Genetics is a very scary topic. It makes people feel like victims within their own bodies producing “lifetime sentences” of disease and death. It has lead to the “justification” for lifetime renewable prescriptions for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and many other conditions. Many doctors have helped remove the “guilt” from patients by misinforming them their condition(s) was based on family genetics and therefore, “out of their control.” It has even lead to the willful choice of mastectomy by some women without the clinical presence of ANY breast disease. This article is NOT WRITTEN IN JUDGEMENT. It is written to provide additional information to help people understand the role of genetics and the role the consumer plays in altering their effects.
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GENETIC PREDISPOSITION VERSUS GENETIC DEFECT.
GENETIC PREDISPOSITION: “A genetic predisposition (sometimes also called genetic susceptibility) is an increased likelihood of developing a particular condition based on a person’s genetic makeup.”
GENETIC DEFECT: “Is the END RESULT of abnormal genetic coding necessary for healthy gene expression.
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Most of us are familiar with the term GENE, but most do not know the factors responsible for making a gene EXPRESS itself (ex. possibility of baldness) or remaining UNEXPRESSED (ex. possibility of avoiding cancer.) A new science called EPIGENETICS is exploring the science explaining the various factors that turn genes “ON” and turn them “OFF.” These factors include environmental and other external factors that leave our genes UNALTERED, yet provide information to the body determining whether these genes should express themselves or not.
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Why is this relevant?
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It can explain scientifically why LIFESTYLE has so much influence over health and disease even if a person has a genetic predisposition. For example, you may have heard that broccoli is a vegetable containing properties that “fight cancer.” In simple terms, this means that broccoli provides INFORMATION directing the genetics in our cells to coordinate and maintain integrity, function and ultimately CELLULAR DEATH. 50-70 BILLION CELLS PER DAY are supposed to die in an orderly manner. If this natural process is impeded, GENES keep cells living beyond their ability to maintain healthy function. This extension of life is a genetic mechanism that causes cancer. Processed foods, genetically modified foods, and those containing antibiotics, pesticides, hormones and other residues destroy healthy cells (before their normal lifespan) interfering with NORMAL GENETIC PROTECTION resulting in disease and death.
Our growing Medical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Industries are not creating better, healthier and longer quality living. By showing how one food source (broccoli) vs processed foods has the capability of preventing abnormal genetic EXPRESSION, I hope the reader can see how important a role food plays in the health and disease of the body. There are many other factors associated with LIFESTYLE that regulate the “ON” and “OFF” expression of our genes. The more we are willing to participate in the process of supplying our bodies the INFORMATION needed to becoming healthy, the less reliant we will be on a system more interested in MANDATING HEALTH INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS than providing education and resources needed to maintaining GOOD HEALTH.
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What LIFESTYLE factors (in addition to food) provide GENETIC INFORMATION?:
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Physical Exercise (resistive, cardio, stretching, yoga, pilates, etc…)
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Emotional Exercise (restoring balance and calmness)
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Social Engagement (a sub component of emotional exercise)
With this understanding of genetics, it might be easier to see why each person needs to become more involved in his or her own health if quality and healthy outcomes are desired goals. Pharmaceutical Drugs will NEVER be able to replace the INFORMATION needed for the body to function properly. They may act as tools to help the body overcome temporary obstacles, but they will never provide the COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION necessary to prevent disease and promote HEALTHY LIVING.
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PROVIDING INFORMATION TO THE BODY TO MAINTAIN HEALTHY GENE EXPRESSION IS UP TO EACH ONE OF US!
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WE HAVE MORE CONTROL OVER OUR OWN HEALTH AND DESTINY THAN WE GIVE OURSELVES CREDIT FOR!
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All About Healthy Choices 
Excellent post, once again, Jonathan! I get a lot of encouragement out of reading these. They serve as weekly reminders to keep fighting that fight for health and not look for excuses. It has to involve a tremendous amount of work to put these together. (I know how much time I spend on mine)
I love that you are focusing on food, exercise, emotional health and social engagement here. All are important!
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With so many people’s cups already overflowing with stress and daily responsibilities, I try to provide information to help people realize SELF IMPORTANCE. If people do not recognize and believe in this concept, there is no motivation to improve attitudes and behaviors regarding healthy living. Showing people the importance of BALANCING tangible physical aspects of health (exercise and proper nutrition) along with intangible emotional aspects (worry, fear, anger) helps people realize the complexity of human health. Anyone believing overcoming an obstacle creates a clear path indefinitely, has much to learn. The object is simply to minimize the frequency and range of volatility experienced. This becomes significantly more difficult if a person does not recognize SELF IMPORTANCE. I hope my information helps people achieve these goals.
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I hope so too!
