The Energy Behind Disease

We live in a world that has forgotten how deeply intelligent the human body is. For decades, we’ve been taught to believe that disease—especially cancer—is a matter of genetic fate. A rogue cell gone wild or a random error in our DNA. But emerging research is pointing to something far more layered—and perhaps more hopeful, suggesting that cancer may not begin with the gene at all, but with the cell’s energy—with its electrical, metabolic, and environmental coherence. Not only does this logical approach make sense, but it is not fringe science. Instead, it is a paradigm shift, and it is not new. The metabolic theory suggests that cancer cells lose their ability to produce energy and instead rely on glucose.

Building on the foundational work of Nobel laureate Otto Warburg, in 2015, biologist Thomas Seyfried, a professor at Boston College and former researcher at Yale, showed that dysfunctional energy metabolism precedes genetic mutation (meaning cancer cells). In this example, when mitochondria—the tiny power plants of our cells—become impaired, the cell switches to a primitive energy-making process called fermentation. Essentially, cancer cells ferment glucose even in the presence of oxygen (a phenomenon known as the Warburg Effect).

Seyfried notes that this fermentation is neither efficient nor elegant for producing energy. Instead, it is a survival signal—a regression. And it changes everything. In this scenario, a cell’s behavior, boundaries, and communication all become distorted. The body begins to unravel, not because of a single bad gene, but because the field that regulates gene expression—the environment of the cell—is no longer operating in harmony. In other words, Seyfried states that many cancers originate not from nuclear DNA mutations but from mitochondrial damage.

It makes total sense. Why? Because the terrain and energy field within the body matter. The charge, the pH, the oxygen levels, the nutrient flows—all of these amazing processes shape what the body becomes capable of expressing.

In his landmark book, Cancer as a Metabolic Disease, Seyfried presents evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction is the primary event destabilizing normal cell regulation. As mitochondria lose their ability to effectively generate energy through oxidative phosphorylation, the cell shifts to fermentation—again, a less efficient, more chaotic way of producing energy. This metabolic shift leads to genetic instability, not the other way around.

This practical overview of how our incredible human bodies operate is not anti-science. No indeed. Instead, it is a return to systems thinking, recognizing the fact that humans (and all living creatures) are not made of parts, but of electrical, rhythmic, and responsive patterns. In a recent piece, I wrote about something that some seldom stop to consider—the body is an intricate network that communicates constantly. Our fascia, collagen, and our cell’s internal design aren’t passive structures. They transmit signals and communicate with each other. They respond to pressure, movement, and electrical charge, and of course, toxins. Biology doesn’t operate on chemistry alone. Instead, it counts on a network operating in balance. This underscores why nature-based practices like grounding, light exposure, breathing, and physical movement have such a profound effect on how the human body feels and functions.

Our ancestors didn’t need scientific language to understand this. They literally felt it. They spent their days in contact with the ground. They were in tune with the sun and slept when it set. Their bodies were not sedentary. They were physically worked, building energy through motion. And, importantly, they were not drained by constant artificial stimulation. Connection was physical and immediate, not moderated by screens and signals. Today, our lives are much different—and, clearly, our bodies are struggling to adapt to that shift.

Seyfried’s work brings this important topic into sharp focus. When the systems that manage our body’s energy begin to falter, instability inevitably follows. Mitochondria lose efficiency and cells shift into survival mode. Over time, that shift slowly damages behavior at the cellular level in ways that can no longer be contained. In this view, cancer isn’t a sudden betrayal of the body. It’s the end result of regulation slowly breaking down. Not all at once—but gradually, as coherence is lost and resilience wears thin.

Besides reinforcing the idea that our bodies work best when in harmony with nature, Seyfried’s findings also challenge the dogma of cancer treatment. Because if the root of cancer is metabolic, then treatment approaches that ignore cellular energy dynamics fail to address the true origin of the disease. His research suggests that interventions aimed at restoring mitochondrial function—such as ketogenic metabolic therapy, calorie restriction, fasting, hyperbaric oxygen, and redox balance —could complement conventional therapies by targeting the actual metabolic vulnerabilities of cancer cells.

Of course, genetics still matters—but it is much more nuanced than that. It is important to note that genes respond to the conductor, the environment, and, as if the body were an orchestra, the score being played. When we treat cancer as a purely genetic event, we miss the opportunity to nourish the field that determines how those genes behave. When broken down in this way, it appears quite simple. This is a moment to remember who we are. Importantly, we are not random or inherently prone to breaking. Instead, we are exquisitely designed electrical, relational, and responsive beings.

With this in mind, the cancer conversation must shift from one of a ravaging battle against our bodies to one of significant realignment with our bodies. In reality, it is not just about attacking a tumor. It’s about restoring the body’s ability to perceive, adapt, and signal clearly. Likewise, it is about helping the body regenerate and remember the brilliant instructions it was initially given. Because when we stop living in ways that honor that sacred resonance, it should be no surprise that disease appears.