The Cellular ‘Danger Mode’ Keeping You Sick (And How to Escape It)

The Dr. Josh Axe Show

Dr. Josh Axe

Religion & Spirituality, Health & Fitness, Christianity

4.9 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 27 May 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

What if your fatigue, brain fog, or chronic symptoms aren’t a malfunction—but a misunderstood survival mechanism? In this episode, you'll learn... What the Cell Danger Response is and why it's triggered by infection, trauma, or toxins. Why your body might be stuck in survival mode—and how that explains persistent fatigue, pain, or brain fog. How mitochondria signal danger and what it means when ATP becomes an alarm. The three phases of CDR: Defense, Repair, and Reintegration—and what it takes to move forward. How healing involves safety, not force: through trauma work, detox, red light therapy, and mitochondrial support. A hopeful framework for chronic illness that connects the dots between autoimmune disease, long COVID, autism, and more ------ 0:00 Introduction 1:15 Cell Danger Response 2:48 ATP Release Issues 5:38 Phase 1: Danger Detection 8:07 Phase 2: Cell Defense 9:10 Phase 3: Recovery & Healing 9:55 Job of Mitochondria 11:10 Biggest Symptoms of CDR 13:10 Common Conditions Linked to CDR 16:52 Bloodwork Ad 18:12 Steps to Healing from CDR 35:10 Outro ------ Want more of The Dr. Josh Axe Show? Subscribe to the YouTube channel. Follow Dr. Josh Axe Instagram Twitter Facebook TikTok Website ------ Staying healthy in today's world is an upstream battle. Subscribe to Wellness Weekly, your 5-minute dose of sound health advice to help you grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. Every Wednesday, you'll get: Holistic health news & life-hacks from a biblical world view Powerful free resources including classes, Q&As, and guides from Dr. Axe The latest episodes of The Dr. Josh Axe Show Submit your questions via voice memo to be featured on the show → speakpipe.com/drjoshaxe Links: https://aonm.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Cell-Danger-Response-IHCAN.pdf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u028TAyB9S4 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10427836/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6627909/ https://tacanow.org/family-resources/medical-article-common-medical-issues/the-cell-danger-response-in-autism/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567724919302922 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567724918301053 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567724913002390 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028390815002129 https://watermark.silverchair.com/gkv1003.pdf https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(17)30428-X https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022356524183231 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567724918301053 https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1607571113 https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/8/2/27 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11336094/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39495479/ https://advancedbrain.com/blog/the-listening-program-safe-signal-cell-danger-response/ https://ncintegrative.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Cell-Danger-Response-KING.pdf https://www.nature.com/articles/s41433-024-03091-4 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7735836/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7963035/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5859128/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4988248/ ------ Ads: Even if your bloodwork looks "normal," your symptoms could point to Cell Danger Response (CDR). Discover how to break free from CDR and unlock your full potential at https://beyondbloodwork.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Ready to launch your business? Get started with the commerce platform made for entrepreneurs. Shopify is specially designed to help you start, run and grow your business with easy customizable themes that let you build your brand, marketing tools that get your products out there. Integrated shipping solutions that actually save you time. From startups to scaleups, online, in person, and on the go. Shopify is made for
0:22.8	entrepreneurs like you. Sign up for your $1 a month trial at Shopify.com slash setup.
0:29.7	What if your fatigue, brain fog, or chronic symptoms aren't because your body's broken,
0:35.1	but because it's stuck in defense mode. In this episode,
0:39.0	I'll be diving into one of the most important and overlooked breakthroughs in chronic illness and
0:43.1	healing, the cell danger response, also known as CDR. Now, whether you're a practitioner, a patient,
0:49.3	or someone who's felt off for a long time without answers, this episode is going to help you
0:53.9	reframe illness as a
0:55.4	process, not a failure, and also understand your body is trying to send you a signal. Welcome to
1:01.7	the Dr. Joshak Show.
1:22.4	Welcome to The Dr. Joshak Show. I was recently speaking at an event in Florida.
1:27.1	And I had somebody come up to me and tell me, Dr. Rax, I believe I was vaccine injured.
1:28.4	They said I have had long COVID symptoms for over two years now. I've tried numerous therapies. I've been doing infrared
1:33.3	sauna. I've changed my diet. And I'm still not healing and getting better. Why is this?
1:39.6	Well, what I shared with them is what the new science is saying about something called cell danger response,
1:44.7	which is your cells protective mechanism against threats like infections, toxins, trauma,
1:51.1	or even emotional stress. And the CDR, pioneered by Dr. Robert Naval, explains what happens
1:58.7	when cells get stuck in survival mode.
2:01.5	Now, during this response, cells shift from growth in connection and regeneration to defense and isolation.
2:09.8	And this model is changing how we understand everything from chronic fatigue and long COVID, even to autism, autoimmune disease, and anxiety. And here's a reality,
2:19.7	your body isn't failing to heal. It's waiting for all clear signals that it's never received.
2:26.4	So imagine like this person who came up to me where their body has some lingering, let's say,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dr. Josh Axe, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Dr. Josh Axe and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.