As we enter a new year, many people are setting goals for better health. In the flood of advice, supplements, and strategies, it’s easy to get lost in the noise and lose the signal.

Despite the flurry of diagnostic labels, most modern chronic illnesses — including those involving fatigue, brain fog, metabolic dysfunction, immune imbalance, and accelerated aging — share a common root cause: impaired mitochondrial function.

If you understand how mitochondria work — and what they respond to — you begin to understand how health is created, sustained, or lost.

Our symbiotic life partners:

Nearly every cell in the human body (with the exception of mature red blood cells) contains hundreds to thousands of mitochondria — the organelles responsible for producing cellular energy.

Mitochondria are believed to have evolved from free-living bacteria that were engulfed by early eukaryotic cells. Rather than being destroyed, they formed a symbiotic relationship that made complex multicellular life possible.

Importantly, mitochondria retain their own DNA (mtDNA), separate from nuclear DNA. This means that health cannot be understood solely through the lens of human nuclear genetics. It must also be understood through the health and function of the mitochondria themselves.

How mitochondria make energy:

At their core, mitochondria are electrical machines. They generate energy through oxidative phosphorylation. Negatively charged electrons move through the Electron Transport Chain (ETC), a series of protein complexes embedded in the inner mitochondrial membrane.

As electrons flow through the ETC, protons are pumped across the membrane, creating an electrical gradient. This gradient drives protons back through ATP synthase — a microscopic spinning nanomotor that produces adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the cell’s usable energy currency.

Life, at its foundation, is powered by charge separation and electron flow.

Mitochondria as electromagnetic sensors:

Electron flow through the ETC generates not only chemical energy, but also an electric current and a corresponding magnetic field. This matters because oxygen is paramagnetic — it is attracted to magnetic fields.

Mitochondria produce carbon dioxide, which helps release oxygen from hemoglobin in red blood cells. Their electromagnetic properties then help draw oxygen toward Complex IV of the Electron Transport Chain, where it serves as the terminal electron acceptor.

This process converts oxygen into metabolic water — an essential and often overlooked output of mitochondrial function.

Mitochondrial water production:

At Complex IV, mitochondria combine electrons, protons, and oxygen to produce deuterium-depleted metabolic water. For decades, this water was treated as a byproduct of ATP production. Increasingly, it is understood as a central feature of cellular energy.

When metabolic water contacts hydrophilic surfaces inside the cell, it can organize into Exclusion Zone (EZ) water — a structured, charge-separated phase of water. This separation stores potential energy, supports intracellular flow, and enhances detoxification processes.

EZ water also acts as a reservoir for electrons. Through the body’s continuous fascial network, these electrons can help buffer oxidative stress system-wide. In practical terms, the more structured water mitochondria produce, the greater the system’s redox capacity — and resilience.

Mitochondria as hormone generators:

Mitochondria do not only produce energy. They also initiate hormone synthesis.

Inside the inner mitochondrial membrane, cholesterol is converted into pregnenolone — the precursor to all steroid hormones, including cortisol, DHEA, progesterone, testosterone, and estrogen. This means hormone production begins inside mitochondria.

Low energy, poor stress tolerance, mood changes, and hormonal imbalances are often not isolated endocrine problems. They are frequently upstream mitochondrial issues, commonly compounded by circadian disruption — a signal mitochondria are exquisitely sensitive to.

Reactive oxygen species and biophoton emissions:

A small percentage of electrons naturally leak from the Electron Transport Chain and interact with oxygen, forming reactive oxygen species (ROS).

ROS are often framed solely as damaging agents. In reality, they play essential roles as signaling molecules — informing cells when to adapt, repair, or self-eliminate. Healthy physiology depends on appropriate ROS production and regulation, not their complete elimination.

These reactions also produce ultra-weak light emissions, referred to as biophotons, which appear to participate in cellular communication and signaling. The field of quantum biology is currently seeking to understand how biophotons may be transmitting both energy and information for system regulation.

What this means is not the absence of oxidative processes or inflammation. It is the ability to achieve balanced regulation.

Heat generation and cold resilience:

Mitochondria are also responsible for non-shivering thermogenesis — the production of heat.

When exposed to cold, uncoupling proteins in brown fat shift mitochondria away from ATP production toward heat generation, releasing energy as infrared radiation. Cold exposure increases glucose uptake and fat oxidation, while stimulating mitochondrial biogenesis, enhancing metabolic efficiency and environmental resilience.

This pathway — once a routine part of human life and seasonal patterns— is now rarely engaged in modern climate controlled environments and as evidenced by adults' low concentration of mitochondria-packed brown adipose tissue.

When mitochondrial dysfunction becomes disease:

When a critical proportion of a cell’s mitochondria become dysfunctional, that cell can no longer perform its role effectively.

