For Canadian Herb Conference: Nov. 23 @ 2:15 PST – https://herbconference.com
By Terry Willard ClH, PhD
In our first blog in this series, (https://www.drterrywillard.com/__trashed/ ) we saw that the mitochondria, the Hearth of our cells, where mitochondria Qi Translator from the Quantum realm. This Qi energy can be hampered by mitochondria dysfunction.
The Mitochondrial Theory of Ageing
This theory argues that ageing— and many of the diseases that come with it—is caused by a slow degeneration in the quality of mitochondria. This is because during normal cellular respiration (the process where the mitochondria burn up the food, we eat using the oxygen we breathe) reactive molecules called free radicals are created. These free radicals then go on to inflict damage to adjacent structures, including the DNA in both the mitochondria and nucleus, which leads to aging.
I like to think of the mitochondria as the energy workhorses that do much of the work behind the scenes. I envision them similar to the house elves like Dobby in the Harry Potter series. They accomplish most of the household magic behind the scenes so you, as a Wizard, can focus on more complex problems.
I guess they also have a similarity to the maintenance bots on Star Trek Voyager—keeping the ship functioning at high capacity so the crew can get on with their tasks. OK, I got caught up in pop culture daydreaming again.
Health Conditions Linked to Mitochondrial Dysfunction (MD)
Some recent data suggests mitochondrial disease (MD) is now seen in as many as 1 in every 2,500 people. When you consider the following conditions, it’s realistic to predict that we could see the reported incidence of mitochondrial disease (inherited or acquired) skyrocket to more than one in twenty, or even one in ten. When you look at the fact that mitochondria issues are strongly linked to the following health issues, you can see why there has been a lot of research into this area lately.
- Type 2 diabetes
- Cancers
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Bipolar disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Aging and senescence
- Anxiety disorders
- Non-alcoholic hepatitis
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass and strength)
- Exercise intolerance
- Long term COVID
- Fatigue, including chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and myofascial pain
Many consider this constellation of health issues to be the worst-treated condition in Western medicine. Once a practitioner establishes the cause of these health issues, there is a clear implication for treatment. This is called diagnosis—with the cause established, the treatment follows naturally and logically. In the treatment of chronic conditions, doctors no longer diagnose. They may be good at recognizing and giving names to clinical pictures, but this now masquerades as a diagnosis.
There is more detailed information at:
The commonest complaint I have seen in over 40 years of seeing patience is fatigue; it even has its own acronym—‘TATT’ (tired all the time)—but it is the worst-treated symptom in modern Western medicine.
It is clear what our mandate is: to help people increase energy if needed, and to live a full life. But it goes further than that: mitochondrial under-performance is ultimately behind many specific disease processes like the accumulation of unburnt fatty acids in fatty liver disease, or the clogging debris in degenerating tubules in renal disease; cancer is the entropic cellular eventuality for which we must all prepare. Depending on which organ, and which kind of tumor, cancer can be both a big bang or slow death of our existence—and both are controlled by mitochondrial energy.
Fully aware of these universal truths, researchers have long sought ways to control the spread of cancer by limiting specific mitochondrial activities. In other words, to curtail energetic and synthetic processes just enough to block exuberant replication and motility of cancer cells without wiping out our normal, less proliferative, and lethargic cells. One way to do this was recently suggested by researchers from Sichuan University in Chengdu. The results were published in Advanced Science.
Their idea was to target an elusive pore complex found in the inner mitochondrial membrane known as the MPTP, for “mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pore.” To gain control over the MPTP, the researchers turned to a magic ingredient known to affect permeability of the pore—licorice. Real licorice, as opposed to the fake-news substitutes peddled by most candy outlets, contains all the cortisol-inhibiting, potassium-wasting glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) your kidneys can handle. There still needs to be more research into the dosage and function but at least we now have a starting point to look from.
Medications Documented to Induce Mitochondrial Damage
Present-day drug therapies provide clear beneficial effects as many diseases can be driven into remission and the symptoms of others can be efficiently managed. However, the success of many drugs is limited due to both patient non-compliance and adverse off-target or toxicity-induced effects. There is emerging evidence that many of these side effects of medications are caused by drug-induced impairment of mitochondrial function and eventual mitochondrial dysfunction. In an aging population, age-associated drug toxicity is another key area of focus as most patients on medications are older. Therefore, with an aging population possessing subtle or even more dramatic individual differences in mitochondrial function, there is a growing necessity to identify and understand early on the potentially significant drug-associated off-target effects and toxicity issues. This will not only reduce the number of unwanted side effects linked to mitochondrial toxicity but also identify useful mitochondrial modulating agents. Mechanistically, many successful drug classes including diabetic treatments, antibiotics, chemotherapies, and antiviral agents have been linked to mitochondrial-targeted effects. This is a growing area of interest, with research to repurpose current medications affecting mitochondrial function being assessed in cancer, the immune system, and neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s disease.
In this blog we saw that our lifestyle and sometimes medication can disrupt mitochondria function and thus reduce our vitality. This can create aging, disease symptoms and diminish our energy.
In our next blog we will look at ways to improve mitochondria activity and help regulate the Qi in our body.