Cellular Health

The smallest unit of life is the cell. Our organs and tissues are communities of cells working together for a desired function. In order for the organ to function optimally, the individual cells must be able to communicate. Subtle, pre-clinical reduction in function are seen when then these systems start of get dysfunctional.

Cells have multiple ways of communicating:

  1. Direct contact through the cellular-matrix

  2. Releasing hormones or chemicals nearby and to the rest of the body through the blood

  3. Through the nervous system to precise areas of the body

When cell communication is dysfunctional we can not have optimal functioning at the organ level. So what interferes with cell communication? Many things:

  1. Dehydration - all chemical reactions require water.

  2. Mineral deficiencies - magnesium is needed inside the cell for over 600 chemical reactions. Potassium and sodium are required to generate an electrical message in a nerve cell.

  3. Vitamin and Nutrients - cellular matrix is stabilized by certain nutrients and some nutrients like calcium are used to coordinate complex muscle movements in the heart.

  4. Sluggish lymphatic drainage - wastes from cells are secreted into the space between the cells and when these accumulate this may interfere with important messages.

  5. To much noise - in some cases the body may be over producing a hormone because the cell has become insensitive it it. The body compensates by producing more which makes it difficult for the cell to hear the message. Kind of like when you turn up the volume to high, eventually you can not hear the message. The classic example of this is type 2 diabetes.

So how do we improve cellular communication?

  1. Support detoxification processes in the body

  2. Engage the lymphatics to move debris out of the cellular matrix. Low dose herbs, nutrients, exercise and body work can also help move the lymphatics

  3. Reduce the root cause of the noise - like reducing sugar in type 2 diabetes

  4. Fasting will remove old and dying in a process called autophagy. This encourages new more efficient cells then replace them.

  5. Hydrate well and correct mineral and vitamin deficiencies - all are needed to make the communication signals and energy to fuel the body.

  6. Stimulate genetic potential with phyto-nutrients like berberine that turn on the regenerative AMPK signaling pathways (more on this later).

Restoring cellular communication is an essential step that is often over looked when doctors and patients are quickly rushing to symptomatic relief but when done correctly it can really help to stimulate long lasting deep healing and sustained recovery.

nathan jeffery