Medication-Induced Mitochondrial Damage

drug induced mitochondrial damage

Damage to mitochondria is understood to play a role in the development of a wide range of seemingly unrelated disorders such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and others. Mitochondrial damage is also a hallmark of ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia.

Common causes of mitochondrial dysfunction in ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia are numerous. They include:

  • Dysbiosis
  • Chronic viral infections
  • Metabolic dysfunction (poor insulin control, nutrient depletion)
  • Toxin exposure (metals, mold, other environmental factors)

Another cause of mitochondrial dysfunction that is less frequently mentioned is medication usage. Mitochondrial toxicity testing is NOT required by the FDA before a drug is approved. Medications can hinder mitochondria through direct or indirect mechanisms.


War on Cancer

Warburg Rules!
A Review of Thomas Seyfried’s Cancer As a Metabolic Disease

Once in a long while, a book comes along that revolutionizes our understanding of the cancer problem. Such a book is Cancer as a Metabolic Disease (Wiley 2012) by Thomas N. Seyfried, PhD. Formerly a cancer researcher at Yale University, Seyfried is a professor of biology at Boston College and the author of more than 150 PubMed- indexed scientific articles.

With its 400-plus pages, and over 1000 scientific references, Cancer as a Metabolic Disease covers very broad territory. It attempts to explain the essential nature of primary tumors and of metastases, at the same time providing practical advice on the management and prevention of cancer. (more…)

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Study Proves Defective Cellular Energy Function


Sad Woman, from FreeDigitalPhotos.netby Heidi Stevenson


Mitochondria Gone Bad

Mitochondria are among the small structures called organelles that reside within a cell. Known as the cells’ powerhouses, mitochondria extract energy from fuels such as glucose in the presence of oxygen to produce a molecule called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP (green), which provides energy for the cell. In the process, mitochondria generate potentially dangerous free radicals (red).Illustration: Nicolle Rager FullerThe patient, known as only “MBM,” was just 7 years old the first time doctors saw her. She had always been prone to night sweats, but now excessive perspiration was forcing her to change clothes several times a day. She was endlessly thirsty, fatigued and losing weight despite a voracious appetite. A dozen years later, at age 19, doctors checked her into a hospital, thinking she had some kind of unusual metabolic condition. After aggressive treatment with drugs, her symptoms improved, but only for a short time, and the next year surgeons removed most of her thyroid. When she was 35 — gaunt, weak and losing hair — doctors began searching every tissue of her body for a diagnosis. (more…)

The effect of idebenone, a coenzyme Q analogue, on hydrophobic bile acid toxicity to isolated rat hepatocytes and hepatic mitochondria.


Oxidant stress induced by hydrophobic bile acids has been implicated in the pathogenesis of liver injury in cholestatic liver disorders. We evaluated the effect of idebenone, a coenzyme Q analogue, on taurochenodeoxycholic acid (TCDC)-induced cell injury and oxidant stress in isolated rat hepatocytes and on glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDC)-induced generation of hydroperoxides in fresh hepatic mitochondria. (more…)

Resveratrol as a Superior Brain-Protecting Nutrient

The scientific evaluation of resveratrol continues to impress one and all, with recent research showing extreme protection against the chain of events that leads to cognitive decline and the risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s. Many nutrients now show impressive ability to support the health of your brain and resveratrol sits right at the top of the list. (more…)

Sensational New Theory Of How Cancer Lives And Grows

Did Otto Warburg get it all wrong? This new theory overturns everything we thought we knew about the biology of cancer.

In the 1930s, Nobel Laureate Otto Warburg suggested that cancer cells produce the bulk of their energy by breaking down glucose in the absence of oxygen, a process called glycolysis. The Warburg effect, as it is called, is now widely accepted in orthodox cancer research.

But it’s WRONG, according to Michael Lisanti MD at the Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has a completely different model, which puts a whole new light on how cancer cells feed and grow. (more…)