Fascinating framework. As a physician-scientist, I think the concept of energy resistance captures an important but often underappreciated aspect of modern metabolic disease: the problem is not simply a lack of energy, but a disruption in how cells sense, process, and utilize energy.
At the cellular level, metabolism is a highly coordinated network involving mitochondria, nutrient sensing pathways, insulin signaling, inflammation, and redox balance. When these systems become dysregulated, cells can experience a paradoxical state where energy substrates are abundant but metabolic flexibility is impaired. This concept helps explain why conditions such as insulin resistance, obesity, neurodegeneration, and cardiometabolic disease share overlapping biological pathways.
What is particularly interesting is that mitochondrial dysfunction is rarely an isolated defect. It is often intertwined with chronic inflammation, impaired autophagy, altered circadian rhythms, sedentary behavior, and nutrient excess. The solution is therefore unlikely to be a single mitochondrial booster, but rather restoring the signals that maintain metabolic adaptability.
Exercise is a powerful example because it acts as a biological stressor that improves mitochondrial quality control, insulin sensitivity, and cellular energy regulation. Similarly, adequate sleep, protein intake, resistance training, and periods of metabolic challenge can help preserve the ability to switch between fuel sources.
The future of metabolic medicine will likely focus less on simply measuring energy abundance and more on understanding energy communication; how cells sense, distribute, and respond to energetic demands. Health is not just having more energy; it is maintaining the flexibility to use energy appropriately.
If brain fog is the experience of excess energy resistance, identifying the source of that state in specific individuals, and finding ways of addressing that imbalance would be the way to go. There may not be one universal cause of "brain fog."
Hi Laura, talking as a practitioner, but in terms of this model, I have often encountered increased density (aka energy resistance) at the sub occipital region in cases of brain fog (and post concussion syndrome, and -interesting-depression!) I suspect this reflects a reduction in glymphatic clearance, but also energy resources being restricted at the brainstem level.
There are several wave lengths of light that help rapidly (even with chronic cases) but it is more nuanced than simply using the red/infrared frequencies (which are the only ones that have been scientifically explored).
Interesting, how do you measure this energy resistance at the occipital region?
I have suspected as much regarding the glymphatic clearance and at my level one strategy that seemed interesting was to learn the Alexander technique since it aims at freeing the neck.
It has done a lot so far, but I believe my body is constantly bracing still and my head tends to feel pulled down from the back.
Do you have any references about which wavelengths of light and how to apply them efficiently?
I wonder if targeted red/infrared frequencies can help support the change I’m trying to foster through Alexander by helping cells and muscle fibers clear waste and renew themselves.
Martin, I’m excited by the work from you and your colleagues. The ERP principle has an elegance in its simplicity.
I’ve been studying Tesla and Rudolph Steiner, electro culture, Dr. Jack Cruz and others work and I think you’ve grasped perhaps a unified theory of health/life?
I look forward to learning more about your work as you make progress.
Hi! This seems like a very useful and intuitive framework, and I like the analogy to other physical systems. I also really enjoyed the scientific insights.
One thing I’m still trying to understand is the proposed equation. What are the units of the variables? Is the square term derived from a biological or thermodynamic argument, or is it adopted by analogy to electrical power? Is there a reference to measurements showing that biological systems obey this relationship, or that establishes the functional relationship among these quantities? Or should the equation be understood mainly as a qualitative relationship at this stage?
Great question! Thank you. The formula is mostly a heuristic at the moment.
- Flux (f) in its most simple form is electron flow per unit of time.
- Energy potential (EP) is likely a combination of energy supply and demand.
- Energy resistance (éR) can be operationalized as NADH/NAD+ ratio, which is uniteless. But it eventually be operationalized to have units similar to Ohms for electrical resistance.
There is question of scale. Mito inhabit cells. The cells make up tissues organs etc. the trip from electron flux in a cell to the behavior of an organ is a long one. I think you should talk about ATP from glycolysis as an alternative to the ATP from the transport chain. It is my impression that the synovial capsule cellular population is not making much ATP during osteoarthritis. Is that flux problem best analogised as resistance? To me it seems more a lack of metabolic ummmph to coin a word use. More voltage too low for the resistance? The mitochondria are under a lot of stress on OA just barely hanging on.