When this occurs across enough cells within a tissue, tissue-level dysfunction emerges — and disease becomes visible.

This helps explain why seemingly unrelated chronic conditions often share a common biological foundation, involving energy loss at the mitochondrial level.

Mitochondria respond to environmental inputs:

Mitochondria are not just passive power plants. They are environmental sensors that direct energy and information flow.

Light exposure, circadian timing, temperature, movement, and contact with the natural world all influence mitochondrial behavior. Conversely, circadian disruption, artificial lighting, and chronic environmental stressors can impair mitochondrial efficiency over time.

The good news is that by focusing on mitochondrial health, it becomes possible to address root causes rather than endlessly chasing symptoms. When mitochondrial function improves, many downstream processes — energy regulation, hormone balance, mood, and resilience — often follow naturally.

References for further exploration

1. Lane, N. The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life. Norton, 2015.

2. Wallace, D.C. “Mitochondria and cancer.” Nature Reviews Cancer, 2012.

3. Mitchell, P. “Coupling of phosphorylation to electron and hydrogen transfer.” Nature, 1961.

4. Nicholls, D.G., & Ferguson, S.J. Bioenergetics 4. Academic Press, 2013.

5. Al-Khalili, J., & McFadden, J. Life on the Edge. Crown, 2014.

6. Weibel, E.R. The Pathway for Oxygen. Harvard University Press, 1984.

7. Pollack, G.H. The Fourth Phase of Water. Ebner & Sons, 2013.

8. Sommer, A.P., & Zhu, D. “Water structure and bioenergetics.” Photochemistry and Photobiology, 2016.

9. Miller, W.L. “Steroid hormone synthesis in mitochondria.” Endocrine Reviews, 2017.

10. Stocco, D.M. “StAR protein and the regulation of steroid hormone biosynthesis.” Endocrine Reviews, 2001.

11. Sena, L.A., & Chandel, N.S. “Physiological roles of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species.” Molecular Cell, 2012.

12. Cannon, B., & Nedergaard, J. “Brown adipose tissue.” Physiological Reviews, 2004.

13. Nunnari, J., & Suomalainen, A. “Mitochondria: In sickness and in health.” Cell, 2012.

14. Panda, S. The Circadian Code. Rodale, 2018.

Interested in supporting mitochondrial health through thoughtful lifestyle and environmental design? I offer consultations and coaching for those looking to apply these principles in a practical, grounded way. You can learn more at www.regenerint.com.

Six Quantum Biology Principles to Follow in 2026:

As we enter a new year, it’s worth revisiting a set of biological fundamentals that govern human health.

1. See the sunrise consistently

Morning sunlight sets the brain’s master clock (the suprachiasmatic nucleus) and synchronizes timing across every cell. This coherence supports metabolism, hormone signaling, mitochondrial energy production, and neural integrity. Without it, biology runs out of phase.

2. Rebalance indoor lighting

Modern indoor environments are dominated by blue-heavy LEDs and lack the abundance of red and infrared wavelengths found in natural sunlight. Reintroducing broad-spectrum light using incandescent bulbs helps restore missing signals that support mitochondrial function and ATP production.

3. Get healthy, sequential UV exposure

UVA and UVB play essential roles in neurotransmitter production, immune function, and vascular regulation. UV exposure also stimulates melanin production, which serves protective and detoxifying roles—binding heavy metals in the bloodstream and sequestering them in the skin for removal. Under UV light, melanin can dissociate water, generating a direct-current electrical flow and molecular hydrogen, a selective antioxidant that can cross the blood-brain barrier. What matters most is gradual, sequential exposure that trains the system rather than overwhelms it.

4. Block artificial blue light at night

Blue light exposure after sunset suppresses melatonin and elevates cortisol at a time when the body should be shifting into repair mode. Protecting both the eyes and the skin—where melanopsin is also expressed—and maintaining darkness at night are foundational for cellular cleanup and regeneration through melatonin-regulated autophagy and apoptosis.

5. Reduce excess non-native EMF exposure

Human exposure to non-native electromagnetic radiation has increased by a factor of one quintillion (that's a billion times a billion) in the last century. Reducing exposure—through distance, downtime, and duration—protects the mitochondria, cellular charge, and redox potential.

6. Eat seasonally and locally

Food carries environmental signals that help the body determine whether to prioritize growth (mTOR) or repair (AMPK). Eating high-UV foods—especially sugars and carbohydrates—during low-UV seasons creates a mismatch with local light cues and increases deuterium burden, which can impair mitochondrial energy production. Aligning diet with season and latitude supports metabolic flexibility and mitochondrial efficiency.

These simple, actionable inputs are what human biology requires to function optimally and activate the body’s innate healing intelligence.

