Welcome to Dr. Gerber's Fueling Station

By Broadside Staff Reporter Mrinalini Ramanan

Professor Lynn Gerber, the director of Mason's Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability, presented the lesser-known facts about fatigue yesterday at Mason's Vision Series.

Gerber introduced the audience to a type of fatigue that is not well-known: pathological, or abnormal, fatigue. Unlike the causes of normal fatigue, such as running a marathon, the causes of abnormal fatigue are unknown and hard to identify.

This difficulty unfortunately results in mistreatment for many patients diagnosed with fatigue as a symptom or condition of rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis or chronic fatigue. Gerber pointed out that simply prescribing "rest" and anti-depressants were not viable solutions to the problem.

How, then, are we to foil fatigue so that we can have increased function in our systems?

Gerber's Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability comprises of an academic team that both researches and educates the public about the possible causes and solutions to pathological fatigue. So far, the Center focuses on the four factors they have established as directly affecting fatigue: aerobic capacity, metabolic activity, muscle strength and the perception an individual has of their fatigue level.

For example, the aerobic capacity of an individual who is diagnosed with fatigue is to be brought to a higher level without introducing stress or pain, which is a common turn-off for many patients recovering from cancer.

In their most recent study, the team found a direct correlation between the fatigue levels of breast cancer patients with more stressors, such as children and the patients' quality of life. The amount of fatigue even affected the reoccurrence of a malignant tumor in a cured cancer patient. In addition to improving the quality of their life, fatigue-reducing solutions also decrease the amount of cholesterol aggregating in cancer patients recovering from chemotherapy.

Gerber also offered the audience some tips to reduce their risk of fatigue:
1. Habitual exercise, which need not be very intensive, not only improves aerobic and metabolic capacity, but also relieves stress.
2. Reducing one's intake of carbohydrates and increasing protein consumption optimizes the body's muscle repair after a workout.

Gerber also advised the introduction of fish oil into a diet, as it is a good source of Omega-3 Fatty acids, which have a number of beneficial effects on the body, including lowering the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.