When discussing insulin resistance (IR), please provide your readers with a more complete description of how overnutrition-driven IR actually begins with intracellular lipid accumulation.
Here’s a succinct description of the process from the abstract of this recent review on the subject:
From Obesity to Muscle Insulin Resistance: The Mediating Roles of Intramyocellular Lipids, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress
Diabetes Metab Res Rev . 2025 Oct;41(7):e70094. doi: 10.1002/dmrr.70094.
“One of the primary mechanisms connecting obesity to muscle IR is the accumulation of intramyocellular lipids (IMCL). Excessive lipid accumulation in muscle cells, that is, muscle lipotoxicity, leads to the formation of lipid metabolites, such as diacylglycerol (DAG) and ceramides, which disrupt insulin signalling pathways. These metabolites activate protein kinase C (PKC) and other kinases that inhibit insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins, subsequently impairing the insulin signalling cascade and reducing glucose uptake in skeletal muscle cells. This lipid-induced IR is a critical factor in the development of metabolic disorders associated with obesity.”
And please also share with your readers the empowering information that our mitochondria love short-chain fatty acids, and we can give them plenty when we eat legumes, along with other high fiber plant foods. It’s also a great way to get in protein that is basically fat free, helping to lower LDL cholesterol.
Fascinating. Your ERP principle seems to be in alignment with the Maximum Power Principle articulated by pioneering systems ecologist Howard T. Odum.
"Time’s Speed Regulator: The Optimum Efficiency for Maximum Power Output in Physical and Biological Systems"
"This paper was written by H. T. Odum and Richard C. Pinkerton and published in 1955. In this pivotal paper, Odum and Pinkerton argue that there is a tradeoff between efficiency and speed that enables physical and biological system to maximize useful power output. This tradeoff is influenced by the constraints on natural systems, like the amount of the available energy. The systems that maximize useful power output have a selective advantage in evolutionary processes."
I've written a post about Odum and the Maximum Power Principle, which is in alignment with the with the Energy Resistance Principle, I believe (though that is not the subject of the post). I hope you'll check it out!
I so much appreciate the mitochondrial lens that I am seeing growing within the western medical framework. It matches beautifully with the Chinese medical model, and even some of your descriptions in the beginning of this essay mesh perfectly. In Chinese medicine, the adrenals are the pilot light of metabolism and requires the oxygenation from breath to stoke the fire and become the alchemical cauldron which fuels so much of our energy. There is a saying in Chinese medicine that says the Kidneys/adrenals grasp the Lung qi-energy. It helps pull down the diaphragm to properly expand the Lungs. And then that energy moves up the spine/ladder of life disseminating energy throughout all the organs, tissues, etc. The Chinese medical metaphors and the one you provide share a lot in common. And the idea that all activity has to get financed from somewhere is a key Chinese medical principle that I'm glad you mention here. Resistance, of course, is another major principle in Chinese medicine, often called qi-energy stagnation which sets the entire cascade of downstream negative impacts on one's health. Have you been influenced by Chinese medicine, I wonder.... Lots of parallels....
Quand nous devenons lumière, l'univers arrête de respirer, le cadre disparaît. c=0 la limite de l'entropie ou encore v'=c où v'= la vitesse de l'expension relative ( notre event horizon personnel).
Et que dire de quand le pendule à une vélocité tellement extrême qu'il s'arrête ou quand l'onde devient ligne dans cette même vélocité.
Toute résistance devient futile, l'abandon est complète et cette belle dance avec l'éternité et l'infini débute.
Thanks for this exciting modelling. (Talking as a practitioner with long experience but limited biochemistry)
Is there room in this discussion for how shock ( both physical and psycho emotional) can result in increased energy resistance?
Think in terms of a slap that transfers kinetic energy into the receiver. Much of that energy will disperse as heat (temporary inflammation), but I am suggesting that some of the energy may be retained in the atomic(?) structure, and this results in ongoing local energy resistance.
On a practical level, this can often be palpated as an increased density of the soft tissue, even years after the initial insult.
The same modelling may be applied for post concussion symptoms, but can it be applied to more complex situations (eg cancer, autoimmune disorders etc)?
Interestingly, I have come to suspect that the degree of unpreparedness of the system (being blindsided) and the degree of emotional upset over the incident may determine how persistent the ER becomes.
