Our Mitochondria Acts As A Collective

We are so good at reducing things down we often fail at putting that information back into the bigger context. Dissecting the body to pieces of a machine has brought tremendous knowledge, but without putting that knowledge back into the bigger picture we fall dangerously out of context.

Our mitochondria act as a collective, passing genetic information and electrons
between mitochondrion. Rather than the solidarity batteries of the body,
mitochondria form a vast social network. It is more like a web or a membrane of collective support than a collection of powerhouses.

We can say the same about our world, our society, our families, and our collective. It is not about the parts as much as the whole. And the whole sustains itself through cooperation, not competition.

We get caught in fear of the other without seeing we are the other. More than ever we must pull together as a collective, a supportive, cooperative collective from the mushrooms in the forest to the people in the city to microbes in the air, navigating this journey together.

Mitochondria and Autoimmunity 

Which cell is the mitochondrion? The red part of the picture is a mitochondrion stretching out, sharing information and electrons. Mitochondria can even leave the cell to donate electrons to other energy deficient cells throughout the body.

This is a mitochondrion in a state of safety. Working as a community within a larger collective for the good of the whole. This is how our body works. This is how nature works- cooperation, not competition.

This is what we see with autoimmunity as well. The body isn't attacking itself.
It is responding to signals of safety or danger and these days it is too often danger signals. Industrial pollution, chronic stress, and our modern life damage our biology in such a pervasive way, it sends a danger signal that ripples through every organ system.

Remember our Treg cells are the superheroes of the immune system that put the brakes on inflammation and autoimmune reactions. Damage to the mitochondria induces cell death in the Treg cells, ramping up the signals of danger. This has been associated with many autoimmune diseases. Researcher Douglas Wallace has found an association between a decrease in mitochondrial function and many chronic diseases, including autoimmunity. 

Tending to our mitochondrial health can be as easy as 

Earthing

Infrared light exposure 

Circadian rhythm alignment

Exercise

A diet rich in polyphenols and quality fats like DHA.

So often in science, we reduce things down without seeing the bigger context.

There is an energetic coherence that connects it all, the longer we deny this,
the sicker our terrain becomes. Our internal terrain as well as the terrain of the world around us.

We forget how intimately it's connected, relying on the messages of the whole.
It's time we listen to these signals and tend to it all.