Healthy is as healthy does
So you figure, 鈥淲hen my time is up, it蘑菇视频 up.鈥� Okay, well we aren鈥檛 going to debate whether you think your life is or is not controlled from above, but no matter how you slice it, we have choices every day, and every meal, and every bite of every snack.
That alone is good news. Now for the GREAT news鈥t turns out that the new science of epigenetics is confirming that our genes are not our fate.
One of my heroes, Dr. Dean Ornish puts it like this:
鈥溾�enetics does play an important role in health and well-being, and for some, more so than for others. However, in most cases, diet and lifestyle modifications can override genetics if you鈥檙e willing to make big enough changes. Most of the time, nurture trumps nature, but it蘑菇视频 not always easy.鈥�
What this means is that, we CAN exercise significant control over our individual health and lifespan, but no one is promising it will be easy. Is anything worthwhile easy? Perhaps for Wayne Gretzky, hockey came easy, but I will bet my house on the fact that he still worked at his talents to develop them鈥e just didn鈥檛 have to work nearly as hard as I did to develop my limited ice hockey success.
The point is that those of us with fortunate genes for physically fit bodies, normal blood pressure, healthy cholesterol etc, don鈥檛 need to be as diligent on our choices as those of us who have a natural tendency to store fat, to react badly to refined carbohydrates, and to prefer a donut to an apple. The only thing that matters is that we DO NOT have to let our genes run amok.
Many of us who experienced some level of overweight, high BP etc as adults, showed some signs when younger of being less than optimal: maybe we were chubby; maybe we were low energy; maybe we were moody or had brain fog when learning. These symptoms and many other 鈥渕aladies,鈥� while possibly due to genetic inevitability, were more likely triggered by an event, an ingested toxin, an emotional trauma, or even a false belief. Until one can honestly look at their triggers then or now, it is nearly impossible to know how much genes are or are not expressing through our body shape and our general well-being. So the point is TAKE CONTOL OF WHAT YOU CAN, and do not fret over what you cannot. Sound familiar? Serenity prayer?
Now, I don鈥檛 expect you to take my word alone for all of this. Read Dr. Ornish蘑菇视频 book 鈥淭he Spectrum鈥� for starters. Another renowned authority in this area is Dr. Bruce Lipton, who among his long list of accomplishments includes the books 鈥淭he Biology of Belief鈥� and 鈥淭he Honeymoon Effect鈥�; I highly recommend both books. Dr. Lipton describes in exquisite detail the science behind how we know for certain that our genes are not our fate. I am not in any way an expert in this area which probably better qualifies me to describe in layman蘑菇视频 terms the gist of the impressive science of epigenetics. In a nutshell, it turns out that our DNA is just a blueprint for cells to refer to when reproducing. If one removes the DNA from a cell, which has been done in the lab, the cell will continue to react, function and adapt, until it needs to reproduce worn out parts. This clearly shows that the DNA is not the source of 鈥渋ntelligence鈥� that determines the fate of our cells.
Furthermore, the DNA is initially covered with a sheath of a substance that blocks it from being read until environmental conditions, created by behavioral choices and thoughts, cause the body to expose them for reading 鈥� THIS is how we are not victims of our genes鈥ur diet, thoughts, and exercise habits directly affect the reading and expression of our genes. No doubt we have tendencies, as we are not all alike, but within those tendencies we have a great deal of control. How amazing is THAT??!!
Of course, if you read his book, 鈥淭he Biology of Belief,鈥� you can get the complete explanation.
One more of my favorite authors on this topic is Raymond Francis, author of 鈥淣ever Be Sick Again.鈥� I am a fan of his description of disease: There is only ONE, a sick cell. How does a cell get 鈥渟ick鈥�? Two pathways: deficiency and toxicity. These are the triggers that affect the expression of those neutral genes. According to Mr, Francis, these triggers have 6 pathways: Nutrition, toxins, psychological, genetic (predisposition but negotiable), physical and medical.
It is a fascinating read, and I believe his views are entirely consistent with the previous authors.
So this is why we pay attention to our diet, exercise, stress management, toxic exposure, etc. These are indisputably linked to whether we get sick, or enjoy high-level wellness.
Dr. Joel Fuhrman eloquently stated in the film 鈥淧rocessed People鈥� that 鈥渋f you do the same things as everyone else, you will get the same diseases as they do.鈥� The really great news is that the reverse is true: Make different (better) choices, and reap the benefits!
Until next time, do the best you can, and treat others as you鈥檇 like to be treated.
Happy New Year.