Understanding Fatigue Through a Functional Medicine Lens
Chronic fatigue isn’t just occasional tiredness; it can feel like an ongoing heaviness in the body and mind, often described as brain fog, low motivation, or a sense of running on empty. At Internal Healing & Wellness MD, we treat conditions such as chronic fatigue not as a mysterious syndrome but as a sign of underlying dysfunction within the body’s energy systems, particularly the mitochondria and adrenal glands.
We use functional medicine tools to help patients begin truly recovering from chronic fatigue syndrome by restoring cellular energy, hormone balance, and resilience to stress rather than masking symptoms.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult a qualified professional before making healthcare decisions.
How Functional Medicine Approaches Chronic Fatigue
Functional medicine looks deeper to find and address the root causes, while traditional medicine often focuses on managing symptoms. This means examining how your nutrition, stress levels, hormone balance, and cellular health are all connected.
We take a personalized, systems-based approach. We use advanced testing to look at how your body is functioning, not just what’s “normal” on a standard lab panel. Our goal isn’t just to reduce fatigue, but to restore energy, resilience, and overall quality of life.
The Mitochondria: Your Cellular Power Plants
Every cell in your body relies on mitochondria to produce energy. Mitochondria are tiny structures inside your cells that act like mini power plants, turning the food you eat into the energy your body needs to think, move, and heal. When these tiny organelles become dysfunctional, it’s like trying to run a marathon with no fuel. It may lead to constant fatigue, brain fog, and burnout, no matter how much you rest.
Common triggers for mitochondrial dysfunction include:
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Chronic inflammation
- Toxin exposure
- Viral infections
- Excess oxidative stress
Mitochondrial dysfunction may lead to:
- Persistent fatigue
- Muscle weakness
- Difficulty in sleeping
- Exercise intolerance
Mitochondrial dysfunction can also impact individuals experiencing weight gain despite healthy habits. When cellular energy is low, it may contribute to slower metabolism and shifts in hormonal balance.
Testing Your Nutritional Foundation for Better Energy
We start by looking closely at your body’s nutritional foundation through the NutrEval FMV test by Genova Diagnostics . This advanced lab panel helps us understand whether your mitochondria, the tiny structures in your cells that make energy, are getting what they need to function properly.
This test gives us insight into:
- CoQ10 and B vitamins, which are essential for turning food into energy
- Glutathione and other antioxidants, which help protect your cells from damage
- Amino acids and minerals, which support energy metabolism and recovery
When these nutrients are out of balance, your cells may struggle to keep up with daily demands, leaving you feeling drained, foggy, or constantly behind. By pinpointing exactly what’s missing, we can build a personalized plan to help restore energy from the inside out.
Adrenal Fatigue and the Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR)
The adrenal glands produce cortisol, your body’s primary stress hormone, which regulates energy, immune function, and mood. Another common contributor to chronic fatigue is a stressed or imbalanced adrenal system, sometimes referred to as adrenal burnout. This occurs when your body’s stress-response system, known as the HPA axis, becomes dysregulated over time due to prolonged physical or emotional strain.
A healthy cortisol rhythm gives you energy in the morning and subsides at night to support restful sleep.
When this rhythm is off, patients may feel:
- Wired but tired
- Mid-day crashes
- Difficulty in sleeping despite exhaustion
- Morning sluggishness
The CAR Test: A Window Into Adrenal Health
We may use the Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) test to evaluate adrenal fatigue. This saliva-based test tracks your cortisol levels in the first hour after waking, giving a precise view of your adrenal gland function.
For women, one of the tools we might utilize is the DUTCH Plus test, which includes Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) results with a broader view of hormone metabolism and adrenal patterns.
With this insight, we can align treatment protocols involving:
- Adaptogenic herbs
- Targeted nutrients (B5, C, magnesium)
- Stress and sleep optimization techniques
Why Fatigue Often Leads to Weight Gain and Poor Sleep
It’s common to wonder, “Why am I feeling more exhausted lately?” or “Why is it so hard to sleep even when I feel tired all day?”
When mitochondrial function declines and cortisol regulation is impaired, your body enters a state of metabolic stress.
This can:
- Disrupt insulin sensitivity, leading to weight gain
- Interferes with melatonin production, worsening sleep
- Decrease thyroid function
By understanding these connections, we shift from symptom control to true healing.
Recovering from Chronic Fatigue Starts with the Right Tests
The first step in recovering from chronic fatigue syndrome is to stop guessing and start testing.
Our approach includes:
- NutrEval FMV: NutrEval FMV is a comprehensive nutritional panel that tests at over 40 essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants, that support mitochondrial function and energy production. This test helps identify nutritional imbalances that may be impacting your body’s ability to produce and sustain energy at the cellular level.
- DUTCH Cortisol Awakening Test: Assesses your body’s cortisol patterns by measuring how cortisol levels rise in the first hour after waking. The DUTCH Cortisol Awakening Test provides insight into your stress-response system and helps identify imbalances in daily cortisol rhythm that may contribute to low energy, poor recovery, and mood fluctuations.
- DUTCH Plus: DUTCH Plus offers a comprehensive view of hormone and adrenal health. Analyzes sex hormones and daily cortisol patterns, making it especially valuable for women experiencing fatigue related to hormonal imbalances.
These tests help us design a personalized plan that addresses the root causes of your fatigue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tiredness usually improves with rest. Chronic fatigue is a persistent lack of energy often accompanied by brain fog, poor sleep, and low motivation, and does not resolve with adequate rest.
Functional medicine looks for root causes such as mitochondrial dysfunction, nutrient deficiencies, adrenal imbalance, or chronic inflammation, and uses personalized testing and protocols to restore energy production.
Mitochondria are the “power plants” of your cells. When they don’t function properly, your body struggles to convert food into usable energy, leading to fatigue, muscle weakness, and brain fog.
Advanced panels such as the NutrEval FMV (nutritional foundation), DUTCH Plus (hormone and cortisol patterns), and Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) test provide insight into cellular energy, adrenal balance, and hormone metabolism.
Yes. Low levels of B vitamins, CoQ10, amino acids, and antioxidants can impair mitochondrial function and energy production, leaving you fatigued despite adequate rest.
Adrenal fatigue describes an imbalance in cortisol rhythms caused by prolonged stress. Symptoms may include morning sluggishness, mid-day crashes, difficulty sleeping, and feeling “wired but tired.”
The CAR test measures cortisol levels in the first hour after waking to evaluate adrenal gland function and daily energy patterns. It helps identify stress-related fatigue.
Energy system dysfunction can reduce insulin sensitivity, slow metabolism, and disrupt thyroid function. These changes may cause weight gain despite healthy diet and exercise.
Yes. Cortisol imbalance and mitochondrial stress can interfere with melatonin production, making it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep even when you feel exhausted.
Functional medicine identifies the underlying triggers of fatigue—such as toxins, infections, or hormone imbalance—and builds a personalized plan using nutrition, lifestyle optimization, and targeted therapies to restore energy.
We Specialize in Energy Restoration
If you're feeling drained, foggy, gaining weight despite effort, or battling difficulty sleeping, you're not alone. We use advanced testing and functional protocols to identify the cause of your symptoms and restore your vitality.
You don’t have to live with exhaustion, brain fog, and weight gain. At Internal Healing & Wellness MD, we use advanced diagnostics and whole-body healing to restore your energy from the inside out.
Your path to renewed vitality starts here. Book your consultation today.