If you’re interested in deeper educational resources or individualized guidance, learn more at www.regenerint.com.

Life is a solar energy–dissipating structure. High-energy photons enter the system and are absorbed, emitted, reabsorbed, and re-emitted in a cascading process that ultimately releases lower-energy photons. This photonic cascade continuously excites electrons, activating molecules and atoms and enabling the downstream biochemical reactions that sustain life.

Life on Earth is tuned to the electromagnetic spectrum of our Sun—from low-energy infrared to visible light to high-energy ultraviolet.

When we deprive ourselves of the full spectrum, we deprive our biology of the inputs it evolved under, is adapted to, and depends upon for health, vitality, and coherent function.

We are now facing a chronic disease epidemic of massive proportions. One of the greatest variables—and deepest root causes—is a widespread ultraviolet and infrared deficiency coupled with artificial blue-light toxicity, created by modern environments and lifestyles that disconnect us from the laws of nature—and from ourselves.

It’s time to return to the light, reconnect with the source of life on Earth, and create environments that restore biological coherence rather than erode it.

We are dealing with widespread ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) deficiency syndromes, alongside visible blue light toxicity.

From a first principles, root cause standpoint, addressing this (and offering stronger public education) would improve our health, wellness, and productivity while alleviating countless downstream problems across every sector of society.

By focusing on economic energy efficiency and removing infrared from our light sources while isolating the visible spectrum, we have created a biological energy deficiency.

Infrared energy from incandescent light bulbs is not wasted heat — it is a critical driver of mitochondrial energy production, Exclusion Zone water expansion, and DNA repair.

The push to ban incandescent lighting in favor of infrared-lacking and blue-enriched LEDs will only further drive and fuel America’s chronic illness epidemic.

Bitcoin ≠ Crypto

PoW ≠ PoS

If you don’t understand this — and the fundamental differences between the consensus algorithms — you don’t yet understand what’s truly revolutionary and paradigm-shifting versus what’s simply a digital replica of the existing, centrally manipulated, forever-inflationary fiat monetary system.

Proof-of-Work (PoW) anchors digital value to thermodynamic reality — requiring energy, and in doing so, establishes a bridge between the digital and physical realms.

Proof-of-Stake (PoS) anchors it to human abstraction — where the more stake one holds, the greater degree of control they have over the network.

One is grounded in physics; the other in thought alone.

One is truly decentralized and resilient; the other ultimately corruptible by those who gain access to the greatest stake.

One is inherently apolitical and egalitarian; the other inherently political and plutocratic.

Can both offer value and new possibilities as emerging and disruptive technologies? Certainly.

But only one represents a true paradigm shift. Only one takes a first-principles approach to addressing the root causes of our sick money.

“Privacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age. Privacy is not secrecy. A private matter is something one doesn’t want the whole world to know, but a secret matter is something one doesn’t want anybody to know. Privacy is the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world.”

- Eric Hughes, “A Cypherpunk’s Manifesto”

Money is monetary energy.

Monetary energy is the representative value of your time.

And your time is the only real asset you have—truly scarce and non-renewable.

When you trade your time for money, you’re converting your life into monetary energy.

But that energy needs a place to be stored.

Think of it like water.

You need a container.

Storing your monetary energy in fiat currency is like pouring it into a bucket with holes.

The holes are inflation—leaks that constantly drain your energy, demanding more of your time to refill what’s lost.

Under the fiat system, you will never be free.

That’s not a flaw—it’s by design.

A system of monetary slavery that traps you in a cycle of always filling a leaking bucket—benefiting only those closest to the money printer.

Now imagine you get a new bucket.

One with no holes.

A Bitcoin container.

A secure vessel to store your life’s value across time—protected from debasement by a strict supply cap that can never be inflated away.

Now, when you fill this bucket, the value remains.

You no longer have to keep fetching more water.

You’ve secured the only asset that truly matters.

You get your time back.

And with it, your freedom.

Absolutely agreed!

Welcome! Been learning a lot from you lately ☀️

Separating church and state protects religious freedom.

Separating money and state protects monetary freedom.

Doing both positions government as a service provider for society rather than a controller of it.

Humans produce 4.5 trillion pounds of trash each year. Our landfills release #methane, a greenhouse gas that traps 80 times as much heat in the atmosphere as CO2.

How can #Bitcoin mining help address this problem?

Bitcoin mining operations can use gas-to-energy systems to capture methane and transform it into electricity, reducing harmful emissions and repurposing waste.

How it works: Gas wells are drilled into landfills to capture methane. Once captured, the methane is converted into electricity through combustion. This newly generated electricity then powers the Bitcoin mining equipment.

By adopting #BitcoinMining at landfills, we can tackle a significant methane waste problem, cleaning the environment while powering a global monetary network. It's a win-win scenario.

