THE FOLLOWING ARE SYMPTOMS AND CONDITIONS COMMONLY TREATED BY THE WASHINGTON ACUPUNCTURE CENTER. FATIGUE Fatigue is excessive tiredness, a feeling that any activity is a tremendous effort. This may be a symptom of heart disease or other serious medical problem and requires a thorough diagnostic evaluation. Most cases of fatigue, however, are not related to disease. Chinese theory aifributes fatigue to an imbalance of body energy which can be corrected by acupuncture treatments. A patient usually begins to feel more energetic after his first acupuncture treatment and will have a normal amount of energy and interest in work by the time he has had six treatments, unless he is suffering from a debilitating disease. Diet is an important factor in fatigue. The patient should exclude from his diet artificially colored and sweetened foods, candy, cake, pie, cola, chocolate and alcohol while increasing his intake of raw fruit and vegetables and proteins, such as eggs, milk, fish and lean meat. Hypoglycemia from a high carbohydrate, low-protein diet is a frequent component of fatigue. Vitamin deficiency is another common cause of fatigue which can be easily corrected. Emotional causes of fatigue, such as depression, may also be relieved with acupuncture. Most drugs, even antidepressants, increase fatigue and should be discontinued. next