Always Tired and Exhausted -
and Everyone Says That's Normal?
What Was Really Missing for Me.

When 'normal' is not normal at all

Quick question: when was the last time you felt genuinely fit? Not 'fine, I guess', but actually awake, sharp, full of energy. If you have to think about that, you already know the problem.

That was me for years. A leaden heaviness waiting for me every morning. Headaches several times a week. A body that never really came down. I blamed the obvious: age, stress, too much work. That is what you do. The tricky thing about that kind of drift is how slowly it happens. Piece by piece your real normal becomes a new normal. You lose the comparison. You forget what healthy feels like. And everyone around you nods along: that is just normal at your age.

I know now that was nonsense. Fatigue has causes. This story is about how I found mine, and what shifted once I finally started looking properly.

The visit that set everything in motion

In January 2024 a naturopath friend came to visit. Half private, half business. At some point he said: 'We have some great supplements for you.' My reaction was immediate: 'What nonsense, we do not need that, it does nothing anyway.' Classic sceptic. Workaholic who never listened to his body. I thought supplements were expensive urine.

My wife saw it differently. 'Stop being so stubborn. Let's just try it. I'll get it ready for you morning and evening.' I said ok without really thinking about it. I had tasted it at the appointment, it was fine. That was the extent of my deliberation. We started around January 20, 2024. I expected nothing. That is exactly what makes what came next so credible. I was not looking for an effect. It just showed up.

Dubai, the pool and the ibuprofen question

April, May 2024. Business trip to Dubai, swimming in the pool in the evening. My shoulder was nagging from a workout, so I asked for an ibuprofen. That moment made me stop. Before all this, I had been taking at least four ibuprofen a week. Probably more. Headaches, tension, just routine.

But February, March, April 2024? Not a single headache. Not one tablet. I had made no connection to the supplements at all. Pain you no longer have is not something you miss. It was like a silence I only recognized as unusual months later. On top of that, sleep had gotten better. Minerals in the evening, a drink in the morning, one sachet torn open in water. Twenty seconds. 'It does nothing' had quietly turned into 'wait, something is actually happening here.'

The allergy that simply disappeared

The real aha moment came from my son-in-law. He asked if we had cetirizine. I was about to check with my wife when it hit me: why do I not need an allergy tablet anymore? And not just me. My wife had not needed one in a long time either.

To put that in context: I have been a severe allergy sufferer since I was three years old. Nasal polyps, house dust, mites, grass pollen. My whole life. Spring meant tissues, burning eyes, a nose swollen shut. And suddenly? Gone. Or rather, so far reduced that I had stopped thinking about it. Again, the change had been there before my head caught up with it. That was how it went for me, every single time.

The taboo topic nobody talks about

Here is where it gets a little uncomfortable. The gut. My naturopath also recommended a probiotic yogurt you make yourself. Boil water in the evening, into a thermos, add one litre of UHT milk (1.5% fat), stir in the powder, leave it nine hours overnight. In the morning you have fresh drinking yogurt to mix with the drink.

The effect was clear enough that I can only describe it with a grin. It was no longer worth taking my phone to the bathroom. Way too quick. Sounds trivial, but this is a huge topic. Digestion, energy, mood - a lot of it runs through the gut. Something that had not worked properly for years suddenly worked. And again, without me forcing anything.

Not a coincidence. My whole family.

Once is coincidence. Twice is luck. What happened in my family was a pattern. My wife: no more allergies, better sleep, gut problems gone. My daughter: eczema on her neck for years, treated with cortisone cream. After the products: gone. Simply gone. No more cortisone needed.

At that point it was clear to me. This is not a coincidence. And then there was the case that convinced me completely. An acquaintance with ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Anyone who knows it, or knows someone who has it, understands how much it runs your life. Food becomes a science. A lot of things simply do not work. Kale and other brassicas, alcohol, ice cream, cola, popcorn, these are classic flare triggers. Cramping, bloody diarrhea, weeks flat in bed. That is exactly why what happened here is so powerful:

In February and March 2025 he was able to eat kale with sausage. Beer alongside. Evening at the cinema with the kids, popcorn and cola. And nothing happened. His words: 'I would have gone under otherwise.'

I am telling this anonymously and without any promise of a cure. It is his experience, not medical proof. But that sentence was a turning point for me. When someone with a diagnosis like that can suddenly take part in life again, there is more going on than wishful thinking.

Over the years I have told hundreds of people about this. Many report the same things: better sleep, more energy, no afternoon crash. Some lost four or six kilos along the way without dieting. I compare it to a really good physiotherapist who helped me in my mid-thirties. I recommended him to everyone because he was good. That is how honest this is. What works, you pass on.

Where I stand today

Two and a half years after the start, I am looking at two different people. The Maik from back then and the one today have little in common. That is not an exaggeration - that is my everyday life.

• Around 24 kg lost, without dieting, without a fight. Every kilo used to be a struggle. Now it comes off by itself.
• No more chronic headaches, from four or more ibuprofen a week to practically zero.
• Allergy gone, after more than four decades as an allergy sufferer.
• Better sleep, I wake up rested.
• More energy, no afternoon slump, a steady level all day.
• A gut that finally runs smoothly.

I went from a workaholic who never listened to his body to someone who pays close attention. If you want to see the full journey - from the low point to here - it is on my about page.

Important note: This is my personal experience report. I am not a doctor and not a naturopath. What worked for me will not necessarily work the same way for you. Please talk to your naturopath, doctor or therapist before taking any action.

This is how simple the start is

You are probably reading this because you recognize something of yourself here. Constantly tired. Sick more often than before. Maybe allergies, digestive issues, or that vague feeling that something is off. And everyone calls it normal. Maybe it is not.

The best thing about getting started: it could not be simpler. For me it was not a complicated programme - it was a 30-second routine. Tear open a sachet, into a glass of water, stir, drink. Same in the evening. No handful of tablets, no choking it down, no fuss. Fits in any suitcase, you are not dependent on a pharmacy anywhere. Especially as an entrepreneur and frequent traveller, that was decisive for me. What is complicated gets dropped. What is this easy gets done. My advice: do not wait for the perfect moment. Start with the simple part right now.

I cannot promise you anything. Every body is different, every story is different. What I can tell you: what was missing for me was where most people never look. And the path there was far simpler than I, as a sceptical workaholic, could ever have imagined.

If you want to know what this could look like for you, let's have a quick chat.