Lack of Vitality

By vitality, we mean someone has great energy and liveliness. It includes physical and mental vigor or energy. Lack of vitality, on the other hand, refers to feeling tired and weak constantly and can be psychological, physical, or even a combination of both. It can affect people of all ages and both sexes. Most people have come across this feeling of lack of vitality at one point or the other in their lives. In homeopathy, vitality refers to the vital force. In the healthy body, the vital force does all the work to maintain itself, such as the release of energy from sugars, inhalation of oxygen and excretion of waste materials from the body and carries out activities of daily living such as walking, eating, excreting and washing. This vital force in health keeps the body free from any dependency on clinical interventions. When sick, the vital force gets deranged by various factors and thus, people are not able to carry out these activities of daily living or not to the same extent as those who are healthy. These activities, in turn, reflect the various underlying biochemical, physiological and psychological processes that are governed by the vital force. In illness, the state of equilibrium of the body is stretched too far out of the normal range that it becomes difficult for the vital force to restore its various variables. Clinical interventions such as medicines or surgery are then used to help regain the lost equilibrium. Thus lack of vitality is a symptom of some underlying derangement of health, which does not respond to mere changes in routine like taking nutritious diet, regular physical exercise, or adequate sleep.

 

SYMPTOMS OF LACK OF VITALITY

The various symptoms caused by a lack of vitality are:-

• Constant tiredness or sleepiness
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Soreness and aching of muscles
• Muscular weakness
• Reflexes and responses getting slowed down
• Impaired decision making
• Irritability and moodiness
• Impaired coordination of hand-to-eye movements.
• Loss of appetite
• Immune system function deranged and reduced
• Blurry vision
• Short- term memory problems
• Hallucinations
• Ability to concentrate on the task or situation at hand reduced
• Low motivation and indifference

CAUSES OF LACK OF VITALITY

It is believed that lack of vitality is caused by a combination of various factors such as lifestyle patterns as well as physical, social and psychological issues. Causes seen to trigger lack of vitality include:-

• Medical causes- Diseases such as thyroid disorder, diabetes mellitus, or high blood sugar levels, or even some heart disease can cause a lack of vitality.
• Lifestyle-related causes- These include:-
• Sleep habits- Lack of eight hours of sleep or those who sleep for more than 11 hours at night tend to have a lack of vitality.
• Alcohol and drugs- Excessive alcohol depresses the nervous system, thus inducing sleepiness. On the other hand, tobacco in cigarettes and caffeine in tea and coffee stimulate the nervous system leading to the difficulty of sleep. Even those exposed to passive smoke suffer from such negative effects on vitality due to tobacco exposure.
• Sleep disturbance – At times, sleep may get disturbed due to external factors such as noisy environment, snoring partner, small kids who wake at night.
• Lack of exercise and sedentary lifestyle- Physical activity improves health and fitness levels as well as reduces stress and boosts vitality in a person.
• Poor diet- A diet lower in calories than required by the body as well as a diet high on calories but low in nutritional value leads to a lack of vitality in a person.
• Miscellaneous causes- It is seen that any illness or injury to the self or someone in the family can lead to fatigue.
• Work-related causes- This includes:-
• Faulty workplace practices- Factors such as extended work hours, night shifts or hard physical labor, fixed concentration on a repeated task, or working alone without much or any interaction with others as well as stressful work environments such as too high noise levels or temperature extremes can lead to low vitality.
• Workplace stress- It can be caused by a wide range of factors such as job dissatisfaction, conflict with colleagues or boss, constant change of job, job insecurity leads to stress that eventually affects vitality adversely.
• Burnout- Some people who are workaholics spend a lot of their time or energy on the professional aspect of their life, ignoring their personal or social life. This can lead to stress and lack of vitality
• Unemployment – Unemployment leads to feelings of failure or guilt, financial strain, anxiety about future, exhaustion from job hunting, depression and ultimately lack of vitality.
• Psychological causes- Scientists have found that psychosomatic causes are found in more than 50 percent cases of lack of vitality. These factors include:-
• Depression- It is characterized by prolonged and severe feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Such people tend to suffer from chronic fatigue.
• Anxiety and stress- It is seen that those who are in a state of stress or anxiety for long tend to have high adrenaline in their blood and their body is in a constant state of overdrive. This exhausts the body leading to fatigue.
• Grief- Loss of a loved one causes a wide range of emotions and a lack of vitality such that the person loses concentration and motivation to do anything and feels fatigued.

