, 2024. 

Maisel P, Baum E, Donner-Banzhoff N. Fatigue as the Chief Complaint–Epidemiology, Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2021 Aug 23;118(33-34):566-576. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.m2021.0192. PMID: 34196270; PMCID: PMC8579431.

Racciatti D, Vecchiet J, Ceccomancini A, Ricci F, Pizzigallo E. Chronic fatigue syndrome following a toxic exposure. Sci Total Environ. 2001 Apr 10;270(1-3):27-31. doi: 10.1016/s0048-9697(00)00777-4. PMID: 11327394.

Tardy AL, Pouteau E, Marquez D, Yilmaz C, Scholey A. Vitamins and Minerals for Energy, Fatigue and Cognition: A Narrative Review of the Biochemical and Clinical Evidence. Nutrients. 2020 Jan 16;12(1):228. doi: 10.3390/nu12010228. PMID: 31963141; PMCID: PMC7019700.

Touvier M, da Costa Louzada ML, Mozaffarian D, Baker P, Juul F, Srour B. Ultra-processed foods and cardiometabolic health: public health policies to reduce consumption cannot wait. BMJ. 2023 Oct 9;383:e075294. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-075294. PMID: 37813465; PMCID: PMC10561017.