Many diseases result from cells no longer functioning the way they should, in many cases appearing to “turn off” or be “dead.” Through studying a large number of metabolites present, Robert Naviaux realized that much of this results from the mitochondria in the cell sensing danger, then diverting their cell’s resources from promoting the normal function of the cell to creating a low-functioning cell that is more capable of neutralizing microbial threats (e.g., viruses) and surviving otherwise lethal stressors.
Once this “Cell Danger Response” (CDR) is triggered (e.g., by a shock, loss of blood flow, infection, or significant injury), cells disconnect from the tissue and organism they belong to (hence no longer being able to serve their vital functions and in some cases also turning cancerous) and also signal cells in their vicinity to enter the CDR as well.
Note: this disconnection causes cells to partially stop responding to a wide range of hormones (e.g., thyroid hormone or insulin) and signals from nerves (which can be quantified through abnormal changes in things controlled by the nervous system, such as the heart rate and its variability).
