The Chronic Fatigue and Burnout Recovery Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Sometimes in our Chronic Fatigue Journey we can be in a low place and it can be helpful to have some words of support and encouragement or even gentle insights which can help us reflect on why we might be feeling stuck.

That is what this episode is for...

There are times in your healing journey when you need to take action and times in your healing journey where you need to allow, give space and integrate. Spending too much time in one versus the other is not a recipe for success. 

Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/

The use of heat and cold can be supportive for health, but where do they factor in when it comes to fatigue recovery? How do we know when we are ready to add heat or cold stress to our healing routines? How can we do this safely to avoid energy crashes or post-exertional malaise?

All these questions and more are answered in the latest episode of the Chronic Fatigue and Burnout Recovery Podcast. 

Hot and cold are two of several stressors known as "hormetic stressors". Hormetic stressors are stressors that, when applied in the appropriate dosage, can cause a positive adaptation in the body. Using heat and/or cold in the right dosage, can therefore, create positive changes that may be supportive for fatigue recovery. However, when applied in dosages that are not appropriate for the individual, there can be a negative adaptation, often experienced as an energy crash or symptom flare.

Therefore, knowing how and when the apply heat and cold stress appropriately, is what we cover in this episode. Unfortunately, there are no set protocols for heat and cold stress, so this episode will teach you how to work with your body to create a protocol for yourself!

Additional Resources:

Deliberate Heat Exposure Protocols From Huberman Lab

Use of Cold Exposure in Health and Performance

How To Create Stability in Chronic Fatigue

Chronic Fatigue Recovery Stories can help us borrow hope and inspiration when we find it lacking in ourselves. This is why, after her own journey with ME/CFS, Raelan Agle created a YouTube Channel to show case the recovery stories of others and to inspire the belief that recovery is possible!

In this episode of the Chronic Fatigue and Burnout Recovery Podcast, Anna interviews Raelan about her own journey with CFS/ME and the lessons she learned along the way, in her words: Growth Bootcamp!

Raelan Agle lived with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) for ten years before finally fully recovering. After countless fruitless doctor’s visits and tens of thousands of dollars spent without providing much relief from her illness, she eventually realised that she would have to look within herself and listen to her body to find her path back to health. And thankfully she did finally fully recover!

Since her recovery Raelan has become passionate about supporting others on their wellness journey. She is the author of Finding Freedom: Escaping from the Prison of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, has a popular YouTube channel sharing the recovery stories of others along with resources for health and healing, and online courses to support people on their health and happiness journey.

Useful links:

Raelan’s Website: https://raelanagle.com/

Raelan’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/raelanagle

Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/

Apply for 1-1 Support: https://annamarsh.co.uk/1-1/

It is normal to experience ups and downs in your chronic fatigue recovery journey, but what do you do when you feel stuck, hit a plateau or lacking in progress. That is exactly what Anna covers in this episode. She discusses eight things you can reflect on and consider that may help you gain more traction and move the needle forward. 

Useful links:

Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/

Apply for 1-1 Support: https://annamarsh.co.uk/1-1/

This is a guest expert interview with Zoe McKenzie where we discuss her book which has recently been published. Although the book title suggests it is for Autoimmunity, the pages are filled with wisdom on how to exercise if you have chronic illness, fatigue conditions included. We have a wonderful conversation where we discuss the work that I did with Zoe as her 1-1 client, belief systems about exercise, exercising with fatigue, exercising with pain, finding your baseline, adjusting your baseline when life happens and everything in between (plus plenty of analogies!).

Zoe McKenzie is a Physiotherapist, Exercise Coach and Clinical Pilates Instructor who created, Actively Autoimmune, an online exercise platform for those with chronic conditions. After experiencing health issues herself from a young age, Zoe has specialised in supporting clients around the world to find a way to move their body that works with them. She works with clients 1:1 as well as with an on-demand virtual Pilates studio. She has also recently published her book ‘Exercise Well with Autoimmunity’. 

Useful links:

Website: https://www.activelyautoimmune.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/activelyautoimmuneBuy the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Exercise-Well-Autoimmunity-Zoe-McKenzie/dp/139970852X/

Previous episodes on exercise:

Episode 27 - Building Exercise Tolerance and Capacity with Chronic Fatigue

Episode 26 - How to Exercise with Chronic Fatigue

Often in our practice we see autoimmunity come hand in hand with chronic fatigue. Not every case is an autoimmune case, but for those who do have autoimmunity, we want to consider how a dysregulated immune system is contributing to the picture of fatigue and how we can manage it.

In this episode Anna gives a high level view of the autoimmune management strategy that she uses in her practice which includes both simple and more complex strategies to support outcomes and improve quality of life. 

Useful links:

Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/

Apply for 1-1 Support: https://annamarsh.co.uk/1-1/

Additional Resources:

Many women experience crashes, flares and setbacks around their menstrual cycle. The natural fluctuation in hormone levels can be destabilising to sensitive and unstable symptoms. Although we want to keep the whole picture of imbalance in mind, there are some tricks we can use to support the body around this unstable time. In this episode Anna covers her 3 top considerations for reducing symptoms, crashes and flares around menstruation

Useful links:

Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/

Apply for 1-1 Support: https://annamarsh.co.uk/1-1/

Episode 35: https://annamarsh.co.uk/podcast/episode-35-how-to-have-better-periods-with-cfs-me-part-1-what-does-a-healthy-cycle-look-like/

Episode 36: https://annamarsh.co.uk/podcast/episode-36-how-to-have-better-periods-with-cfs-me-part-2-testing-your-hormones/

Episode 37: https://annamarsh.co.uk/podcast/episode-37-how-to-have-better-periods-with-cfs-me-part-3-supporting-your-hormones-naturally/

This week's episode is a guest interview with Harry Leeming the founder of the Visible app, an activity tracking tool to help people with chronic illness use data to empower their recovery and pace better. Harry was a young, healthy active individual who caught a “virus” and has never been the same since. He has turned his pain into purpose, using his background in engineering to build out an activity tracking app that is more appropriate for people with chronic illness than some of the traditional fitness trackers. He is doing incredible work in the world to progress the research in this area and you can get involved by downloading and using the app. But first, listen to the episode!

Useful links:

Get Visible: https://www.makevisible.com/

What is Heart Rate Variability (HRV)? How is it measured? Is it useful for Chronic Fatigue and can you improve it? These are all the questions that Anna answers in this week's episode where she shares her personal experience and clients’ experience with different devices and interventions. 

Useful links:

Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/

Apply for 1-1 Support: https://annamarsh.co.uk/1-1/

If you have been experiencing a chronic illness, energy crashes and flares are familiar territory. What can make these events so distressing, especially early on in your journey, is not understanding what is happening and why. In this episode Anna explains the biochemistry of what is happening in an energy crash. She shares almost everything you need to know for fatigue recovery in a nutshell including the most important things to consider to make sure your energy crashes are few and far between. 

Useful links:

Website: http://annamarsh.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_marsh_nutrition/

Apply for 1-1 Support: https://annamarsh.co.uk/1-1/