I recently listened to some groundbreaking new research coming out on what may be a major root cause of benzodiazepine injury: "Mitochondrial TSPO and Benzos: An Interview w/ Dr. Guo" hosted by the Benzodiazepine Information Coalition.

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I wanted to break this down in a way that’s easy to understand, because I think this information could help a lot of people finally make sense of what is actually happening inside the body during and after benzodiazepine use.

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For a long time, benzodiazepines were understood mostly through their effects on GABA receptors in the brain. But this interview introduced something much deeper, and honestly, something shocking: the role of TSPO.

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What is TSPO and Why Does It Matter?

TSPO, previously called the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor, is a highly conserved protein found throughout the body in humans, mammals, plants, and even bacteria. It lives directly on the mitochondria, and its job is incredibly important.

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What researchers are now understanding is that TSPO acts as an enzyme with a protective function. It helps convert a molecule called protoporphyrin 9 into biliverdin, which is a powerful antioxidant. This entire process helps regulate Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS).

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Understanding ROS and Oxidative Stress

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ROS are harmful chemical compounds that naturally form in the body, especially in the mitochondria when cells are producing energy. In healthy amounts, the body can manage them. But when ROS levels become uncontrolled, they create massive oxidative stress.

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And oxidative stress can lead to:

• Mitochondrial damage
• Chronic inflammation
• Neuronal degeneration and cell death
• Brain fog and severe fatigue
• Intense anxiety
• Potentially long term neurological injury

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The Benzo Connection: Cellular Sabotage

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What’s crucial here is that benzodiazepines bind directly to TSPO.

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According to this research, when benzos bind to TSPO, they inhibit its protective enzyme function. In other words, they completely interfere with the body’s innate ability to control oxidative stress.

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The result? Reactive oxygen species begin accumulating unchecked. Mitochondria become damaged, neural cells begin dying, and inflammation spikes. Over time, this can create symptom clusters that look strikingly similar to long COVID, traumatic brain injury, chronic fatigue syndromes, and neurodegenerative illness.

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Turning to Food as Medicine

Toward the end of the interview, Dr. Guo suggested targeted antioxidant support through colorful vegetables and fruits, along with antioxidant vitamins like Vitamin C and Vitamin E. As we all know in this community, we have to be incredibly careful with supplements and just make sure that we’re not being triggered. Because of that, the safest and best way to get these vitamins is directly through food sources.

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Colorful vegetables and fruits contain natural pigments and compounds that act as antioxidants. What this doctor is alluding to is that these food based antioxidants help counteract the excess reactive oxygen species that build up when TSPO is being inhibited by benzodiazepines.

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The moment he started talking about colorful vegetables, antioxidants, mitochondrial support, and oxidative stress, I knew one of the protocols that I had just started, The Wahls Protocol, was the absolute right direction.

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Connecting the Dots: My Healing Journey

If you aren't familiar with it, Dr. Terry Wahls developed severe MS, which is also deeply connected to mitochondrial dysfunction. She ended up confined to a wheelchair. But after diving into the science of mitochondria and nutrition, she created a very specific, paleo based protocol focused entirely on feeding and supporting mitochondrial health. Over time, she went from being wheelchair bound to traveling the world.

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I first learned about her work years ago after I sustained a structural brain injury. I started reading everything I could about how to heal the brain, including her work around nutrition and mitochondria. I remember reading a book called How to Feed a Brain, which was written by a man who suffered a horrific structural brain injury and made an incredible recovery. I did the diet back then, and looking back now, it was absolutely helping me.

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Not only was it helping my brain injury symptoms, it was helping me heal from protracted antidepressant withdrawal. But at the time, I didn’t fully connect the dots. Eventually I stopped the protocol because family visited me in Florida, we slid back toward a standard American diet, and that’s when things started to go south for me. I just didn't realize the correlation at the moment.

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But after listening to this interview and understanding TSPO, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial injury more clearly, I knew my decision to restart the Wahls Protocol was right for me.

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An Early Update on My Progress:

Since I started this protocol, my inflammation is already starting to go down! I am in the very early stages, so I will keep you posted on my progress, as well as how things are going with another treatment I am doing that I have not shared publicly yet.

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What the Wahls Protocol Focuses On

What this protocol fundamentally does is flood the body with nutrients that support mitochondrial function and reduce the oxidative burden on the body.

It emphasizes:

• Deeply nutrient dense foods
• High amounts of colorful vegetables rich in antioxidants
• Sulfur rich vegetables
• Omega 3 fats and quality proteins
• The total removal of inflammatory processed foods

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Bio-Individuality: Finding What Works for You

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I also want to mention that for some people, ketogenic or carnivore style diets can also be extremely helpful because they tend to lower inflammation and oxidative stress as well. Many people report improvements in neurological symptoms, blood sugar stability, energy production, and inflammation when using those approaches.

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And honestly, I’m personally a huge fan of those diets. I definitely lean heavily into meat and animal protein in my own healing.

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But I’ve also learned that bio individuality matters.

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For me personally, when I stay strictly carnivore long term, I eventually stop digesting fats properly around the 3 to 6 month mark. So while I think carnivore and keto can be incredibly therapeutic for some people, I found that a more paleo style approach works better for my individual body.

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Healing Takes Time (Don't Quit Too Early)

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If you decide to try a protocol like this, you cannot expect immediate results and then stop after a few weeks.

• Mitochondrial healing takes time.
• Reducing oxidative stress takes consistency.
• Inflammation patterns that have existed for months or years do not reverse overnight.

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A lot of people quit too early, before the body has had enough time to stabilize, replenish nutrients, regulate inflammation, and begin repairing cellular damage. That’s why staying on the protocol beyond 100 days matters. The body needs sustained support long enough for the mitochondria and nervous system to begin adapting and recovering. Especially when the nervous system has been under prolonged chemical stress, healing tends to happen gradually, layer by layer.

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An Important Disclaimer

Please make sure you genuinely feel ready to follow a structured diet consistently before starting. Personally, it took me 2 years into BIND before I was able to start carnivore with the help of caretakers, but I now have enough capacity within me to manage my own diet being at 54 months into BIND. And also be very considerate of your own food sensitivities, MCAS or histamine issues, digestive problems, medication interactions, and overall nervous system tolerance.

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For example:

• I personally stay away from raw vegetables because my digestion struggles to break them down properly.
• I avoid vegetables and fruits that are high in histamine because of my own sensitivities.
• I completely avoid grapefruit because of its known interactions with many psychiatric medications and nervous system drugs.

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This is not about forcing yourself into a rigid, one size fits all diet. It’s about learning how to support your mitochondria and reduce oxidative stress in a way that your individual body can actually tolerate and sustain.

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For me, hearing this research connected pieces I had not fully understood before. Now, understanding the role TSPO may play in all of this, those connections make even more sense.

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One Love,

Malissa