Mother-Line Medicine & Mitochondrial Dysfunction
mtDNA and the future of humanity
I was adopted at six months old and never knew my birth mother. With no information about my ancestry and no photos, I had to search for answers within myself. I found that my body held the answers, and I trusted its wisdom. Memories stored in my cells, somatic memory, mitochondrial memory, and my nervous system’s ability to decode the symbolic language of the psyche guided me to the truth of my origins and led me to Ireland.
My adoption was closed, so I didn’t have an original birth certificate with a recorded birth time. This made astrological calculations complex and guesswork frustrating. I couldn’t make the right move until a shamanic astrologer named Anyaa suggested I ask her mentor, Daniel Giamario, the founder of the Shamanic Astrology Mystery School, to do an astrology reading and rectification chart for me.
Shortly after that, Daniel & Anyaa offered me an opportunity to join a workshop tour group they were leading through Ireland to explore its ancient stones and guiding stars. There had been a last-minute cancellation, and one of the participants who had paid in advance had passed away, so I was offered her spot with part of my expenses covered. I felt as though something beyond my control was guiding me towards Ireland. With the Gaelic adopted last name of Stacey, I was eager to continue the search for my ancestors, following in the footsteps of many others before me.
During my time with Daniel in southern Ireland, amid its lush green landscape on the Dingle Coast overlooking the Wild Atlantic, he analyzed my birth chart, providing me with significant insights. He also recommended that I explore my maternal lineage through a specific matrilineal DNA test once I returned to the States.
Before traveling to Ireland, I took an autosomal DNA test through Ancestry dot com, but the results left me feeling confused and emotionally overwhelmed. Following Daniel’s advice, I decided to try another company, FamilyTreeDNA, which offered matrilineal testing. This test turned out to be life-changing, and with the help of a long-lost cousin, I was able to find my mother-line.
Matrilineal DNA testing involves genetic material known as mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA. The mother-line is the mitochondrial line. Mitochondria are a substrate of cellular memory. The mitochondria remembered and reconnected me to the ancestors who had come before. We are all born of a mother. In human genetics, we all have a common direct maternal ancestor, Mitochondrial Eve. While the mtDNA mapping of humans is incomplete, our minds may not grasp it, but our bodies do. When a woman gives birth, she is connected to the mother who gave birth to her in an unbroken lineage all the way back to the beginning of her ancestral line and the beginning of time.
There is a lot of talk these days in both Holistic and Western Medicine circles about the health of our mitochondria and mitochondrial disorders. Mitochondrial medicine is emerging as an active field of research. Susun Weed, herbalist and founder of the Wise Woman Tradition is birthing what she calls “Matriline Medicine “ to be carried forward and practiced by women, regardless of who uses it. Herbalism is of matrilineal descent.
The mitochondria are the central hub of all life’s activities. They regulate cellular proliferation and immunity and are responsible for energy conversion and heat production by producing the energy substance adenosine triphosphate (ATP). In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which has existed for thousands of years in an unbroken lineage, unlike Western Medicine, this energy is defined as Qi (pronounced “chee”). Qi in the Eastern TCM system and mitochondria in the Western medical system play similar roles in providing power for the cells and promoting the transformation of material and energy. The integration of these two systems is needed.
In TCM, Qi is considered to be vital life force energy. According to TCM, when the yin and yang aspects of Qi are in disharmony, it can lead to illness and disease. This imbalance weakens the body’s responses against disease. In Western medicine, mitochondrial dysfunction can affect the function of cells, tissues, and organs, leading to conditions such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, strokes, and neurodegenerative diseases. When the number or function of mitochondria in the cell is disrupted, less energy is produced, resulting in organ dysfunction. Mitochondrial disorders can affect every organ in the body, including the brain, and contribute to the chronic disease epidemic. Western medicine is facing challenges in treating mitochondrial diseases, as the cause of these diseases remains a mystery to them, and their incidence and morbidity are increasing. Currently, highly effective treatments for mitochondrial diseases are unavailable in Western medicine.
