The Chronic Dis-ease & Cell Danger Response Connection — and What You Can Do About It!
Jennifer Ellis-Schuetz 
Chronic Fatigue and Dis-ease Are More a Norm Than an Exception Nowadays!
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, upwards of 60% of adults and 30% of children and teens living in the United States alone live with at least one chronic disease. (7)
As sad as that statistic is, it doesn't include those living with undiagnosed life-altering symptoms such as chronic fatigue, body aches and pains, low moods, digestive inflammation, and more. Their condition has not yet been "labeled" or "named" by a medical professional, but it's debilitating all the same.
According to a survey performed by the National Safety Council, 43% of Americans report feeling too tired at work to function well, and 97% report having at least one of nine significant lifestyle risks for chronic daytime fatigue. (8)
If you’re reading this article, it is highly likely that you or somebody you know is somewhere between being diagnosed with a chronic condition and living with chronic symptoms that have not yet been given a “label” – particularly chronic fatigue.
While chronic fatigue and other physical and mental symptoms and states of dis-ease are common nowadays, they are NOT NORMAL!
Why Are So Many People Feeling Chronically Fatigued, Foggy, Fat, Fragile, or Inflamed?
We can’t be the best versions of ourselves when we don’t feel well and drag ourselves through our day. What the heck is going on?
It's never just one factor that causes a person to get sucked into the vortex of chronic symptoms, illness, and dis-ease. Chronic dis-ease is a multifactorial and multi-systemic condition created by a “Perfect Storm” of stressful life experiences and toxic stressors of all kinds. By toxic stressors, I am referring to factors such as:
- Inflammatory diets
- Chronic psychological distress and/or unresolved trauma, particularly ACE’s (Adverse Childhood Experiences)
- Poor sleep quality
- High-risk lifestyle habits, such as drug and alcohol abuse
- Impaired digestion > gut dysbiosis > leaky gut > chronic inflammation
- Environmental toxins
- And much more!
Enter Cell Danger Response Mode, Stage Left!
All of the factors mentioned above trigger cellular distress, scientifically known as the cell danger response mode (CDR).
What exactly is CDR?
I will try to keep this as simple as possible. Here goes!
It begins with mitochondria, the energy powerhouses of our cells.
Mitochondria have two primary roles:
Role #1: To convert nutrients from the food we digest and assimilate them into usable energy (ATP) for our cells.
Role #2: To monitor our environments (both inside and outside the body) for threats.
We Need "Peacetime Mode" to Stay Healthy!
During “peacetime mode,” when mitochondria do not sense threats, our cells perform their jobs well. Some of their jobs include:
- Produce energy so we can live active lives.
- Make neurotransmitters, which stabilize moods and support good mental health.
- Regulate blood sugar and hormone levels to maintain a healthy weight.
- Optimize detoxification so our bodies eliminate more toxins than they take in.
- Replenish energy stores in our brain so that we can experience peak mental performance.
- Initiate autophagy, a fancy word for cellular cleansing and regeneration, so that we remain healthy, strong, and disease-free.
- And so much more!
"Chronic Defense Mode" Leads to Chronic Dis-ease
When mitochondria sense threats, they shift from energy-producing and regenerative mode into defense mode, otherwise known as cell danger response.
CDR is an innate protective mechanism designed to protect the body from damage, eradicate pathogens, and eliminate toxins.
Dr. Robert Naviaux, MD, Ph.D., and mitochondria health expert, explains it as follows:
“The cell danger response (CDR) is the evolutionarily conserved metabolic response that protects cells and hosts from harm. It is triggered by encounters with threats that exceed the cellular capacity of homeostasis.
When the CDR persists abnormally, whole-body metabolism and the gut microbiome are disturbed, the collective performance of multiple organ systems is impaired, behavior is changed, and chronic disease results.
An understanding of the CDR permits us to reframe old concepts of pathogenesis for a broad array of chronic, developmental, autoimmune, and degenerative disorders.” (2)
During CDR, the cell membrane becomes rigid, preventing molecules from entering or leaving the cell, and all life-sustaining functions slow down or come to a grinding halt.
A cascade of inflammatory immune responses is also set in motion.
This type of inflammation causes us to feel achy, feverish, and fatigued when we have the flu. The flu bug or virus does NOT make us feel ill; instead, it triggers our cells' inflammatory response.
In the short term, we need and want the cell danger response to kick in! It is a necessary, life-saving function. The problem arises in the long term, however, when this response does not shut off due to one or more of the following reasons:
- An infection or toxin remains in the body
- The cells continue to respond as if an infection or toxin is still present due to cellular memory, even after it has been eradicated
- The cells are continuously overwhelmed by tremendous stressors that they cannot overcome, which ultimately leads to a loss of metabolic adaptation
When any of these scenarios occur, the body gets stuck in a vicious cycle of never adequately recovering from stressors, leading to low cellular energy and chronic inflammation.
