Mitochondrial Health: The Key to Total Wellness

When we think about our body, imagine it is like a house. No matter how fancy the furnishings, pretty the painted walls nor how upscale the bathrooms are, if we have a crack in our foundation, then our house will always be at risk of collapse. Similarly, ensuring our body has a healthy foundation is key to lifelong health and vitality. This is the philosophy of Foundational Medicine. 

Much of modern medicine focuses on treating the symptoms of illness or the system where dysfunction seems to be occurring. For example, if you are suffering from gastrointestinal symptoms like heartburn or if you have GERD, many doctors will prescribe prescription acid blockers to mask the symptoms. This does nothing to address the cause of the symptom. Maybe you are dealing with several conditions such as low thyroid function, as well as gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating or constipation. Then that means multiple drugs. Maybe imbalances in our microbiome are the root cause for all these issues, rather than simply an issue with your thyroid and your gut? Targeting and balancing the foundational aspects of our overall health like the gut microbiome is key to true healing. This includes a focus on mitochondrial health.

Although the health of gut microbiome, a key pillar of Foundational Medicine, is becoming more and more mainstream, mitochondrial health is now emerging as yet another crucial aspect of both health, as well a healthy aging.

Mitochondrial Function and Its Importance

Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, responsible for generating the ATP, the energy currency of the cell. This energy is critical for various cellular functions, including muscle contraction, brain activity, and heart function. Given their role, mitochondria are abundant in energy-demanding tissues like the brain, muscles, and heart. Therefore, any impairment in the function of these tiny cellular components can have an impact on the overall health of the body and it can show up in many ways.

Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Disease

When mitochondrial function is compromised, the consequences are far-reaching:

1. Neurodegenerative Diseases: Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). These conditions are characterized by the degeneration of specific neuron populations, where mitochondrial failure contributes to increased oxidative stress and cell death.