BIBLIOTHERAPY: Mitochondria and the Future of Medicine: The Key to Understanding Disease, Chronic Illness, and Life Itself by Lee Know, ND

I have been hearing more about mitochondrial dysfunction and it potentially playing a role in long-covid symptoms and cancer so I thought I should read to learn more. Lee Know’s book, Mitochondria and the Future of Medicine: The Key to Understanding Disease, Chronic Illness, and Life Itself is a comprehensive review of cellular biology and scientific evidence and yet he strives to make the complex content accessible. 

Mitochondria are the “powerhouses, or energy factories” of our cells. They act like cellular digestive systems, taking in nutrients and breaking them down into energy that can be used by the cell. The mitochondria are the only area in the cell where oxygen can be combined with food molecules to create energy. This is a complex process involving many different factors.

Lee states that there is evidence supporting that depression, aging, ADHD, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, type II diabetes, genetic disorders, and many cancers are related to mitochondrial dysfunction.

He writes a whole section on the nutrients required for mitochondrial function and how to optimize mitochondrial functioning through ketogenic and caloric restriction diets, supplementation, and moderate exercise. Good news, cocoa powder has a super high content of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) which produces more mitochondria!

This book was dense with information and if this blog is peaking your interest at all, read Lee’s book! Coriander Living Collective holds the core value of “EXPANSION to move into feeling alive, space to heal what holds us back, to adventure, to change, and to grow.” I am committed to ongoing growth and learning! Read to learn something new this month!