Mom is always with us.
As we conclude our mitochondria story, we are reminded of just how important our “powerhouses” are to our health. It turns out, when our mitochondria suffers, our health suffers. What’s at stake if our mitochondria power down? Chronic illness and disease rise exponentially across the globe. This is exactly what is happening. Over 100 million people are living with chronic illness, and worse yet, passing down this mitochondrial legacy to our children who are getting sicker at younger and younger ages.
What have we learned and what can we do?
Let’s take a Squint.
Our Mitochondrial Legacy: Out of Power?
Humans are now suffering unprecedented levels of disease. 74% of Americans are overweight or obese. One in two Americans are expected to have cancer in their lifetime now. One in two. Alzheimer’s and dementia are going through the roof. Epigenetic disease is occurring in younger and younger people. Young adult cancers have gone up 79% in the last ten years. Leukemia and Type 1 diabetes are surfacing at younger and younger ages. Young adult dementia is even on the rise.
As we explored in earlier posts, the source of the exponential growth of disease is coming from somewhere. Something pretty terrible is “running in the family” as we are getting sick at an unprecedented rate. With two genomes to blame, which one is it? If our nuclear genome hasn’t changed much, it seems like all fingers point to our mitochondrial genome. In fact, “the other genome” may be the biggest driver of our longevity and our susceptibility to disease.
Our Mitochondria Are Taking Notice
We know our mitochondria serve as our sensors to our environment. Our mitochondria hold the antenna for our cells, to serve as our sixth sense, to pick up whatever our environment is putting down. If modern disease is any indication, our mitochondria do not like what they’re sensing. Mitochondria are desperately trying to adapt, but these changes are stacking up, and disease seems to be winning out. Mom’s weakened energy blueprint is being genetically coded and passed down to the next generation. Our children are inheriting powerhouses that are browned out, with no power to get started well, and that means children succumb to sickness and disease earlier and earlier.
Our modern environmental experiences – iPhones, iPads, blue-lit screens everywhere, Wifi, 5G, indoor lighting, toxic food, glyphosate, fluoride, noise pollution – are sapping the energy of our mitochondria and wearing them down. Meanwhile, we are aggressively medicating ourselves to mitigate the pain and inflammation that our mitochondria are fighting. We are becoming further disconnected from the very connections of nature that are designed to power our mitochondria and prevent disease.
The Path Forward
We seem to be trying anything and everything to help us feel better. We are really doing our best. It’s nearly impossible to go through a day without someone talking about their latest attempted “health solution”. We are buried in solutions. None of them are working. Whether it’s carnivore, paleo or gluten-free, cleanses or juice fasts, it is difficult to find any direction in health that has lasting impact and long-term results. We work really hard at “getting well” but can’t seem to break from our modern world, our addiction to technology, our indoor lifestyle, and our total disconnection from nature and the outside world.
The hardest part? The solution is so simple. It’s hard to believe that it might work. It doesn’t seem possible that getting back to our ancient patterns, our circadian rhythm, could be the modern solution for what ails us. We all know we’ve dramatically changed our environment and lifestyle from our ancestors. We know we need to get back to the basics. But, let’s face it. We have indoor jobs and can’t hunt and gather naked all day (that might be fun and necessary if you are really sick though). Research is telling us that to prevent or reverse epigenetic diseases, we need to return to our natural environment. We need to connect with nature. We need bright light during the day and darkness at night.
We need our circadian rhythm back.
It’s the only way to save our mitochondria.
Turning the Power Back On
The good news? We can turn the power back on with very simple solutions. In fact, our clean up solution is programmed genetically (autophagy and apoptosis, our cell repair and maintenance program). The deployment of our repair program requires daily sunlight and limiting many of the screens and technology we have come to love.
We hope you will start with a Squint and join us in firing up your mitochondria for better health. Even making small changes in your daily light routine can help you turn your power back on. Your mitochondria are desperately waiting for a signal of sunlight during the day and darkness at night. Our goal is to encourage scientific health practices that nourish your mitochondria and allow you to enjoy your days without brain fog, bloating, hormone imbalances, sleep issues, depression and anxiety. Your body knows how to heal if you give it the right signals.
Thank you for taking a Squint with us! Don’t forget to print out our checklist to stay on top of your light routine!