The Aesthetics Advisor

In the first part of this series , I introduced the concept of the Cell Danger Response (CDR), an ancient defensive mechanism cells enter in response to environmental stressors. The CDR is orchestrated by the mitochondria, which switch from a metabolic type that produces energy that sustains the cell to a metabolic state focused on defending the cell (thereby making the cell much more resistant to otherwise lethal injuries). Once the CDR is activated, the cell enters a partially dormant state (as many cellular functions depend upon the regular activity of the mitochondria) and signals other cells in its vicinity to also enter the CDR. Ideally, the CDR should proceed through three phases (with the third, CDR3 being where the cell reintegrates with the body) and then terminate. Unfortunately, it often fails to do so, leaving the cells in a chronically impaired state where they are disconnected from the body. Although the protective role of the CDR has a vital role in sustaining life, in ...