The intricate connections between physics and modern medicine have been explored extensively through the groundbreaking work of endocrinologist Dr. Brian Fertig. Dr. Fertig encapsulates his comprehensive exploration in the first volume of “Metabolism and Medicine,” a two-part book series that covers a wide range of topics. He understands the complex interplay between metabolic processes, modern physics, and their implications for biological performance, medical care, and optimal health.
Volume 1 emphasizes applying thermodynamics to bioenergetics, highlighting the importance of understanding fundamental thermodynamic principles and how they relate to what goes on within living organisms. This perspective provides a data and science-based lens to gain insights into the intricate workings of biological systems, enabling researchers and medical practitioners to develop a deeper understanding of how energy is harnessed and utilized in various physiological processes. In Volume 1, Dr. Fertig establishes the link between mitochondrial dysfunction, excess heat, and chronic diseases of aging, presenting a deteriorating positive feedback loop accelerating aging. He provides medical professionals, nutritionists, and others with context and insights into the application and energy and force as they relate to metabolic processes.
Quantum biology, another focal point of Dr. Fertig’s exploration, offers a lens to examine the effects of electromagnetic fields on living systems. The theory of modern physics metabolism, discussed in Volume 1, explains the impact of these fields on biological entities, unraveling the mysteries of allometric scaling laws of physiology and shedding light on scaling patterns in metabolic processes across different species.
The volume delves into complexity and chaos theories and phase transitions, offering insights into the hierarchical, interconnected, and synchronized organization of living matter. By drawing on concepts from physics, Dr. Fertig contributes to creating an integrated representation of biological systems, emphasizing the interconnectedness of various physiological processes. He helps the reader see some of the deeper underlying connections within the body, broadening their understanding of humans as complex machines.
In Volume 2, Dr. Fertig focuses on the metabolic basis for developing chronic diseases of aging, exploring diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and cancers through the lens of the physiological landscape model. This model offers a conceptual framework for understanding the interactions of multiple parameters influencing health and disease. It emphasizes the synchronization of metabolism and fitness, highlighting three fundamental metabolic characteristics: redox, free energy, and acid-base balance. Dr. Fertig’s model illustrates how stress, deranged microbiota, disrupted redox, inflammation, insulin resistance, and perturbation of molecular clocks/circadian biology amplify each other cyclically. These all contribute to the physiological decline associated with the aging process.
In both volumes, Dr. Fertig’s interdisciplinary insights enhance problem-solving and critical thinking skills in medicine. By bridging the gap between modern physics and medicine, his work opens new avenues for understanding the complexities of biological systems. It provides a foundation for developing innovative approaches to healthcare. The synthesis of modern physics and medicine, exemplified by Dr. Fertig’s research, deepens our comprehension of fundamental biological processes and paves the way for novel interventions and therapies in modern medicine.