Chronic low cellular energy and inflammation are linked to a long list of chronic health challenges, with the most prevalent being:
- Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia
- CIRS (chronic inflammatory response syndrome)
- Autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Interstitial cystitis
- Inflammatory bowel diseases
- Asthma
- Gluten and many other food and chemical sensitivity syndromes
- Emphysema
- Tourette's Syndrome
- Depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal ideation
- Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Epilepsy
- Diabetes
- Kidney, liver, and heart disease
- Cancer
- Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia
- Autoimmune disorders like Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis
What Can You Do!? LOTS!!!
If you take away anything from all the information I’ve presented thus far, take away this:
The low energy and inflammation created by cell danger response is the response to dis-ease, NOT the cause. CDR is a sign that our cells are performing their job well -- protecting us from a multitude of toxic insults that lead to fragile health states.
The KEY to reversing chronic states of poor health is not solely focused on trying to shut off CDR by bringing things into the body, such as medications or supplements. Instead, we first need to remove the factors that are causing the cells to initiate CDR.
The majority of these stressors are lifestyle-driven, which means you can begin to take back control of your health and thus your life by considering removing the factors on the checklist below.
Common Lifestyle and Environmental Triggers of Cell Danger Response
- An inflammatory diet high in sugar, processed carbohydrates, and BAD fats such as vegetable oils, such as canola, corn, soy, etc.
- Food intolerances. The most common food intolerances are gluten, corn, soy, dairy, eggs, and harmful additives such as colorings, preservatives, MSG, etc.
- Blood sugar deregulation and insulin resistance
- Blue light exposure coming from screens, tech gadgets, and artificial lighting at night, particularly after sunset and close to bedtime.
- Excessive EMF exposure, especially at night. Our cell phones are one of the WORST sources. Keep laptops off your lap. Consider switching to a wired Ethernet connection at home instead of Wi-Fi.
- Broken circadian rhythm and lack of regenerative sleep
- Bluetooth headset devices! Use a corded headset instead! (preferably with hollow air tubes). Learn about safe headsets here: https://emfacademy.com/best-air-tube-headset/
- Overuse/unhealthy relationship with technology (excessive internet surfing and scrolling)
- Fast eating/eating on the run!
- Multi-tasking! Our brains are not designed to do this.
- Overworking
- Lack of positive stimulation in a relaxed state of mind that encourages neuroplasticity (learning new things, puzzles, thought-provoking discussions, etc.)
- Chronic psychological/emotional stress and destructive thinking patterns
- Under or over-exercising
- Microwaving food! Studies have shown that microwaving can alter the molecular structure of food, leading the body to perceive it as a foreign, invading compound rather than a friendly, usable nutrient.
- AGE’s (advanced glycation end-products). These harmful compounds form when cooking animal sources of fat and protein at high temperatures using harsh methods such as broiling, frying, grilling, and roasting. It is best to cook using gentler techniques such as low-temperature baking or broiling, steaming, boiling, and poaching.
- Many prescription and over-the-counter drugs are known to damage mitochondria. Psychiatric medications are some of the worst offenders. You can learn more here:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5225206_Medication-induced_mitochondrial_damage_and_disease
- Lack of downtime and recovery
- Excess body fat
- Environmental toxins, such as mold and poor air quality. Here are some air systems I recommend for your consideration:
- Toxic personal care and makeup products. To learn more, visit https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/.
- Toxic household cleaners and products. Check out https://branchbasics.com/ for non-toxic alternatives.
- Fluoride and chlorine (in toothpaste and drinking water). For high-quality water filters, visit https://www.pureeffectfilters.com/
- BPA from plastic water bottles and food storage containers. Use glass as often as possible.
- Pesticides, antibiotics, and GMOs. Eat organic and grass-fed whenever possible.
To wrap this article up, I leave you with these two thoughts to ponder.”
“We are natural beings governed by the laws of the natural Universe. The further we deviate from these laws, the further from health and close to dis-ease we move.”
-David Eames Ellis Sr., 1932 - 2007
“The quality of our life and the outcomes we experience are shaped by the quality of our daily habits, our thoughts and beliefs, our self-care, and how we show up in the world. We all have much more power to take control of our health and lives than we have been led to believe.”
References & Further Reading
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u028TAyB9S4
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23981537
3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256187876_Metabolic_Features_of_the_Cell_Danger_Response
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15896810
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22700427
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30099222
First published on December 18th, 2020. We update accordingly as new information and insights emerge.
