The Meltdown Is Really a Mitochondria Problem: What Every Parent Needs to Know
на канале: The Reverse Aging Club with Meredith Oke
We talk a lot about mitochondria on this show, usually in the context of our own aging. This week we go back to the very beginning of the story: childhood.
Dr. Josh Madsen runs Infinity Neuromotor Development Centers, three clinics across Iowa, Minnesota, and Colorado treating some of the hardest pediatric cases out there. Nonverbal autism. Traumatic brain injury. Cerebral palsy. Genetic disorders. After running thousands of case histories, he's found the same underlying pattern showing up over and over, regardless of diagnosis: too much neural inflammation, not enough mitochondrial energy, and a nervous system that never finished developing the way it was supposed to.
We get into primitive reflexes, the automatic movements every infant is born with that should disappear in the first year of life as the brain matures. When they don't disappear, it's a sign the brain hasn't caught up yet, and it shows up later as behavioral dysregulation, poor eye tracking, reading struggles, and more.
We talk about the moro reflex specifically, the startle reflex, and why it's one of the first things Josh checks in a kid who's anxious or easily triggered. We talk about his own family's story: a mold-contaminated house that triggered PANS in his son, Hashimoto's in his wife, and chronic fatigue in himself. And we talk about the tap water in the house he moved into this January, which tested with chlorine levels higher than a swimming pool.
Josh built an acronym for the five categories of stress most likely to disrupt a child's mitochondria: TIMED. Toxins, infections, mitochondrial disruptors, emotional stress, and diet. He also walks through why the recently relaxed motor milestone guidelines might be doing real damage, and what parents can actually do, starting today, if their child missed one.
If you're raising kids, or you have grandkids, nieces, nephews, or any child in your orbit, this conversation gives you a completely different way to see the next meltdown. And a much kinder one.
Timestamps
00:00 Mitochondria First
00:43 Meet Dr Josh Madsen
03:20 Josh Background And Clinics
05:11 What Is Functional Neurology
06:53 Neurodevelopmental Delays Basics
08:31 Motor Skills Unlock Cognition
10:02 Cerebellum And Coordination
12:14 Developmental Pyramid Explained
13:44 TIMED Autism Triggers
18:17 Audit Your Home Environment
21:05 Behavior Versus Biology
22:36 Mold PANS Parenting Lessons
28:17 Severe Cases And Common Mechanisms
29:57 Mitochondria And Recovery
31:55 Why Wait And See Fails
34:27 Early Intervention Basics
36:51 Primitive Reflexes Explained
39:00 Movement History Patterns
40:36 Environment Shapes Development
44:05 What Parents Should Watch
49:07 Older Kids Can Catch Up
51:42 Reduce Toxic Stressors
55:55 Where To Find Dr Madsen
57:14 Final Thanks And Subscribe
Links:
Dr. Josh Madsen: https://www.drjoshmadsen.com
Instagram: / drjoshmadsen
Infinity Neuromotor Development Centers: Johnston, IA / Edina, MN / Englewood, CO
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