We all know we have to pace ourselves and conserve our energy.  But have you ever noticed that sometimes you know you are over doing it but just can’t stop.  You may have taken extra carnitine before a big night out (nowhere near as big as they used to be!!)  You may have sat down most of the time.  You may have resisted running the whole show and even accepted a little help with the fetching and carrying.  But in the end you are quite pleased with yourself that you managed to get through the event without dropping (figuratively or literally). I had those very thoughts last week after my friend’s birthday party.

In the back of my mind I knew that the next day I would pay the price.  Surprisingly I felt OK the next day and I thought I’d dodged a bullet only to find I was actually paying for it the next week.  I felt more tired than usual - irritable, clumsy, stumbled, got the shakes, couldn’t think straight, etc.

Is this is a form of the US Post Polio doctor, Dr Bruno’s “Holiday Syndrome”? - where polio survivors complain that their muscles become significantly weaker in December, after they have done too much Christmas shopping, but have strength return in January after they rest.  He warns that  something dangerous is happening to cause the transient weakness of "Holiday Syndrome." After polio we were left with less than half of our motor neurons--neurons that not only are over-sprouted, but also have cell bodies that are smaller than normal, that have damaged protein-making "factories," and that have been severely overworked for the past 50 years. When we experience transient weakness we may have overloaded our neurons' protein-making factories and drained their reserves. After we rest, the neurons' protein supply increases and we are able to use our muscles again. But every time we drain our motor neurons, we may be doing damage that eventually causes permanent weakness as the drained neurons die.

Prevent transient weakness - and permanent weakness - by resting before your muscles become weak, let alone become completely lame.

So do take your carnitine, magnesium and other essential nutrients to avoid getting into these situations that cause permanent damage. If the body has all the raw ingredients it needs for normal physiological function we can use nerves and muscles to a greater degree without causing damage.  But we still have to work within our limitations though and not overdo energy expenditure. So start saying NO to events that will tire you too much. Of course you must still go to your daughter’s wedding, grandchild’s christening, etc but try to think of ways to minimise the effort it takes and plan for a recovery period.      Debbie.