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Addressing Exhaustion: Harnessing Evolutionary Medicine to Restore Energy in Your Fatigued Female Patients

Access

12 months

Format

Online Webinar

Duration

2 hours

Presenter

Vanessa Hitch

Fatigue is the top complaint among Australian women seeking naturopathic support. These clients are predominantly from middle-aged and part of Generation X (born between 1965 – 1980).1

Gen X women are now facing an unprecedented mid-life energy crisis due to a multitude of pressures including career demands, caregiving responsibilities, societal pressure and ageing.2,3 Further, 80% of Australian Gen X women are at risk of metabolic complications, particularly abdominal obesity, largely driven by stressors and hormonal changes.4

Research suggests these health challenges stem from an evolutionary mismatch, where modern lifestyle pressures conflict with ancestral biology.5,6 Evolutionary adaptations needed for survival and reproductive fitness, may contribute to detrimental effects in later life, such as mitochondrial decline, fatigue and cognitive challenges during menopause and beyond.5-8 Evolutionary medicine offers a framework to understand these mismatches and design targeted interventions that restore resilience.

Learning Outcomes:

Understand the root causes of fatigue in Gen X women through the lens of evolutionary medicine.

1. Identify the links between persistent fatigue and mid-life physiological changes, including:
  • Mitochondrial dysfunction
  • Chronic inflammation
  • Hormonal shifts
  • Modern lifestyle stressors

2. Apply evidence-based interventions that mimic ancestral patterns to:
  • Restore metabolic balance
  • Improve mitochondrial health
  • Enhance physiological resilience

3. Personalise treatment plans that address the underlying causes of fatigue in middle-aged clients.

Join Vanessa Hitch for the webinar ‘Addressing Exhaustion: Harnessing Evolutionary Medicine to Restore Energy in Your Fatigued Female Patients’.

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Educational Activities

1

Hours

Reviewing Performance

1

Hours

Measuring Outcomes

0

Hours

MEET YOUR PRESENTER

Vanessa Hitch

BSc(CompMed), AdvDipNat, DipBotMed, DipNut 
Vanessa is a naturopath with almost 20 years of experience as a clinician, speaker, educator, and formulator in both Australia and New Zealand.Facilitating wellness seminars and teaching nutrition, Vanessa designs highly educational and motivational training modules that keep students and practitioners engaged and at the top of their game.Vanessa’s passion for supporting and empowering practitioners, combined with her dynamic speaking style, will make this an inspirational and informative event.Vanessa’s qualifications include a degree in Health Science (Complementary Medicine), an Advanced Diploma in Naturopathy, and Diplomas in Nutrition and Botanical Medicine. She is currently completing her Master’s in Human Nutrition at Deakin University.
References 
1Steel A, Schloss J, Leach M, Adams J. The naturopathic profession in Australia: A secondary analysis of the Practitioner Research and Collaboration Initiative (PRACI). Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2020;40:101220.  
2Roebuck DB, Smith DN, El Haddaoui T. Cross-generational perspectives on work-life balance and its impact on women’s opportunities for leadership in the workplace. Adv Women Leadersh J. 2013;33:52-62.  
3Chaudhary RR, Bagga R. Work life imbalance and psychosocial tribulations among working women. Int J Manag Excell. 2018;10(2):1323-33.  
4Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Overweight and obesity [Internet]. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; 2024 [cited 2024 Oct 24]. Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/overweight-obesity/overweight-and-obesity  
5van Vugt M, Colarelli SM, Li NP. Digitally Connected, Evolutionarily Wired: An Evolutionary Mismatch Perspective on Digital Work. Organizational Psychology Review. 2024 Mar 20:20413866241232138.   
6Holzscheck N, Söhle J, Kristof B, Grönniger E, Gallinat S, Wenck H, et al. Multi-omics network analysis reveals distinct stages in the human aging progression in epidermal tissue. Aging (Albany NY). 2020;12(12):12393-409.  
7Amorim JA, Coppotelli G, Rolo AP, Palmeira CM, Ross JM, Sinclair DA. Mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction in ageing and age-related diseases. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2022 Apr;18(4):243-58.  
8Mucinski JM, Distefano G, Dubé J, Toledo FG, Coen PM, Goodpaster BH, DeLany JP. Insulin sensitivity and skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration in Black and White women with obesity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Aug 29;dgae600.