Celebrating National Wellness Month with the Science of Good Energy: Reclaim Your Health!
By Stacey Turner, SLP and Vice President of Operations
As we enter National Wellness Month this August, the focus turns to a vital question: What does it truly mean to be well in today’s world? In the face of rising chronic illness and mental fatigue, the concept of “wellness” can no longer remain vague or cosmetic. Dr. Casey Means, physician and metabolic health expert, delivers a groundbreaking answer in her best-selling book Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health. Her thesis? True wellness begins at the cellular level – with energy.
From Symptom Management to Root-Cause Health
In Good Energy, Means argues that modern medicine often focuses too heavily on symptom management rather than root-cause resolution. She critiques the fragmented, reactive nature of the healthcare system, emphasizing the need for a more proactive, systems-based approach that promotes resilience, not just survival.
Central to her philosophy is metabolic health – how efficiently and cleanly our bodies convert food and oxygen into usable energy. When cells are inflamed or insulin-resistant, they struggle to produce energy, leading to fatigue, brain fog, mood disorders and eventually chronic disease. According to Means, more than 90% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy, making this not just a personal issue, but a public health crisis.
Wellness as Energy: A Paradigm Shift
National Wellness Month is a time to re-evaluate our habits and assumptions about health. Good Energy proposes a powerful shift: Stop viewing wellness as an aesthetic or luxury, and instead, understand it as the foundation for human thriving. Vitality, focus and emotional well-being are all downstream of well-functioning mitochondria and metabolic pathways.
Dr. Means provides a framework of interventions that are both accessible and evidence-based:
- Nourishment over restriction- A diet rooted in whole, unprocessed foods to support blood sugar stability and mitochondrial health.
- Movement as medicine– Regular physical activity that reduces insulin resistance and improves energy flow at the cellular level.
- Sleep and circadian rhythm alignment– prioritizing rest as a non-negotiable pillar of wellness.
- Nervous system regulation – Managing stress through breathwork, mindfulness and emotional awareness to reduce cellular inflammation.
These tools are not fads- they are rooted in human biology and reinforced by emerging research in longevity and systems medicine.
Wellness as a Collective Responsibility
Crucially, Good Energy goes beyond the individual. Dr. Means calls for a rethinking of the environments we live in – our food systems, health policies, urban planning and even technology use. She reminds us that “we are not broken; we are living in a system that’s disconnected from real health”. As we honor National Wellness Month, her message reminds me that real change requires both personal empowerment and structural reform.
As healthcare professionals committed to improving the lives of patients, we usually go above and beyond. National Wellness Month is the perfect time to refocus on what keeps us healthy, energized and resilient.
Thank you for everything you do to care for others. This month, let’s celebrate the importance of caring for YOU!
Stay well,
Stacey
