Stop Blaming Genetics for Your Health Problems
by Vin Miller
Many people who suffer from a disease or mental disorder surrender to the belief that their problem is hereditary, and as a result, they abandon any hope for improvement. Fortunately, genetics are only part of the equation and most people who consider themselves to be victims of heredity have the potential to live a much better life.
Some people even blame genetics for their unfavorable personality characteristics, and in turn, resign to living their life with limitation. Regardless of whether the problem is mental or physical, there are many things that can be done to improve the situation, and in a large majority of cases, heredity is a poor and unjustified excuse to accept a compromised quality of life.
We Don’t Have to Be Victims of Our Genetics
When faced with difficult and unfavorable circumstances, it’s easy to adopt the mentality of a victim and become dependent on the sympathy that may follow. As a result, some people embrace their problems as part of their identity and subconsciously refrain from making any effort to improve. Even when this doesn’t apply, many people simply give up hope too easily. In either case, the potential to live a more fulfilling and rewarding life is willingly surrendered.
Without making a sincere effort, it’s impossible to know how much potential there is for improvement, and blaming the problem on genetics makes it even easier to give up hope. With only one chance to experience the life you’re living, there’s far too much at stake to not put forth your best effort, even if the odds aren’t in your favor. Besides, being too accepting of your condition may create an environment that allows it to worsen.
Genetic Disorders vs Predisposition
While there are true genetic disorders that are caused by a single mutated gene, they affect less than 2% of the population. In fact, cancer and heart disease, the two leading causes of death in the United States, are commonly blamed on genetics, but only 5% of the cases can truly be attributed to heredity.
In contrast, heredity can indeed predispose many people to certain conditions, including cancer and heart disease, but unlike a true genetic disorder, it is environmental factors such as lifestyle that dictate the outcome of such a predisposition. Consider type 2 diabetes as an example. If there’s a history of it in your family, chances are that a high carbohydrate diet will cause you to develop it. If you do, you can choose to accept diabetes as your genetic fate, rely on insulin injections for the rest of your life, and continue to worsen your health by eating too much carbohydrate. Alternatively, you can realize that you have less tolerance for carbohydrates than most people, adjust your diet accordingly, and regain vibrant health.
It’s important to realize that there is a choice!
A Shift in the Understanding of Genetics
For a long time, science has regarded DNA as the undisputed master of human function, and this is one of the primary reasons why many of us are so willing to accept poor health as a consequence of faulty genetics. However, the completion of the Human Genome Project, which identified all of the genes that exist in human DNA, posed the need for a much different perspective. Based on the assumption that DNA is directly responsible for the complexity of human capabilities, scientists expected to identify well over 100,000 genes. To their surprise, only about 25,000 were identified!
To put the results of the Human Genome Project into perspective, the DNA of the Caenorhabditis genus of worms contains approximately 24,000 genes. Compared to the many trillions of cells that the human body consists of, these worms have fewer than 1,000 cells, but nearly the same number of genes! Research has also shown rodents to have roughly the same number of genes as humans. Based on these findings, genetics clearly has a much less significant influence on human function than previously believed.
How Lifestyle Influences Gene Expression
The DNA within each of our cells is surrounded by a sleeve of regulatory proteins that control the expression of each gene. The interaction between a cell and it’s external environment can cause a sequence of changes that alter the shape of protein molecules within the cell. These changes can restructure the sleeve of regulatory proteins surrounding the cell’s DNA and ultimately dictate gene expression.
Each cell in the human body is believed to have thousands of receptors embedded in it’s membrane, and in some cases, many more. They respond to substances such as hormones, nutrients, neurotransmitters, and even electromagnetic fields and other forms of vibrational energy. The activation of a receptor is what triggers the changes in intracellular proteins that can influence gene expression. Because lifestyle habits can have a strong influence on the substances and energy fields that activate cell receptors, they can also have a strong influence on gene expression.
Overcoming Genetic Predisposition With a Healthy Lifestyle
A large majority of us are born with genes that will support a long, happy and healthy life through the influence of a healthy lifestyle. In contrast, even today’s most threatening diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, typically result from unhealthy habits influencing the expression of multiple genes in an unfavorable way. As such, we all have the opportunity to prevent disease and improve our health by living a lifestyle that promotes favorable gene expression.
The food you eat, the emotions you foster, and the environment that you subject yourself to can all directly influence the expression of your genes. In turn, these factors can have a significant affect on your overall health and well being regardless of your genetic predisposition. If you needed more incentive to live a healthier lifestyle, this is it! In fact, you can get started right now by signing up for my free e-course.
The Biology of Belief
Much of the science in this article is based on the information from The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton PhD. In addition to providing additional detail about the importance and function of the cell membrane and it’s effect on gene expression, the book also goes into depth about emotions and thoughts being one of the significant environmental factors that can influence the outcome of your heredity.
This book is a must read for anyone who’s skeptical of the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, especially in regard to stress management and positive thinking. Based on my personal beliefs, I didn’t care much for the epilogue which strayed into a discussion of the universe and the existence of an afterlife, but it certainly didn’t detract from the value I gained from the book.
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Hi Vin, love this article because I really do agree that for so many years medical professionals focus too much on emphasizing to patients that their genetics are the reason why they get sick, and don’t focus enough time and education on prevention and real lifestyle changes that work.
Vin, wonderful article. My dad gave me that book but I haven’t read it yet. It looked “out there” to me. I might need to actually read it now.
I agree completely with your position here. Genes may significantly affect what you need to do, but they usually don’t control. You may tend to put on weight and that just means you can’t eat tons of crap like some people can who are genetically thin. If you don’t put the calories in and you exercise you won’t get fat unless you are an extreme exception. People blame it on their genes but in reality they are too lazy to do what it takes to overcome them. It’s part of the victim mentality.
Excellent points, Vin. I have friends suffering from autoimmune diseases, arthritis, etc., who point to their parents and say it’s all hereditary. Yes, genetics loads the gun. But environmental factors — diet chief among them — pull the trigger.
Thanks for the comments guys!
Raine – Yes, it’s a shame that some medical professionals propagate this notion and defer people from making an effort to improve their lifestyles. However, as more people become aware of the promise of natural and holistic methods for improving health, I am hopeful that this will change.
Stephen – You should definitely read it! There are some parts that are “out there”, but overall it’s a very informative read. Besides, even the “out there” parts are thought provoking.
Tom – I’m in the same position and I find it to be quite sad. In a way, I suppose it’s an excuse and that these people really don’t want to dig deep and make an effort for a better life. I have a hard time understanding why since there’s usually so much to gain and so little to lose, but I do my best to respect their choices.