Moshe Feldenkrais once commented (approximately) that if a child breaks his leg falling off a wall he will usually recover well, but if his father breaks his leg he may never recover.
So, what is the relationship between energy resistance as a physiological phenomenon and psychological-spiritual resistance to what has happened in life?
This is a fascinating framework as energy is often used as a vague concept in health discussions, yet at the cellular level, energy metabolism is fundamental to virtually every biological process. Mitochondria, nutrient availability, oxygen delivery, redox balance, and metabolic signaling all influence how cells function, and how they respond to stress and disease.
As a physician-scientist, I find the idea of energy resistance particularly interesting when viewed through the lens of metabolic flexibility. The problem may not always be a simple lack of energy production; sometimes it is an inability to efficiently switch between energy sources or appropriately match energy production with cellular demands.
This also highlights why metabolic health is so interconnected. Insulin resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and impaired metabolic flexibility can influence multiple organ systems simultaneously. Understanding these relationships may help us move beyond treating isolated symptoms toward identifying shared biological mechanisms.
The challenge, of course, would be translating a compelling systems-level concept into measurable biomarkers and clinically actionable interventions. That is where rigorous longitudinal research will be especially valuable: tracking metabolism over time may reveal patterns that a single laboratory measurement simply cannot capture.
You only briefly touched on this above . . There is research out there showing psychedelics have treated an array of mental illness such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression . Is the article here also showing something more objective and that they may also improve ERP?
Fascinating framework. As a physician-scientist, I think the concept of energy resistance captures an important but often underappreciated aspect of modern metabolic disease: the problem is not simply a lack of energy, but a disruption in how cells sense, process, and utilize energy.
At the cellular level, metabolism is a highly coordinated network involving mitochondria, nutrient sensing pathways, insulin signaling, inflammation, and redox balance. When these systems become dysregulated, cells can experience a paradoxical state where energy substrates are abundant but metabolic flexibility is impaired. This concept helps explain why conditions such as insulin resistance, obesity, neurodegeneration, and cardiometabolic disease share overlapping biological pathways.
What is particularly interesting is that mitochondrial dysfunction is rarely an isolated defect. It is often intertwined with chronic inflammation, impaired autophagy, altered circadian rhythms, sedentary behavior, and nutrient excess. The solution is therefore unlikely to be a single mitochondrial booster, but rather restoring the signals that maintain metabolic adaptability.
Exercise is a powerful example because it acts as a biological stressor that improves mitochondrial quality control, insulin sensitivity, and cellular energy regulation. Similarly, adequate sleep, protein intake, resistance training, and periods of metabolic challenge can help preserve the ability to switch between fuel sources.
The future of metabolic medicine will likely focus less on simply measuring energy abundance and more on understanding energy communication; how cells sense, distribute, and respond to energetic demands. Health is not just having more energy; it is maintaining the flexibility to use energy appropriately.
What are potential solutions to brain fog?
If brain fog is the experience of excess energy resistance, identifying the source of that state in specific individuals, and finding ways of addressing that imbalance would be the way to go. There may not be one universal cause of "brain fog."
Have identified some causes of brain fog so far?
I’m very excited by your research!
Hi Laura, talking as a practitioner, but in terms of this model, I have often encountered increased density (aka energy resistance) at the sub occipital region in cases of brain fog (and post concussion syndrome, and -interesting-depression!) I suspect this reflects a reduction in glymphatic clearance, but also energy resources being restricted at the brainstem level.
There are several wave lengths of light that help rapidly (even with chronic cases) but it is more nuanced than simply using the red/infrared frequencies (which are the only ones that have been scientifically explored).
Interesting, how do you measure this energy resistance at the occipital region?
I have suspected as much regarding the glymphatic clearance and at my level one strategy that seemed interesting was to learn the Alexander technique since it aims at freeing the neck.
It has done a lot so far, but I believe my body is constantly bracing still and my head tends to feel pulled down from the back.
Do you have any references about which wavelengths of light and how to apply them efficiently?
I wonder if targeted red/infrared frequencies can help support the change I’m trying to foster through Alexander by helping cells and muscle fibers clear waste and renew themselves.
Important problem! Sorry, we don’t have solutions for now.
Greetings, may I suggest several actionable sources?
Dr. Daniel Amen, SPECT research. NFL Head trauma specialist.