DIAGNOSIS OF LACK OF VITALITY-

To diagnose the cause for lack of vitality following measures can be taken:-

• Medical history- In this, the physician enquires about the recent events such as childbirth, loss of loved one, medications or surgery, or any faulty lifestyle practice that may be causing the problem.
• Investigations- Physicians may advise for blood tests, urine tests, or other relevant investigations to rule out the possibility of causes such as anemia, diabetes, thyroid disorders, infection, etc.

MANAGEMENT OF LACK OF VITALITY

For most people lack of vitality can be managed well by the following steps:-

• Seek timely medical help by referring to a physician.
• Regular physical activity- It is seen that brisk walking for 3 or more hours each week decreased the risk of ill health and increasing the intensity and duration of physical activity led to a greater reduction in risk.
• Diet- A diet high in saturated fatty acids, cholesterol, sodium and sugar, increases the risk of illnesses. In contrast, a diet rich in fiber, folates, vitamin, minerals, polyunsaturated and monosaturated fats boosts vitality.
• Maintaining a healthy weight- Obesity, which can be due to a combination of genetic factors, physical inactivity, or faulty dietary pattern, affects the vitality adversely. Therefore one must keep his/her weight in check.
• Have fixed and adequate sleep hours.
• Avoid tobacco smoking and alcohol and drug intake.
• Practice meditation, yoga and other such relaxation techniques.
• Consult a psychologist for talk therapy in case stress or emotional issues are causing lack of vitality.

HOMEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT OF LACK OF VITALITY

Homeopathy can be used for effective and safe treatment of lack of vitality, whether physical, mental, or a combination of both. Best homeopathic medicine for lack of vitality is the one most similar to disease manifestation. For this, a trained homeopathic physician elicits symptoms of both mental and physical spheres in each case. Many people look to buy homeopathic medicine for lack of vitality, but it is always better to consult a physician. Thus by addressing the root cause of the problem, there is a long-lasting resolution of the problem. So one can buy homeopathic medicines for lack of vitality and avail its benefits as prescribed by the physician.

Common medicines used in homeopathy for energy and vitality are:-

Acidum Phosphoricum – It is especially indicated in young people who grow rapidly and who are overtaxed, mentally, or physically. The mental debility comes first, followed by physical debility. It corresponds to conditions arising from loss of vital fluids, excess grief and ravage of acute diseases.

Agnus Castus- It is suited for low sexual vitality due to repeated gonorrhoea or abuse of sexual powers. There is corresponding mental depression as well as impotency with no sexual desire in patients requiring this medicine.

Arsenicum Album- It is indicated whenever associated with any complaint, there is all- prevailing weakness, exhaustion from least exertion, irritable restlessness and aggravation of complaints at night.

Calcarea Phosphorica- It is especially suited in tardy dentition and troubles incident to that period, bone disease, non-union of fractured bone and the anemia after acute diseases and chronic wasting diseases. It has a special affinity where bone forms sutures or symphyses and all its symptoms are worse from any change of weather.

Kalium Phosphorica- It is especially suited for conditions arising from want of nerve power, neurasthenia, mental and physical depression. It corresponds to states of weakness and decay. It covers causes such as excitement, overwork and worry.

Natrum Muriaticum- It is suited for great debility, which is mostly felt in the morning in bed. Emaciation is mostly seen in the neck. There is a great liability to take cold with weakness and weariness. It is indicated when there are psychic causes of diseases such as ill effects of grief, fright, anger, etc.