Episode 4: Improving Energy with Tanya Borowski
Healthily | 08/13/20
In this insightful conversation, Nicola speaks with fellow nutritional therapist Tanya Borowsky about one of the most common yet frustrating complaints in clinic: low energy and persistent fatigue.
So many people are walking around feeling like they’re running on empty — yet standard GP blood tests often come back as “normal.” If that sounds familiar, this episode offers a powerful reframe.
TAKEAWAYs
✔️ Fatigue is a Jigsaw - Not a Single Diagnosis
Tanya describes fatigue as a 200-piece jigsaw puzzle.
Objective data (blood tests) form the outer edge of the puzzle.
Subjective data (your story, stress, trauma, life events) fill in the centre.
GPs are trained to assess whether results fall within a broad reference range. But “in range” doesn’t always mean optimal. Patterns, trends and subtle imbalances can tell a much deeper story.
✔️ The Inflammation–Energy Connection
A key theme of the episode is low-grade, chronic inflammation.
We all have an “inflammation barometer.” Occasional stress is normal — but when repeated stressors (emotional trauma, infections, gut issues, blood sugar swings, hormonal changes) continually “bang the bell,” the body may struggle to return to baseline.
This matters because:
Inflammation can disrupt mitochondria (your cellular energy producers).
Mitochondria make ATP — your body’s energy “currency.”
If ATP production is compromised, fatigue follows.
Importantly, stress hormones (like cortisol) and inflammatory signalling molecules directly affect mitochondrial function.
✔️ The Gut–Energy Axis
One of the most fascinating insights is how strongly gut health influences energy.
Repeated antibiotic use, hormonal contraceptives, chronic stress and trauma can disrupt the gut microbiome. This can lead to:
Micro-inflammation
Reduced nutrient absorption
Impaired iron transport
Compromised mitochondrial function
Supporting energy often means:
Increasing plant diversity (aiming for a wide range of fibres and polyphenols)
Reintroducing carbohydrates from whole plant sources (not fearing them)
Supporting omega-3 intake for inflammation resolution
Building metabolic resilience rather than “pushing” the body
✔️ Ferritin, Iron & The “Sinking Boat”
Ferritin (iron stores) is one of the most commonly overlooked contributors to fatigue — especially in women.
You can be “within range” but still functionally low.
Tanya explains that inflammation increases a hormone called hepcidin, which can block iron transport — like “sinking the boat” that carries iron to where it’s needed. Simply supplementing iron without addressing inflammation may not solve the problem.
Low iron = reduced oxygen delivery = reduced cellular energy.
✔️ Fasting vs Dieting
The conversation also explores time-restricted eating and fasting:
Dieting = reducing calories
Fasting = giving the body a break from incoming energy
Short overnight fasts (12–13 hours) may support:
Blood sugar stability
Autophagy (cellular “clean-up”)
Mitochondrial renewal
✔️ Perimenopause & “Foundation First”
For women in their 40s and 50s, hormonal shifts can expose underlying weaknesses.
Before jumping to bioidentical hormones or thyroid medication, Tanya emphasises building the foundation:
Blood sugar regulation
Stress resilience
Gut health
Thyroid balance
Then sex hormones
If the base isn’t stable, adding hormones may worsen symptoms rather than relieve them.
✔️ The Big Message
If you’re exhausted but have been told “everything looks normal”:
Your experience is valid.
Subclinical imbalances are real.
Low energy is rarely random.
There is always a story behind fatigue.
Energy isn’t just about willpower — it’s about inflammation, gut health, iron transport, stress physiology, mitochondria, and resilience.
And when you understand the story, you can begin to change it.
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