We have a energy crisis. I’m not talking about fossil fuels or the power grid. I’m talking about you.
Why is it that modern humans are more tired, more foggy, and more cold than ever before, despite having access to unlimited calories? We eat enough “fuel” (food), yet our batteries seem constantly drained.
According to the Chada-Maxwell Spinal Generator Theory, the answer isn’t that you aren’t eating enough. It’s that your generator isn’t getting the motion it needs to run.
You are suffering from a phenomenon known in engineering as Parasitic Damping.
The Spine is a Generator
First, a quick recap: My research proposes that the human spine acts as a Maxwell Body—a fluid-filled shock absorber. Every time your heel hits the ground, that impact energy travels up your legs and compresses your spine. This compression drives a “piston” (the spinal cord) through a “cylinder” (the dura mater), generating friction heat and electrical potential.
This is how we stay warm. This is how we charge our nervous system. We harvest the energy of gravity.
But for a generator to work, the energy has to actually reach it.
What is Parasitic Damping?
In mechanical engineering, “damping” is the absorption of energy.
- Good Damping: The spine converting shock into useful heat/electricity.
- Parasitic Damping: Something else absorbing that shock before it reaches the spine.
Think of it like a solar panel. The spine is the panel. Parasitic damping is the shade tree blocking the sun. If you have too much shade, the kinetic energy of walking never makes it to the spinal generator. It gets absorbed, wasted, and lost.
Here are the three biggest Energy Dampeners stealing your vitality.
Parasite #1: Visceral Fat (Or Backpacks)
We know obesity is bad for the heart, but physics tells us it’s catastrophic for the spine—and not just because of the weight.
Fat (adipose tissue) is viscoelastic. It is squishy. It absorbs vibration. If you wrap a tuning fork in bubble wrap and strike it, it won’t ring. It produces a dull thud.
When you have significant visceral fat (belly fat), you are wrapping your spinal generator in biological bubble wrap. When you walk, the shockwave that should travel up your spine to vibrate the meninges and generate electricity is instead absorbed by the fat.
The Result: The spine creates no resonance. The generator idles. You feel lethargic not just because you are heavy, but because your power plant has been muffled.
Parasite #2: Cushioned Running Shoes
Look at your feet. Are you wearing thick, foam-soled sneakers? “Air” soles? “Cloud” foam?
Marketing tells us this cushioning “protects the joints.” Physics tells us it starves the spine.
To drive the spinal piston, we need Ground Reaction Force. We need the earth to push back. When you walk barefoot on concrete, you feel a sharp impact. That impact is energy! It shoots up the leg, engages the glutes, and compresses the spine, cranking the generator.
When you wear a soft, squishy shoe, the foam absorbs that energy. It dissipates the ground reaction force before it ever enters your body.
The Result: You walk 10,000 steps, but your spine only “feels” the energy of 2,000. You are doing the work, but the shoe is stealing the payment.
Parasite #3: The Chair
This is the ultimate parasite.
The Chada-Maxwell Generator relies on the reciprocal tension between the head (Crista Galli) and the tailbone (Filum Terminale). It needs the spine to be a taut string to transmit vibration.
When you sit, you put the pelvis in flexion. You introduce slack into the system. You turn off the tension. A slack rope cannot transmit a wave.
The Result: Even if you bounce your leg or fidget in your chair, the energy dissipates in the slack of your lower back. The generator is disconnected.
Reclaiming Your Energy
If you feel tired, cold, or brain-fogged, stop looking for a caffeine fix. Look at your mechanics.
- Lose the Muffle: Losing weight isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about removing the insulation from your engine so it can vibrate freely.
- Ditch the Pillows: Try minimalist footwear. Let your skeleton feel the ground. Reconnect the wires to the earth.
- Stand Up: Restore the tension. Align the generator with gravity.
Your body is a machine designed to harvest the world. Stop letting parasites steal your power.
Dr. Chada is the author of The Chada-Maxwell Spinal Generator, available now.