The Cell Danger Response

The Cell Danger Response: Why Your Cells Get Stuck in “Survival Mode”

Imagine your body as a neighbourhood. Each cell is like a house with its own power supply, waste management, and security system. Now imagine that one house catches fire. The alarm goes off, sprinklers drench everything, neighbours board up windows, and emergency vehicles block the street. That makes sense in the short term — it stops the fire from spreading.

But what if the alarm never shuts off? What if the neighbourhood stays locked down, even after the fire is gone?

This is essentially what happens in the Cell Danger Response (CDR), a concept developed by Dr. Robert Naviaux at the University of California, San Diego. It’s the body’s built-in emergency program, activated when cells sense danger — whether from infections, toxins, trauma, or even psychological stress.

The CDR is protective and life-saving in the short term. But when it doesn’t switch off properly, it can leave us “stuck” in survival mode, contributing to chronic illness, fatigue, autoimmunity, and even neuro-developmental issues .

Let’s explore how it works — and what we can do to help the body move from danger mode back into healing.

What Triggers the CDR?

Your mitochondria, the tiny “batteries” inside each cell, are also sentinels that constantly scan for threats. They detect when something isn’t right:

• Biological threats: viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites

• Chemical threats: heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic), pesticides, plastics (like BPA), industrial pollutants

• Physical threats: radiation, heat shock, low oxygen, trauma

• Psychological threats: stress and trauma, which have measurable biochemical impacts on the body

When danger is detected, mitochondria flip a metabolic switch. Instead of focusing on growth and energy production, they shift resources into defense mode: stiffening cell membranes, releasing warning signals, producing reactive oxygen species (ROS), and slowing down energy output .

This state is called the acute Cell Danger Response, and it has eight hallmark features, including activating the immune system, releasing antimicrobial chemicals, and even altering your sleep and social behavior to encourage rest and recovery .

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The Three Stages of the Healing Cycle

Naviaux’s research breaks the CDR into three phases, which together form the natural healing cycle .

1. CDR1 – Defence and Containment

   • Dominated by glycolysis (sugar burning).

   • Purpose: detect invaders, contain damage, and activate innate immunity.

   • Cells release “danger signals” like ATP outside the cell to warn neighbours.

   • Energy is diverted away from growth and toward survival.

2. CDR2 – Repair and Regeneration

   • Characterised by aerobic glycolysis (sometimes called the Warburg effect). This is the mechanism that causes you to crash after exercise.

   • Purpose: rebuild lost tissue and replace damaged cells.

   • Instead of making ATP, mitochondria release building blocks for new proteins, DNA, and membranes.

   • If this stage doesn’t progress, it can lead to unchecked proliferation.

3. CDR3 – Restoration and Connection

   • Characterised by oxidative phosphorylation (normal mitochondrial energy production).

   • Purpose: stop dividing, reconnect with neighbouring cells, and return to normal specialised function.

   • Anti-inflammatory processes take over; full healing occurs.

If the healing cycle gets stuck at any stage, chronic illness may result. For example, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) appears to reflect a hypometabolic “siege state” where the CDR never fully resolves .

Why the CDR Gets “Stuck”

In an ideal world, once the threat is neutralised, cells would switch off the alarm and move into healing. But in modern life, constant triggers — environmental toxins, chronic infections, poor diet, unresolved stress — can keep the CDR looping and lead to:

• Chronic inflammation.

• Fatigue and brain fog.

• Autoimmune disease.

• Mood and neurodevelopmental disorders.

• Accelerated aging.

Supporting Recovery: What Helps Turn Off the CDR?

Here’s where things get interesting. Naviaux’s work shows that sometimes our well-meaning interventions — like loading up on antioxidants, vitamin D, or B12 — might actually interfere with what the body is trying to do in early stages of the CDR .

So the key is timing and context. Different supports may be appropriate depending on whether someone is stuck in CDR1, CDR2, or CDR3.

Potential Supports and Supplements

• Mitochondrial nutrients: magnesium, CoQ10, B vitamins (though folate/B12 may not always be tolerated in early stages).

• Phospholipids: One of the most beneficial supplements I have found in clinical practice is phospholipids, in particular BodyBio PC (yes it is horrifically expensive, but it will last almost 3 months and actually works!). You can also get it in capsule form too for a cheaper price.

• Adaptogens: herbs like ashwagandha or rhodiola can help regulate stress responses and energy.

• Omega-3 fatty acids: Omega 3’s support membrane repair and anti-inflammatory balance

• Polyphenols, curcumin and resveratrol all help modulate inflammation without bluntly shutting down ROS signalling

• Amino acids: glycine and taurine: support detoxification and membrane stability. Glycine is also wonderful for supporting sleep.

• Lifestyle salugens (as Naviaux calls them):

  • Regular exercise (when tolerated)

  • Deep, restorative sleep

  • Psychological safety and stress reduction (meditation, therapy, community support)

  • Limiting toxin exposure (clean water, air filters, organic food when possible)

In some studies, anti-purinergic therapy (such as the drug suramin) has shown promise in “unsticking” the CDR by blocking danger signalling pathways . While not yet widely available, this research points to future therapies that could help reset the healing cycle.

Final Thoughts

The Cell Danger Response reframes chronic illness not as a failure, but as the body’s ancient survival program working overtime. It explains why so many different diseases — from autism to autoimmunity to chronic fatigue — share overlapping features.

Healing, then, isn’t just about fighting infections or suppressing symptoms. It’s about helping the body feel safe enough to complete the healing cycle and return to balance.

Supporting your mitochondria with the right nutrients, lowering your toxin load, and cultivating safety — both physical and emotional — may be the keys to finally turning off the alarm.

References

Robert K Naviaux (2020) Perspective: Cell danger response Biology-The new science that connects environmental health with mitochondria and the rising tide of chronic illness, Mitochondrion:51:40-45 (click here)

Robert K Naviaux (2014) Metabolic features of the cell danger response, Mitochondrion: 7-17 (click here)