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Reblogged this on Mindfulness Living and commented:
Reblog from DoctorJonathan…indepth science information about our genes and concrete steps we can take to live a healthy lifestyle.
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Thank you so much for sharing this message. Spreading knowledge enables more people seeking answers to pursue desired pathways. This is a big part of my message which I relay through the topic of HEALTHY CHOICES.
I appreciate you willingness to participate with comments that adds value to the posts. It stimulates dialogue among readers and adds perspectives that offer ideas for people to incorporate and improve the quality of their lives.
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So true reading the comment section whether on here or newspaper or online is one of my fav parts to get a view of what others perspectives are
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I remember having a similar conversation with a cousin years ago, when she said that because her dad (my uncle) had diabetes, we were all going to get it. She was adamant that it was in our family’s DNA. I got tested after and was relieved to find out that I could easily manage my underlying autoimmune issues instead of worrying about future symptoms. There are things we can’t undo in our DNA but with knowledge comes the power to make lifelong changes.
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Your comment is important because people need to understand the differences between genetic PREDISPOSITION and genetic DEFECT. The human body is inherently HEALTHY, not DISEASED. Genetic defects are exceptions that often require various treatments to attain and maintain a healthy status. Genetic predisposition creates a need to follow a certain LIFESTYLE to avoid the EXPRESSION of an undesirable trait. This is the LARGER COMPONENT of genetic variations and the component the consumer has the greatest ability to control (if they accept responsibility to do so.) Unfortunately most traditional allopaths “exclude” this choice as a health care OPTION for the patient in favor of traditional choices to maintain chronic diseases. What ever happened to “FULL DISCLOSURE” and “INFORMED CONSENT?”
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Exactly right. Thankfully, I have very good doctors who don’t like me taking medication (or any surgical intervention for that matter) unless it’s absolutely necessary. They are happy to NOT prescribe medication. They are doing an amazing job and so are you.
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Glad to hear you are in such capable hands. There are many good doctors in this world providing great benefit to many patients.
Thank you for the much appreciated compliment.
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Knowledge is (em)power(ment)….thank you for demystifying so many medical mysteries, and continuing to give us all a fighting chance…you are so hope-inspiring…thank you :).
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Love the “Knowledge is(em)power(ment)” statement. Knowledge, however, is only the first part of the equation. KNOWLEDGE without ACTION STEPS yields “intelligent” UNHEALTHY people! SELF VALUE is a hidden concept that needs to be brought to the “front of the line.” Those who truly experience this concept do not follow paths of self destruction. Improved SELF VALUE leads to a MINDSET capable of taking KNOWLEDGE and creating ACTION STEPS. It is my belief this approach can positively impact countless lives. Hopefully, your thoughtful comments inspire people to re-evaluate their lives and begin this transformation.
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Excellent point….I love “intelligent” unhealthy people reality…you are so right, it is one thing to know, and another to do! And, Self Value….brilliant! That is the key 🙂 Thank you for elaborating and clarifying–thus capturing all that fuels a focus on self-care 🙂
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Oh no! You took away my favorite excuse for why cinnamon rolls travel straight to my thighs! Just kidding…well, not kidding entirely because I love this excuse, but yes, in the spirit of honesty it is just that — an excuse. I’m very intrigued by the idea that we can give our cells the “information” it needs to make us healthy. I hadn’t known of this before. It has always been taught to me that genes are genes and we are already programmed to die some way or another. But this just affirms that we have more control of our lives than we realize. Thank you, Doctor!
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The purpose of my site is twofold:
1. To help create new awareness
2. To show people how to use this information (if they choose) to transform their lives.
Why is information I share not “common knowledge?” Providing TOOLS to people to become more self sufficient and healthier in the process isn’t a lucrative business. It removes the myths and reliance on external factors that control our behavior and our thinking. If more people accepted responsibility for their health and took the ACTION STEPS necessary to attain AND maintain GOOD HEALTH, many BIG BUSINESSES would suffer great financial losses. Our health care delivery system is not about to work toward reducing profits to achieve a healthier nation. Accepting this reality, it becomes the individual’s responsibility to decide whether they VALUE good health enough to live a LIFESTYLE that achieves this outcome.
I would like to believe the information I share helps those accepting this responsibility to achieve this desired goal.
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For years I had an opinion that genetics play an important role in people’s health and well-being. And I still do to some extent. But this post is now making me rethink and reflect on the possibilities of genetic influences. I tend to eat less sweets as I am scared I might contract diabetes at a later stage (both my parents are suffering from it!) Your article does help me understand a whole lot of issues better that could or could not be related to genes.
