Episode 232 – Mitochondria

Dr. Deb 0:01Deb, hello and welcome to another episode of Let’s Talk wellness now, the podcast where we dive deep into the topics that matter most to your health, vitality and well being. I’m your host, Dr dub, naturopathic doctor, Master, herbalist, Shaman, nurse practitioner and founder of serenity Healthcare Center. Today we’re uncovering a hidden driver of chronic conditions like multiple sclerosis and chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, mitochondrial dysfunction, and how this relates and correlates to all these diseases. These tiny power plants in your cells may be small, but their impact on your energy, brain function and overall health is enormous. When they malfunction, the ripple effects can be devastating. Throughout today’s episode, you’ll learn how mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to fatigue, cognitive decline, sugar metabolism, issues, pain and inflammation. I’ll also share some actionable steps to support mitochondrial health, including natural therapies, detox strategies and a powerful case study. Before we begin, I would like to remind you to like, subscribe and share this podcast with your friends and family. Every share helps us reach more people who need this vital information. And remember, at Serenity Healthcare Center, we specialize in uncovering the root causes and offering personalized healing solutions. Now let’s jump into today’s topic. So what is the mitochondria anyway? Well, let’s start with this analogy. Think of the mitochondria as the batteries in your phone. When your battery is fully charged, your phone works seamlessly, well most of the time, right? You can stream videos, run apps and make calls without a hitch, but as the battery drains, everything slows. The apps crash, the screen dims, and eventually the phone just shuts off. Now imagine this happening in your body. That’s what mitochondrial dysfunction feels like. These little organelles generate the energy your cells need to function, but they’re not just energy producers. They also regulate inflammation, detoxification and the repair process. Now here’s the kicker, when the mitochondria are damaged by toxins, stress, or even sometimes our genetics, they become less efficient in producing energy and more likely to release harmful byproducts called reactive oxygen species, Ros for short, this creates a cycle of damage that affects every system in your body. Now, if your mitochondria are underperforming, it’s like trying to run a marathon on a single, double A battery. It’s just not going to happen. And when this damage occurs in the nervous system, the results can be catastrophic, leading to conditions like MS, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and even neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Deb 3:15So there’s this connection between mitochondria and neurological diseases, but how does this all tie together with things like MS and fibromyalgia? Well, MS is widely known as an autoimmune condition, and what’s less talked about is how the mitochondria dysfunction amplifies the damage. Now this happens in any autoimmune disease. This is why the mitochondria are so important. Regardless if you have an autoimmune thyroid condition, you have an autoimmune disease like lupus or MS or something as severe as ALS, when the mitochondria fail, they create a toxic environment in the nerve cells and these excessive ROS produced by damaged mitochondria actually attack the myelin sheath that’s the protective covering around the nerves. Think of that as an electrical wire, and the plastic that covers the live wires underneath is your myelin. Now this leads to inflammation, which not only worsens the nerve damage, but also further weakens the mitochondrial function Dr. Deb 4:27in Ms. Mitochondria aren’t just bystanders, they’re frontline soldiers caught in the crossfire. Dr. Deb 4:36What’s more, mitochondrial dysfunction also explains some of the most frustrating MS symptoms, like chronic fatigue, when the nerve cells don’t have enough energy repairing myelin or maintaining basic functions becomes nearly impossible. It’s like trying to fix a leaky roof during a power outage. You just don’t have the resources to get the job done. You. Dr. Deb 5:00Uh. Dr. Deb 5:01Now let’s talk about symptoms that many of you or loved ones might be experiencing, chronic fatigue. It’s one of those most common complaints amongst people with mitochondrial dysfunction. This isn’t just about feeling tired. It’s about feeling like your body has run out of gas, and no matter what you do, no matter how much rest you get, you just can’t simply Dr. Deb 5:28get relief to a point where you feel like you can get through the day. Some of my clients will complain that it feels like I’m walking in a pot of quicksand or concrete because I’m just dragging throughout the day. Now you can have chronic fatigue syndrome outside of having ms, outside of having infection. Dr. Deb 