Everything’s Mitochondria (and Microbiome) These Days — And That’s a Good Thing

There’s a classic line in the 1980s movie Fletch where Chevy Chase quips,

“It’s all ball bearings these days!”

It’s a funny way of saying everyone blames (or credits) one simple thing for everything.
And I can’t help but laugh when I think how often that line applies in modern health care.

Because in functional medicine circles today, it’s fair to say:

“It’s all mitochondria and microbiome these days.”

And for once, that’s not an exaggeration — it’s biology catching up with reality.

⚙️ The Mitochondria: More Than Just “Powerhouses”

If every cell is a factory, the mitochondria are the engines. They convert oxygen and nutrients into energy (ATP) and decide whether your body is in “build and repair” mode or “protect and survive” mode.

When mitochondrial function declines, it shows up everywhere:

• Low energy or chronic fatigue

• Hormone imbalance

• Brain fog or anxiety

• Weight loss resistance

• Insulin resistance and metabolic slowdown

• Accelerated aging

Every chronic condition — from heart disease to Alzheimer’s — shares one theme: mitochondrial dysfunction.

That’s why when we focus on mitochondrial health first (through sleep, movement, light exposure, nutrient-dense food, and redox balance), the rest of the body starts to cooperate again.

🌿 The Microbiome: The Body’s Control Network

If mitochondria are the engines, the microbiome is the control tower — directing traffic between the gut, brain, liver, and immune system.

These trillions of organisms don’t just digest food; they:

• Train your immune system

• Produce neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA

• Regulate inflammation and detox pathways

• Influence blood sugar, appetite, and even your mood

A healthy gut ecosystem sends messages that keep your mitochondria efficient.
When the microbiome is imbalanced (from antibiotics, processed foods, or stress), inflammation rises and energy production stalls.

That’s why “fixing the gut” so often feels like flipping a switch for energy, mood, and metabolism.

🔄 The Mitochondria–Microbiome Connection

Here’s where it gets fascinating:

• Gut bacteria feed mitochondria. They make short-chain fatty acids like butyrate that boost mitochondrial biogenesis.

• Mitochondria protect the gut. They regulate redox balance and tight junctions that maintain a strong gut barrier.

• Both are synchronized by circadian rhythm — sleep, light, movement, and meal timing.

When one improves, the other follows.
When both are nourished, the body regains its self-healing rhythm.

🧭 The Functional Medicine Hierarchy

At Pharm to Function, I teach that healing follows a vertical order:

Energy → Redox → Methylation → Transport → Systems → Expression

And right at the base of that hierarchy sit the mitochondria and microbiome — the twin engines of energy and communication.

You can’t fix hormones, detox pathways, or cardiovascular function if the cellular engines are starved or inflamed.
But once you restore power and balance, everything else gains traction.

💡 Bottom Line

You don’t need a new diet trend or another supplement shelf.
You need to support the systems that drive every other system.

Start where life starts:

• Morning sunlight before screen light

• Whole, colorful foods that feed your microbes and your mitochondria

• Movement that creates energy instead of draining it

• Deep sleep that resets cellular repair

Because when you fix those foundations, the body remembers how to heal itself.

So yes —

“Everything’s mitochondria and microbiome these days.”

And that’s not hype — that’s biology finally remembering how to work in order.