In late May, I attended the 13th Advanced Applications for Medical Practice (AAMP)’s conference on Mitochondrial Medicine: Healing in Chronic and Post Infectious Illness. It is a 3-day conference that is packed with amazing information that I’ve been attending for the last three years.
The Cell’s Mitochondria – damage creates long-term symptoms
As some of us remember from school biology, mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell. Inside them, complex processes occur to create ATP, which is the currency of energy for the body. These processes (anyone remember the Kreb’s cycle or Electron Transport Chain?) are very delicate and highly dependent on multiple nutrients to work correctly.
There is new information that chronic inflammation as well as chronic and acute infections (including Epstein Barr virus, COVID 19, etc), and even medications and toxins can damage our mitochondria and may contribute to post-infectious illness (such as Long Covid), chronic fatigue from other diseases like cancer, Lyme, and autoimmune disease, and other dysfunctions in the body.
So, when you treat the illness or source of inflammation, but still don’t feel better, you may need to address damaged mitochondria. By giving more nutrients and also by removing obstacles to healing.
Nutrients power energy production
The main nutrients needed to power mitochondrial production of energy include carnitine, alpha lipoic acid, multiple B vitamins, CoQ10, PQQ, selenium, zinc, and multiple other antioxidants. We also use phosphatidylcholine to help replace the delicate membrane of the mitochondria as well to allow better diffusion of nutrients in and energy out from both the cells and mitochondria. Here at Boise Natural Health Clinic, for broad spectrum mitochondrial support, we like MitoNRG, MitoCore, and BioPC Pro.
Are your Mitochondria Working?
We can indirectly test the function of mitochondria with a urine test called an Organic Acid Test (OAT). The OAT test is a nice 10,000 foot view of overall health. The test can give general information about the health of the mitochondria and Kreb’s cycle, gastrointestinal infections and health, indirect neurotransmitter measurements, vitamin levels, and detox abilities. I often use this test when I’m not sure where to start with a case or am suspicious of mitochondrial dysfunction, GI dysfunction, and nutrient deficiency. Contact us if you’d like to get an Organic Acid Test by Mosaic Diagnostics and get a glimpse of your mitochondrial health!