Dr David Pearlmutter-Nurosurgery, Fecal transplants
Molecular Hydrogen Institute / Tyler LeBaron
Natural berry Vitamin C (Camu-Camu)
Spend $50 at Amazon for a rehargeable H2 processor Inhalation works effortlessly
Martin, I’m excited by the work from you and your colleagues. The ERP principle has an elegance in its simplicity.
I’ve been studying Tesla and Rudolph Steiner, electro culture, Dr. Jack Cruz and others work and I think you’ve grasped perhaps a unified theory of health/life?
I look forward to learning more about your work as you make progress.
Best regards,
Tom O’Connor
75 going on 50.com.
Thank you, Tom.
Yes, this feels quite important and fundamental to several health-related processes.
Hi! This seems like a very useful and intuitive framework, and I like the analogy to other physical systems. I also really enjoyed the scientific insights.
One thing I’m still trying to understand is the proposed equation. What are the units of the variables? Is the square term derived from a biological or thermodynamic argument, or is it adopted by analogy to electrical power? Is there a reference to measurements showing that biological systems obey this relationship, or that establishes the functional relationship among these quantities? Or should the equation be understood mainly as a qualitative relationship at this stage?
Great question! Thank you. The formula is mostly a heuristic at the moment.
- Flux (f) in its most simple form is electron flow per unit of time.
- Energy potential (EP) is likely a combination of energy supply and demand.
- Energy resistance (éR) can be operationalized as NADH/NAD+ ratio, which is uniteless. But it eventually be operationalized to have units similar to Ohms for electrical resistance.
There is question of scale. Mito inhabit cells. The cells make up tissues organs etc. the trip from electron flux in a cell to the behavior of an organ is a long one. I think you should talk about ATP from glycolysis as an alternative to the ATP from the transport chain. It is my impression that the synovial capsule cellular population is not making much ATP during osteoarthritis. Is that flux problem best analogised as resistance? To me it seems more a lack of metabolic ummmph to coin a word use. More voltage too low for the resistance? The mitochondria are under a lot of stress on OA just barely hanging on.
When discussing insulin resistance (IR), please provide your readers with a more complete description of how overnutrition-driven IR actually begins with intracellular lipid accumulation.
Here’s a succinct description of the process from the abstract of this recent review on the subject:
From Obesity to Muscle Insulin Resistance: The Mediating Roles of Intramyocellular Lipids, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress
Diabetes Metab Res Rev . 2025 Oct;41(7):e70094. doi: 10.1002/dmrr.70094.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41057221/
“One of the primary mechanisms connecting obesity to muscle IR is the accumulation of intramyocellular lipids (IMCL). Excessive lipid accumulation in muscle cells, that is, muscle lipotoxicity, leads to the formation of lipid metabolites, such as diacylglycerol (DAG) and ceramides, which disrupt insulin signalling pathways. These metabolites activate protein kinase C (PKC) and other kinases that inhibit insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins, subsequently impairing the insulin signalling cascade and reducing glucose uptake in skeletal muscle cells. This lipid-induced IR is a critical factor in the development of metabolic disorders associated with obesity.”
And please also share with your readers the empowering information that our mitochondria love short-chain fatty acids, and we can give them plenty when we eat legumes, along with other high fiber plant foods. It’s also a great way to get in protein that is basically fat free, helping to lower LDL cholesterol.
What’s not to love about that?
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13305961/
The Gut–Brain–Muscle Axis: Microbial Regulation of Neuromuscular Aging and Cognitive Frailty
Microorganisms. 2026 Jun 19;14(6):1366. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms14061366
Fascinating. Your ERP principle seems to be in alignment with the Maximum Power Principle articulated by pioneering systems ecologist Howard T. Odum.
"Time’s Speed Regulator: The Optimum Efficiency for Maximum Power Output in Physical and Biological Systems"
"This paper was written by H. T. Odum and Richard C. Pinkerton and published in 1955. In this pivotal paper, Odum and Pinkerton argue that there is a tradeoff between efficiency and speed that enables physical and biological system to maximize useful power output. This tradeoff is influenced by the constraints on natural systems, like the amount of the available energy. The systems that maximize useful power output have a selective advantage in evolutionary processes."
https://maximumpower.org/2024/06/28/times-speed-regulator-the-optimum-efficiency-for-maximum-power-output-in-physical-and-biological-systems/
I've written a post about Odum and the Maximum Power Principle, which is in alignment with the with the Energy Resistance Principle, I believe (though that is not the subject of the post). I hope you'll check it out!
https://daviddmacleod.substack.com/p/hail-howard-an-ode-to-odum
This is amazing! This intersection between physics, biology, metabolism and disease could be exactly The Unify Theory that we’re looking for!