On the other hand, TCM and Chinese Five Element Theory offer a different perspective on these diseases, focusing on organ systems and cells that rely on mitochondria for life, energy (Qi), and functionality. TCM explains that our genetic inheritance is passed down through the deep feminine yin of the Water Element (Kidneys and Adrenals). This element and the adrenals can be depleted due to our modern, yang-driven lifestyle, leading to conditions such as adrenal exhaustion, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia. The most crucial energy genes are found in mtDNA and are passed down through the mother-line.
Our health depends on the health of our mitochondria, our mother-line. Mitochondria can be damaged by hypoxia, toxins in our food and environment, vaccines, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, and radiation that damages mtDNA, creates mutations in nuclear DNA, and disrupts the deepest level of the Water Element. Maintaining mitochondrial integrity is essential for sufficient immune system response. Mitochondrial dysfunction impairs the immune system and reduces our ability to pass immunity to future generations. Chronic disease increases as the mother line weakens, as our Earth Mother weakens.
Our excesses and resulting deficiencies create a Qi imbalance and disrupt the natural flow of yin and yang. One of the reasons that Qi invigorating tonic herbs effectively inhibit chronic disease, and cancer development is that they preserve the structural integrity of mitochondria and increase the free flow of vital life force energy.
Since Qi deficiency is the inherent basis of mitochondrial diseases, Qi-invigorating herbal medicine can help to prevent these diseases, according to Five Element Theory. Qi-invigorating herbs tonify the Qi, improve Qi-deficiency syndromes, enhance the body’s overall function, improve disease resistance, tonify the corresponding five internal organ systems, and calm the mind. Some of these herbs include ginseng, astragalus, codonopsis, Chinese yam, licorice, and jujube, all of which provide the basis for improving Qi-deficiency syndrome and energy metabolism.
TCM is a treasure, this ancient wisdom should be respected and applied to the modern medical system; it will provide more choice and a wider field of vision for modern medicine at the two cognitive crossroads of East and West. —Complementary Therapies for the Body, Mind and Soul
Similar to plants, mitochondria have the ability to convert light into energy. Being exposed to full-spectrum sunlight can help nourish our mitochondria. In my book, “Wisdom of the Plant Devas: Herbal Medicine for a New Earth,” I delve into our transformation into our light body with the assistance of the plants that sustain and heal us. It’s well known that lack of light leads to weakness and poor cellular growth. By reconnecting with light through plants, crystals, or the sun, we can restore our cellular structure.
Conditions like mitochondrial disorder, metabolic dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammation are depleting our life force energy, and most of these are environmentally driven, leading to genocidal health outcomes. In essence, we are choosing darkness over light and death over life. This is not just a crisis in healthcare but also a spiritual crisis. However, there is hope. We all find our way back home, like homing pigeons returning to roost in the very soil of existence. We all originate from the Mother, and healing takes place in the context of relationships, with the most fundamental one being our connection to the earth and the soil. Human health and soil health are deeply intertwined. Our mitochondria are a gift from the mother, passed down through our matrilineal line.
I am grateful to the mother who gave birth to me and the mother who raised me. My previously unknown origins put me on a path of self-discovery and inquiry into the workings of the natural world. It prompted me to write a book to answer the spiritual crisis due to the disconnect. As I hope to inspire you, it inspired me to find and follow the mother-line that connects the past to the present and the future. May ours be a legacy of light because we were willing to embrace our darkness.
References:
The Effect of TCM Herbs on Mitochondrial Functions: The Linkage between Qi and Mitochondria, Science Direct
Mitochondria are a substrate of cellular memory, Science Direct
Why is Qi-Invigorating Therapy in Chinese Medicine Suitable for Mitochondrial Diseases? A Bioenergetic Perspective, Complementary Therapies for the Body, Mind and Soul
Recommended:
Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health, by Casey Means
Learn more about The Wisdom of the Five Elements in Thea’s online courses at Wise Woman School. Love Your Liver: Spring & the Wood Element, and Heal Your Heart: Nervous System Health & the Fire Element. More courses coming soon…
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