America's founding values include individual liberty, limited government, rule of law, equality, and democracy. #Bitcoin, unlike fiat, represents and upholds these values in money. Here's how:

1/ Individual liberty: Bitcoin enables financial freedom by allowing individuals to transact directly with one another, without the need for intermediaries or centralized authorities. The peer-to-peer nature of Bitcoin promotes personal autonomy and self-sovereignty.

2/ Limited government: Bitcoin's decentralized network eliminates the need for centralized control. It puts financial power back into the hands of individuals, reducing the government's ability to manipulate the money supply.

3/ Rule of law: Bitcoin is governed by a transparent and immutable set of rules encoded in its protocol. These rules, like the 21-million coin cap and the halving of block rewards, apply equally to all participants, ensuring fairness and predictability.

4/ Equality: Bitcoin is an open and permissionless system, meaning anyone can participate in the global monetary network regardless of their social status, race, gender, or nationality. This fosters financial inclusion and equal opportunity.

5/ Democracy: Bitcoin's Proof-of-Work consensus mechanism ensures that power is distributed among the participants (miners) proportionally to their contributed resources. This decentralization prevents the concentration of power and creates a more democratic financial system.

The #Bitcoin Network offers numerous features that contrast with the risks posed by Central Bank Digital Currencies (#CBDCs).

Here are six Bitcoin features that make it a more democratic and secure alternative to centralized systems:

1. Decentralization: Bitcoin  operates on a decentralized network, preventing power concentration and promoting a democratic financial system. In contrast, CBDCs are susceptible to centralized control by governments or central banks.

2. Censorship Resistance: Bitcoin’s secure, immutable transactions make it tough for authorities to censor or confiscate funds. This empowers individuals, contrasting with CBDCs, which may allow governments to exert control and potentially undermine financial freedom.

3. Privacy: Bitcoin offers pseudonymous transactions, enabling a degree of privacy, while CBDCs may enable extensive monitoring and surveillance by governments and financial institutions.

4. Limited Supply: With a fixed supply of 21 million coins, Bitcoin is resistant to inflationary pressures. CBDCs can be created at the discretion of central banks, potentially leading to inflation and economic instability.

5. Borderless & Permissionless: Bitcoin operates on a global, borderless network, enabling financial inclusion and facilitating cross-border transactions without intermediaries or high fees, a contrast to the centralized nature of CBDCs.

6. Security: Bitcoin’s decentralized nature and reliance on cryptography make it highly secure against cyberattacks and fraud, while the single points of failure in centralized systems like CBDCs can make them more vulnerable.

The White House has stated that a U.S. #CBDC - a digital form of the U.S. dollar - "would have the potential to offer significant benefits."

But CBDCs also present serious systemic threats to civilization.

Here are six risks of CBDCs to consider.

Risk 1: Centralization of power. CBDCs controlled by central banks lead to an even greater concentration of power in the hands of a few authorities. This centralization may undermine democratic principles of decentralization, checks and balances, and power distribution.

Risk 2: Privacy Erosion. CBDCs enable central controllers to monitor & track financial transactions, enabling surveillance states. Financial data could be used to build detailed citizen profiles that can be exploited for political reasons, commercial gain, or to suppress dissent.

Risk 3: Censorship & Control. CBDCs are programmable money. With programmable money, central authorities could have granular control over the types of financial transactions individuals can engage in. This control could limit the freedom of expression and association.

Risk 4: Social Engineering. As programmable money, CBDCs could enable central controllers to implement personalized rates as a means to control individual behavior and seek conformity. These financial incentives and disincentives may erode autonomy and freedom of choice.

Risk 5: Economic Inequality. CBDCs grant governments and central banks even greater control over the money supply and distribution, which could be used to benefit certain groups and deepen existing disparities.

Risk 6: Exclusion & Discrimination. CBDCs may enable governments to exclude certain individuals or groups from accessing financial services or participating in the economy.

#Bitcoin is good for liberal democracy because it decentralizes financial control, fosters transparency, and empowers citizens with financial inclusion.

Bitcoin is bad for dictatorships and authoritarian regimes because it provides censorship resistance, enables global connectivity, and cannot be centrally manipulated.

Quote from #[1]​‘s recent appearance on the What Bitcoin Did podcast with #[2]

“Bitcoin’s price is volatile, but the system is stable, very stable. The US dollar may not be volatile, but the system inherently is unstable.”

- Caitlin Long

"#Bitcoin is the only monetary instrument in the history of our species that is fixed. It does not matter how much more demand comes into the asset class. No one will ever be able to make more of it.

There are two things I can guarantee you in my life. One, that I'll die, and the other that there will only ever be 21 million bitcoin."

- Jack Mallers

If you don’t buy their poisons, you won’t have to buy their pills.