I so much appreciate the mitochondrial lens that I am seeing growing within the western medical framework. It matches beautifully with the Chinese medical model, and even some of your descriptions in the beginning of this essay mesh perfectly. In Chinese medicine, the adrenals are the pilot light of metabolism and requires the oxygenation from breath to stoke the fire and become the alchemical cauldron which fuels so much of our energy. There is a saying in Chinese medicine that says the Kidneys/adrenals grasp the Lung qi-energy. It helps pull down the diaphragm to properly expand the Lungs. And then that energy moves up the spine/ladder of life disseminating energy throughout all the organs, tissues, etc. The Chinese medical metaphors and the one you provide share a lot in common. And the idea that all activity has to get financed from somewhere is a key Chinese medical principle that I'm glad you mention here. Resistance, of course, is another major principle in Chinese medicine, often called qi-energy stagnation which sets the entire cascade of downstream negative impacts on one's health. Have you been influenced by Chinese medicine, I wonder.... Lots of parallels....
Notre corps est une résistance... 🐸 Peut être! ( pouvoir et être)
Quand nous devenons lumière, l'univers arrête de respirer, le cadre disparaît. c=0 la limite de l'entropie ou encore v'=c où v'= la vitesse de l'expension relative ( notre event horizon personnel).
Et que dire de quand le pendule à une vélocité tellement extrême qu'il s'arrête ou quand l'onde devient ligne dans cette même vélocité.
Toute résistance devient futile, l'abandon est complète et cette belle dance avec l'éternité et l'infini débute.
Avec mon amour!
Serge
Thanks for this exciting modelling. (Talking as a practitioner with long experience but limited biochemistry)
Is there room in this discussion for how shock ( both physical and psycho emotional) can result in increased energy resistance?
Think in terms of a slap that transfers kinetic energy into the receiver. Much of that energy will disperse as heat (temporary inflammation), but I am suggesting that some of the energy may be retained in the atomic(?) structure, and this results in ongoing local energy resistance.
On a practical level, this can often be palpated as an increased density of the soft tissue, even years after the initial insult.
The same modelling may be applied for post concussion symptoms, but can it be applied to more complex situations (eg cancer, autoimmune disorders etc)?
Interestingly, I have come to suspect that the degree of unpreparedness of the system (being blindsided) and the degree of emotional upset over the incident may determine how persistent the ER becomes.
Moshe Feldenkrais once commented (approximately) that if a child breaks his leg falling off a wall he will usually recover well, but if his father breaks his leg he may never recover.
So, what is the relationship between energy resistance as a physiological phenomenon and psychological-spiritual resistance to what has happened in life?
This is a fascinating framework as energy is often used as a vague concept in health discussions, yet at the cellular level, energy metabolism is fundamental to virtually every biological process. Mitochondria, nutrient availability, oxygen delivery, redox balance, and metabolic signaling all influence how cells function, and how they respond to stress and disease.
As a physician-scientist, I find the idea of energy resistance particularly interesting when viewed through the lens of metabolic flexibility. The problem may not always be a simple lack of energy production; sometimes it is an inability to efficiently switch between energy sources or appropriately match energy production with cellular demands.
This also highlights why metabolic health is so interconnected. Insulin resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and impaired metabolic flexibility can influence multiple organ systems simultaneously. Understanding these relationships may help us move beyond treating isolated symptoms toward identifying shared biological mechanisms.
The challenge, of course, would be translating a compelling systems-level concept into measurable biomarkers and clinically actionable interventions. That is where rigorous longitudinal research will be especially valuable: tracking metabolism over time may reveal patterns that a single laboratory measurement simply cannot capture.
Thank you!
Am I understanding this correlation correctly?
You only briefly touched on this above . . There is research out there showing psychedelics have treated an array of mental illness such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression . Is the article here also showing something more objective and that they may also improve ERP?