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I wrote this article because I realized so many people believed that genetic predisposition (factors) CONTROLLED the outcomes in our lives regardless of personal ACTIONS. This is NOT factually accurate. Genes can INFLUENCE, but our lifestyles can modulate the expression of a gene. This means we can CONTROL (to a much larger extent) the genetic outcomes. The concept of LIFESTYLE providing INFORMATION to the cells of our bodies is scientifically being proven over and over again as I write this response. Living an unhealthy lifestyle provides the detrimental INFORMATION on a genetic level that leads to the expression of DISEASE. Healthy living provides the beneficial INFORMATION to SUPPORT healthy cellular activity EVEN IF a person has a family history and or genetic predisposition. It all comes down to a choice of which path a person decides to follow.
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This is really helpful for me to understand it better! That’s why I try my best to avoid sugary foods. At least this can help me prevent inheriting few family ailments. Thank you doctor😃
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What a great post. It reiforces the basic message of the blog – healthy choices can make a real difference.
Never thought of genes acting in this way (On/Off). It is a great way to explain how eating healthier foods can prolong or even avoid the activation of unwanted illness.
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Glad to see the message behind this post was clearly understood. The typical healthy components I write about (including food) ALL CONTRIBUTE to the On/Off concept capable of protecting our health from unwanted gene EXPRESSION.
As I edited this article, I spent hours reducing the wording and clinical explanation hoping not to lose the meaning and relevance of the role each individual plays in gene expression. LIFESTYLE, once again, proves itself the dominant player in better health.
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Excellent post and the fairly new science about epigenetics is very important to get across. When I studied veterinary medicine genetics and environmental influences were two separate things. As it happens it was not true and with epigenetics even environmentally induced changes can to some extent be inherited. Exciting science. However, your assertion that GM foods can influence our cell death rate is not based on science. Don’t get me wrong. I am not a supporter of the GM technology but mainly for environmental reasons. Development of super weeds and lack of biodiversity. But the technology should be fought on just terms. Minor point in an otherwise very informative blog.
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Thank you for taking the time to comment. I also appreciate you sharing your understanding of GM science. I would respectfully, however, disagree with your assertion that cell death is not based on science. I refer you to the Journal of Applied Toxicology (February 15, 2012) and the article entitled, “Cytotoxicity on human cells of Cry 1Ab and Cry 1AC Bt insecticidal toxins alone or with a glyphosate-based herbicide.” It explains that “Insecticidal Bt toxins such as those produced in genetically engineered plants can be detrimental to human cells. Researchers at the University of Caen (France) showed that toxins produced in, for example, the genetically engineered maize MON810, can significantly impact the viability of human cells.”
The bigger picture points to the ongoing controversy and special interests supporting the suppression of independent testing HERE in the United States. The consumer will continue to consume large quantities of GMO’s without clearly understanding the potential ramifications including the possible serious health risks.
Thank you again for sharing your views. By maintaining an open dialogue all of us gain greater insight and knowledge.
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But not really confirmed by others. Science is built on repeatability and the group you refer to has published some dubious findings before. This is not my speciality area so I leave it there.
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I have great respect for you and the information on your site. The purpose of my response was to share additional information. I abandoned my ego many years ago. We need more people voicing their perspectives to add value to these posts. I hope you accepted my response with the positive intent it was written. If I post anything in the future that seems inaccurate, I welcome correction and clarification. I enjoy learning from everyone’s experiences and expertise.
Thank you again for participating and adding value to the post.
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Of course I accepted your response as a positive contribution Jonathan. As a matter of fact I was very impressed that you immediately backed up your views by providing a reference. I had to do some serious searching to check the validity of the reference as it was published in a reputable journal. Unfortunately not all science is “pure”. As has been shown before, you find what you’re looking for. A majority of industry funded research prove only positive aspects of the products examined as has been shown by Marion Nestlé. Obviously such bias exists also on the environmentalist side, although less common. Thus to get the balance right you have to look at multiple sources to confirm the true state of affairs. It is a sad day for science that it can be manipulated so easily.
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Agreed. Much of the research “defending” the positions I believe in are designed with serious biases and flaws. This is one reason I enjoy sharing ideas through blogging. Sometimes we feel so much passion for our subjects our own personal objective views become skewed. When this is pointed out, it gives each of us a chance to step back and re-evaluate our positions. In politics they call this flip-flopping. In life, I call this “evolving” as new information becomes available.
The weekend is coming fast. Enjoy every moment. Looking forward to your next article!
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[…] I would like to direct you to this great blog post by Doctor Jonathan from All About Healthy Choices called “I Was Told It Was Genetics.” […]
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Epigenetics is a fascinating (and rapidly moving) area in contemporary genetics. It ain’t *just* the genes! While many details of current understanding may be revised, there is no doubt that healthy behavior can do a lot to overcome genetic predispositions. Thanks for so clearly explaining the relevance of epigenetics to everybody, not just actual and armchair geneticists.
