According to a national governmental survey in 1981, fatigue was the single most common presenting complaint in medical practice. Specifically, approximately 15 million persons sought medical assistance with a primary complaint of tiredness. Causes of disease are often problems of metabolism which are expressed in different ways such as tiredness, exhaustion, fatigue. When the organism is in optimal condition, there is well-running digestion, excretion, respiration, locomotion, reproduction. All act harmoniously without pain but with pleasure, until metabolism is disturbed and there is a lack of homeostasis. This is usually the presenting finding. We have already made mention of this from Nedra Belloc’s work with the Human Population Laboratories. It is interesting to note from her work that only about 5% of the population is endowed with good energy metabolism.

There are two studies to be examined here, one dealing with presumably healthy dentists; the other with ill patients with various and diverse chronic disorders.