5:51It can just happen because of the mitochondrial damage. But when the mitochondria gets damaged, there is a root cause. Now imagine waking up every morning feeling like you’ve already run a marathon. That’s chronic fatigue. But it doesn’t stop there. Cognitive decline or brain fog is another hallmark symptom of mitochondrial damage. Neurons require an immense amount of energy to function when mitochondria can’t meet this demand, you experience memory loss, lapses, difficulty concentrating and slowed mental processing. Pain and inflammation are also linked to the mitochondrial dysfunction and damaged mitochondria release more ROS which triggers more inflammatory pathways and increases the sensitivity to pain. Don’t forget the sugar metabolism. Mitochondria are central to how your body processes glucose, and when they malfunction, you get those energy crashes and insulin resistance when which can exasperate MS symptoms, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. So what am I talking about with this glucose insulin? What is all of this? Well, your body creates insulin from its pancreas, and it does so in the body’s need to keep blood sugar or glucose in check. The more glucose or sugar we consume, the more insulin has to be produced to keep that balance. Now, as the mitochondria become more deficient, that process becomes more inefficient, and we start to create more insulin to try to control the glucose, but we do it more ineffectively. This is what we call metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance, and over time, as the pancreas becomes less efficient at creating that insulin to keep the glucose under control, we see more weight gain, we see more rise in type two diabetes, and we see more complications occur as a result of that. Now, very infrequently, do we see diabetics put on a mitochondrial protocol to help support their insulin and glucose? It’s just not common practice. It’s just not seen traditionally in medicine. In our functional or integrative medicine world, it is much more common that you will see people be put on what we call a quote, unquote Mito cocktail to support their body, support what’s happening and the stress that’s happening there. Dr. Deb 8:33So what causes the mitochondria to malfunction in the first place? It’s a perfect storm. One of the biggest factors is toxic exposure, heavy metals like mercury, pesticides, mold, toxins and particularly damaging to the mitochondria. Infections are another issue that we see with damage to the mitochondria, long term issues with Lyme disease, epstein barr, strep, as we know, panz pandas, all of these things can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction, leaving you in a position where your body’s not doing what it’s supposed to Dr. Deb 9:13think of toxins as throwing sand into the gears of your cellular engines. Over time, those gears grind to a halt. But it’s not just about external factors. Genetics also play a major role. Mutations in mitochondrial DNA or nuclear genes that regulate the mitochondria can increase your susceptibility to MS, fibromyalgia and other chronic conditions for people with these genetic vulnerabilities, even small exposures to toxins and stress can have outside effects. Dr. Deb 9:49Now let’s talk about what can we do about this? There is good news. There are steps that you can take to support your mitochondria and improve your health. Dr. Deb 10:00So at Serenity Healthcare Center, we use comprehensive approach, including dietary support. You want a really nutrient dense, anti inflammatory diet, rich in antioxidants to help protect the mitochondria from oxidative stress, foods like berries, leafy greens, healthy fats. Think keto, paleo, auto immune diet. AIP, these are the types of diets that you really want to follow to build that mitochondria and give you what you need. Think of your diet as fuel for your mitochondrial engine and give them premium, not junk. Dr. Deb 10:43There’s IV therapies that we can use, treatments like glutathione and CO Q 10, delivered intravenously, provide a direct boost to the mitochondria and repair its function. Glutathione is one of my favorite IVs to use, because it is not only an amino acid that helps build your mitochondria, but it also helps to eliminate the toxins. It can remove metals like mercury, lead, cadmium. It can get rid of other toxins like pesticides and chemicals and herbicides. It is one of the most amazing amino acids that we can give and very inexpensive. Now, co Q 10 is delivered either orally or by IV. It is imperative in a mitochondrial protocol to use CO Q 10. It is a powerhouse. Dr. Deb 11:38You can also use nutrients like magnesium and alpha lipoic acid and N acetyl cysteine or NAC, these are essential for mitochondrial health. NAC actually helps your body make its own glutathione, which is really key. And sometimes people will say, I can’t do all of these supplements. So can I pick and choose? Yes, you can, but you’...