“Mitochondrial health” is everywhere right now… but a lot of it is getting confusing.
I sat in on a talk today on mitochondrial medicine with Dr Carolyn Harris and walked away with mixed feelings — some REALLY valuable ideas mixed with a fair bit of noise.
Here’s the simple version that actually matters 👇
Your health = how well your body produces and manages energy.
Not just strength.
Not just flexibility.
Not just “fixing” body parts.
👉 Energy.
And this is where mitochondria come in.
Mitochondria are the tiny structures inside your cells responsible for producing energy.
They take the food you eat and the oxygen you breathe and convert it into usable energy for your body.
Every movement you make, every thought you have, every repair process in your body — all rely on this energy.
The more efficient and “well-built” your mitochondria are, the better your body can:
sustain activity
recover from stress
regulate inflammation
adapt and get stronger over time
When mitochondrial function is poor, people often notice:
low or unstable energy
fatigue
slower recovery
increased pain or sensitivity
So rather than just focusing on isolated body parts…
👉 it often makes more sense to zoom out and support the system that powers everything.
You don’t need fancy tests to start improving your mitochondrial health.
You can see it in:
Your energy across the day
Your sleep quality
Your recovery
Your ability to handle stress
Your confidence to move
The big levers are simple:
Move regularly (especially low intensity aerobic work)
Sleep properly
Eat mostly real food
Avoid constant snacking
Get natural light early in the day
No hacks. No extremes.
Where things start to drift…
You’ll hear:
“Carbs are bad”
“Fat is clean fuel”
“You can make all the carbs you need”
“Red Light heals everything”
There’s often a grain of truth… but it gets taken too far.
👉 The body is adaptable, not ideological.
The biggest mistake I see?
People chasing mitochondrial health with:
supplements
gadgets
restrictive diets
…instead of building real capacity.
If you want to go deeper…
I’d highly recommend seeing someone like Dr Carolyn Harris for a proper review.
She can:
measure key markers
give you a baseline
guide a structured trial-and-error process
👉 Small, targeted changes over time can lead to big results when they’re personalised.
Because in the end —
Your body doesn’t need a hack.
It needs the right environment to function well.
About Dr Carolyn Harris
Dr Carolyn Harris is an experienced GP with over 34 years in clinical practice. Her approach is centred around person-focused care, beginning with a clear understanding of each patient’s health goals. Carolyn’s work is grounded in the belief that many chronic health issues can be improved by addressing underlying metabolic dysfunction, particularly insulin resistance, inflammation, oxidative stress, and nutrient deficiencies.