I hope you’re having a fantastic week! I have a great article from Bob, a Guangzhou based biohacker, that I’d like to share with you today. The article is all about the beneficial effects of the right type of light exposure. If you are interested in boosting your energy and productivity during the day and increasing your melatonin production for a better sleep, then this article is definitely for you.
In his article, Bob explains how light affects our mitochondria. You might be thinking, “What on earth is mitochondria and what does it have to do with health?” Well, you can think of the mitochondria as the energy source found in every cell of your body. To put it simply, mitochondria are the powerhouses of the body and mind. Through your lifestyle choices you can either strengthen and feed them or destroy them. Aka, like everything in life, you’ll only get out of your mitochondria what you put in it. If you’re willing to do the work, take personal responsibility, hold a positive attitude, experiment and remain open to new findings, then eventually you will experience more energy, improve your sleep, reduce the risk of disease, and get healthy. Since light plays a crucial role in helping our body to function, the information in Bob’s article and his ‘light-hacker box’ offer a step you might want to consider on your journey to better health. Remember, junk light is as bad for your well-being as junk food is, so you should do everything in your power to minimise your exposure to it!
Here is Bob's article:
Mitochondria and Light
In the human body, within almost every cell, lives anywhere between one and a few thousand bacteria known as mitochondria. It's well known that they are 'the power plant of the cell', equipped with a spinning turbine that pumps out ATP through an electron transport chain.
In the last two decades, much more research has been conducted on these enigmatic organelles, and in this article, I'll briefly relay some of the findings related to mitochondria and how biology is affected by light.
First, let's start with an analogy, a lens through which to view mitochondria: The body is like a car. Clean food and pristine water fuel the car, allowing it to run smoothly on the rocky roads of life. Mitochondria are the engine that combusts the fuel. Prioritizing optimizing the engine will prevent breakdowns and accessory replacements.
The highest concentration of mitochondria are in brain cells, heart cells, and eye cells; Is it any wonder then that most of today's neolithic diseases stem from these three organs? Another analogy is this: Mitochondria are like lightning rods for all electromagnetic frequencies including LIGHT, mostly from the environment through the eye and skin. They sense and synchronize with environmental waves.
Mitochondria transduce the light encoded in food. Food is a proxy for light. Nowhere in the body can we directly convert food into energy It is always broken down into electrons that tunnel through mitochondria to generate ATP.
Electromagnetism and Light
Light is the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. It spans about 280 nanometers to 780 nanometers. Wi-fi signals, microwaves, gamma rays, are invisible parts of the same spectrum. They all carry electrons. Electrons are a source of energy and information.
The energy and information encoded in light, have specific effects on hormones, mitochondria, and water within cells. We evolved under full spectrum sunlight, and native electromagnetic frequencies broadcast from space. The core of our earth generates a magnetic field which is entangled with our healthy mitochondria.
We are the only species that control our environment, specifically the light we expose our retinas to, and the time and duration that we do so. This often has a non-linear effect on the mitochondria within our cells.
This information has been distilled from the works of Dr. Doug Wallace, at the Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, considered the world's leading researcher on mitochondrial medicine, as well as evolutionary biochemist Dr. Nick Lane, at University College London, Dr. Alexander Wunsch, a leading researcher of photobiology and practitioner of photobiomodulation and heliotherapy, and finally Dr. Jack Kruse, a neurosurgeon, theoretical quantum biologist and mito-hacker.
It's not for us to tell you what to and what not to do. We simply wish to direct your attention to your light environment.
Simple steps you may wish to take:
1) Expose your retinas and skin surfaces to early morning sunlight consistently. While doing so, be bare-foot on grass, soil, or stone, or rest your palms on the trunks of trees.
2) mitigate your light frequencies, when indoors, during the day and at night. Night time is especially important, because naturally there is no blue light after sunset. This is a signal to your body to reduce your stress hormone and increase melatonin. We evolved with fire light, which is more in the red range of light frequencies, so instead of using a fluorescent or LED bulb, why not use a red light bulb instead?
A light-hacker box for you to alter your light environment at home or while traveling. All 4 lamps are included, as well as a document that entails best practices.
THE END
I hope you enjoyed reading this article and found it useful. To find out more about Bob's work visit his website
Sending you love and light,
Izabela
Your Certified Primal Health Coach
P.S. Let me know what you think of Bob’s article and whether you’d like to learn more about it. Also, if you want to optimise your mitochondrial metabolism through a healthy dose of sun exposure, read my previous blogpost.
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