Good Energy

Means, a physician trained in surgery who left conventional medicine disillusioned with its focus on treating symptoms rather than causes, argues that a single underlying problem — dysfunctional cellular energy production, rooted in poor metabolic health — connects diseases that modern medicine treats as separate: obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, infertility, Alzheimer's, even some cancers. She calls this shared root cause a crisis of bad energy, and estimates that the vast majority of American adults already show some sign of metabolic dysfunction, often without knowing it.

The book's urgency comes from Means's claim that this crisis is largely invisible to standard medical care: normal lab ranges are wide enough to miss early metabolic dysfunction for years, while ultra-processed food, sedentary living, circadian disruption, and chronic stress quietly erode the mitochondria's ability to produce clean, usable energy. Her proposed remedy blends continuous glucose monitoring, dietary change, and lifestyle redesign aimed at restoring metabolic flexibility before disease sets in.

Who should read it

Anyone frustrated by a doctor's visit that ends in a prescription rather than an explanation will find Means's root-cause framing compelling, especially readers managing prediabetes, weight, energy, or mood issues that haven't resolved with standard care. It's written for a general audience, not clinicians, though it does ask readers to engage with some biochemistry.

About the author

Casey Means is an American physician who trained in head and neck surgery at Stanford before leaving traditional medicine to co-found a metabolic health company; she writes and speaks widely on nutrition and preventive medicine.