Episode 100: Why Are You So Tired? (Chronic Fatigue and Long Haulers with Dr. Evan Hirsch)

Way back when my husband and I were new-ish parents, he read a headline that talked about parents being “bone tired” at the end of the day.

For years, we referred to that phrase: “We’re BONE TIRED. Parents are all BONE TIRED.” (Put a little lilt and emphasis on “bone” and you can hear us in your head now.)

As it turns out, Dr. Evan Hirsch would recommend that we stop with those negative thoughts, because they’re not going to take us anywhere good. He’s an international expert on chronic fatigue (and now long haulers), and this was an interview I was HIGHLY looking forward to. I was right!

Prepare to be fascinated by Dr. Hirsch’s wisdom on:

• The 33 causes of fatigue
• How you KNOW you have chronic fatigue (and aren’t just bone tired like every other parent out there – and it’s way easier than I expected to figure it out!)
• Why solving your chronic fatigue may also make you live longer
• Why some people become long haulers and others don’t (this has fascinated me for a while and I couldn’t wait to discuss it!)
• Dr. Hirsch’s process for helping people reverse chronic fatigue (that more or less translates to long haul)
• How you know if 5 jumping jacks is pushing your body too much
• A simple “recipe” to raise healthy kids (i.e. what an integrative MD would tell you to do to prevent your kids from getting chronic illnesses and BOOST their real energy—not the sugar-laden kind—to help them live happier lives now)
• THE most important technique he recommends to everyone, preventative and restorative (and there are only 4 steps to it and zero cost!!!)

I’m going to be thinking about this interview for a long time…can’t wait to hear what you think about it.

You can start fixing your fatigue with this free training from Dr. Evan now!

Can’t see the video? Watch about chronic fatigue here on YouTube!

The timestamps are aligned to the video version, not the audio podcast, but they’re pretty close!

No time for the video? Here are the notes!

Chronic Fatigue and Long-Haulers

• 0:10: Today we’re talking about chronic fatigue and how you can tell if you’re just tired because life is busy or if you’re suffering from chronic fatigue.
• 2:12: Dr. Hirsch shares his story with us.
• 5:04: There are 33 causes of chronic fatigue and low energy. Everyone who has chronic fatigue has 20 or more of them which makes it incredibly difficult to treat. Here’s his book: Fix Your Fatigue.
• 5:57: Dr. Hirsch explains the difference between going to a conventional doctor for an acute situation vs reversing chronic diseases.

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Causes of Chronic Fatigue

• 6:37: What are some of the most common causes of chronic fatigue? They’re divided into two groups: deficiencies and build-up of toxins. Interestingly, often the toxins cause the deficiencies. 
• 8:14: I know fatigue is not the same as being tired and yawning a lot. What is the difference between being tired at the end of the day and experiencing chronic fatigue?

• 9:15: All of these causes of fatigue are also causes of diseases like heart disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer, autoimmune diseases, heart attacks, and strokes. You need to take this seriously if you’re experiencing fatigue. 

What are “Long Haulers”

• 10:22: We’ve seen lots of “long haulers” lately coming out of the recent pandemic. Long haulers have persistent symptoms after having the virus. There are up to 250 symptoms this can include. 

In a recent study, 30% of the participants had a new mental health diagnosis within 6 months of having the virus. -Dr. Evan Hirsch

• 12:30: What makes it so hard to treat long haulers? Ongoing symptoms are often treated in isolation vs holistically. 

The more stressed out your body is, the more dysfunctional your thyroid, adrenals, and hormones are. All you need is one virus to upend everything. -Dr. Evan Hirsch 

• 16:40: Can we turn around from this? Let’s get some hope for those with chronic fatigue or long haulers. 

How to Treat Chronic Fatigue

• 19:20: Dr. Hirsch has a 4-step EnergyMD method to treat fatigue and long haulers. 
• 19:34: First, figure out all your fatigue causes (75% can be determined by symptoms, 25% through labs).
• 20:53: Step two is to feel better as fast as possible AND be able to deal with the stress of removing toxins later, we fix the big 3 deficiencies first: adrenals, mitochondria, and thyroid. Then fixing vitamins and minerals is next. Finally, diet, Paleo or ketogenic diets tend to work best. More water, more nutrient-dense food, more sleep, more movement.
• 26:56: Step three is to open up detoxification pathways to allow the body to eliminate toxins or the virus.
• 26:18: Step four is to kill off the infections, remove the virus, detox heavy metals, etc. to remove all the toxins from your body. Heavy metals, chemicals, molds, and infections all like to feed on one another and form a toxic matrix in the body.

Common Long-Hauler Symptoms

• 30:50: Dr. Hirsch shares some common symptoms that pop up in people with long haulers. It’s possible to not even know you had the virus but still end up with these symptoms a couple of months later. 
• 32:48: Prescription antivirals don’t actually decrease the amount of the virus that’s present, they stop the virus from replicating. Anti-viral herbs actually kill the virus. 
• 33:25: Sometimes persistent symptoms are from the virus itself and sometimes they’re from other infections that are “activated” in a way by the virus. Here’s an interview about one of those infections Lyme disease.

• 38:55: There is a spectrum of chronic fatigue. The “level” you’re at depends on what it takes to cure your fatigue. 
• 42:30: We know chronic diseases are increasing in kids. What can we do to help set our kids up for healthy adulthood? 

What would life look like if your kid was growing up in the 80s? -Dr. Evan Hirsch 

• 46:47: Giving your kids a healthy mindset and emotional regulation is super important to their future health. 
• 47:34: Dr. Hirsch shares the 4-step mindset practice he teaches. Here’s Jack Canfield’s book The Success Principles we talked about.

• 50:05: We leave you with a message of encouragement and hope. When you’re done watching/reading this, choose a time in your day to incorporate a gratitude practice. 

Resources We Mention for Chronic Fatigue

• Dr. Hirsch would like to give you a FREE PDF download of his book Tired of Being Tired that has helped thousands of exhausted humans resolve their fatigue and achieve more in their lives. You can also check out his free masterclass and start tackling your own fatigue!
• Here is Dr. Hirsch’s book Fix Your Fatigue
• Here’s an interview about one of those infections, Lyme disease
• Here’s the Jack Canfield book The Success Principles we talked about
• Follow Dr. Hirsch on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Youtube

Evan H. Hirsch, MD, is a world-renowned fatigue & Long Haulers expert and is the Founder & CEO of the International Center for Fatigue. Through his best-selling book, podcast, and international online programs (that can be accessed from everywhere), he has helped thousands of people around the world resolve their chronic fatigue & Long Haulers symptoms naturally and is on a mission to help 1 million more. He has been featured on television, podcasts, and summits, and when he’s not at the office, you can find him singing musicals, dancing hip-hop, and playing basketball with his family.