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In order to help people, they need to realize their patterns and efforts in life truly influence outcomes. By sharing the concept of epigenetics, I hope they realize the differences between predetermined and predisposed. When people feel a greater sense of self empowerment, it offers incentive and motivation to achieve healthier living by following a new set of lifestyle guidelines. I want to encourage them to follow these new lifestyle guidelines because they create genetic expression that favors healthier outcomes (regardless of familial patterns or family genetic coding.)
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Blaming conditions on our genes is the easy way out of dealing with a situation. I have done it myself, especially in the area of health, but it is not good. Instead, we should use this information to prepare ourselves and help prevent the conditions from getting worse.
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I agree with you. Maybe you can share some of the methods you applied to your life so other readers can see the importance from simply learning about lifestyle changes to actually APPLYING THEM.
Great comment!
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That’s a great idea.
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Fascinating information Jonathan, thanks for another great post!
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As Joe Friday from Dragnet would say, “Just stating the facts, ma’am.” Hope you’ve enjoyed your weekend! 🙂
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I did indeed enjoy the weekend and hope you did too. It was way to short though as always. 🙂
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Excellent post, Jonathan. Both of my parents are obese and everyone in my family pretty much. It has always been hard to make sure I follow my goals and not get caught up in their unhealthy habits. some of these habits I have written about in my blog. If that’s your thing, check it out
https://millennialsurvivalblog.wordpress.com/blog/
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I, too have family members classified as obese. ALL have developed complications that have interfered with the quality of their lives or has ultimately cost them their life. Our society doesn’t properly teach what it takes to live a healthy lifestyle. The food industry has added poor food choices to the equation that are cheap and easily available complicating the issue.
I look forward to reading your articles. Glad to see you have committed to better choices for yourself!
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I do believe that a certain amount of genetics do have a play in your life….we do inherit some of the good and bad of those who cam before us….some of the genes cannot be changed, height, your facial shape, etc….of course with surgery some of these traits can be changed but from birth you are pretty much stuck with those….however to inherit the gene for the possibility of having diabetes for example, I believe that you can work at changing the outcome….diet & exercise can change the determination of the future of the possibility of having this disease, as along with all the others I did not go into….having lost weight and having changed my A1C #’s has really opened my eyes….I can and will do better for my body…..I will and can share my story with others…. and it is true, you can teach and old dog new tricks….LOL thanks for the great post, I love how you make my mind start thinking….always bringing to the fore-front, health and caring for ourselves…kat
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Genes certainly influence our lives. The main purpose of this post was to reassure people that the EXPRESSION of genes can be influenced through dietary and other lifestyle choices. (EX. prevention of cancer development and growth, diabetes, heart disease, obesity) Just because we have gene markers increasing our risk factor for certain diseases doesn’t mean we are predetermined to succumb to the disease the marker’s identified with. It often comes down to our willingness to take the steps necessary to prevent the disease from expressing itself.
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I so agree with you….a little hard work and common sense….
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Wonderful post! A great topic to cover, and very well explained. Epigenetics is crucial to understanding disease- environmental influences, stress, diet and physical activity, etc are so important and interact with our predisposition in complex ways.
One great example of us having more control over our lives and health than we thought is cancer. About two-thirds of all incident cancer cases are caused by lifestyle. Two-thirds! We have so much control over our health, if only we would claim the responsibility.
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Our health care system doesn’t champion this belief and continues to falsely claim to be “the only shining hope to defeating cancer.”
I agree with you completely that cancer is a preventable condition in so many cases. There are factors outside of lifestyle that certainly interfere with healthy biological function, but this is no excuse to avoid accepting responsibility for necessary lifestyle habits to maintain a healthy body and mind.
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Love this. As a nurse, I get so frustrated with people for not taking their health into their own hands. I find it incredibly encouraging that we have such influence over our health. Unfortunately, I think many enjoy their unhealthy habits so much, they love to cling to the idea that they have no control and thus there is no reason for them to do anything different.
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People seem to choose what they want to believe. Those who choose a life of passion filled with happiness, purpose and meaning have a tendency to take an ACTIVE role in their health because they VALUE their lives. In most cases, you get out of life what you are willing to put in.
Stay positive and keep influencing as many lives as possible.
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Excellent article! Just like how some people are predisposed to obesity, but they can choose and try to eat a healthy diet. That way they can possibly stay a normal weight or get into a normal weight. Check out my new blog at conflictedhealth.com
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I’m glad you enjoyed the article. I checked out your sight and it seems like we share a similar approach to better health. I look forward to reading more articles in the future.
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