Do you have Dirty Genes?
We are all born with over 19,000 genes, some of them predetermined and passed down to us to be at risk for disease in the future. However, the good news is that according to research, only 5-10% of diseases are caused by our genetics, the other 90-95% are due to lifestyle and environmental factors.
The way genes work, is they are regulated by either being turned on or suppressed. Signals from the environment or from cells, activate proteins that control gene regulation which help our cells respond to it’s environment. For example, if your body is highly acidic due to high stress, dietary imbalance (too much coffee, red meat, processed food, sugar, beer), poor elimination of toxins, and insufficient oxygenation by poor breathing habits, then proteins will turn off your helpful genes, and turn on detrimental ones that initiate disease. We all have cancerous cells in our body at all times, but they are so tiny that it does no harm unless our environment activates a gene expression that causes them to multiply. Cancer thrives in acidic environments. This is why your diet and lifestyle are so important!
In order to lessen your risk of future illness, you need to continually work on bringing your body back into balance. You clean up your genes by reducing inflammation, stress, and toxins that muck up your body and don’t allow important oxygen and nutrients to reach your genes and keep them healthy. Inflammation is caused by chronic stress, poor nutrition, food intolerances or allergies, poor sleep, sedentary lifestyles, and exposure to toxins in our environment. Inflammation shows up not just as weight gain, bloating, pain, and arthritis, but also as skin issues like acne, eczema, psoriasis, GI issues, neurocognitive issues, fatigue, vision problems, moodiness, and hormonal issues just to name a few! If you have any of these symptoms, then you have dirty genes.
So how do we fix this? Well, we have to put in the work! “It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease, than to know what sort of disease a person has.” - Hippocrates
When you go to a doctor and figure out what disease you have, it is not helpful because it puts you in a box, with a standard set of protocols, standard drugs, and standard treatments used for everyone with that particular disease. A person with a “laundry list” of symptoms or diagnosis’, has reached that point because the root issue is not being removed - dirty genes! If you clean up your lifestyle and nutrition, you will clear out all the symptoms you are experiencing, and can rid yourself of multiple diagnosis’. Your story, (your environment) is what matters. So here is how we fix this:
1) Let the majority of your diet come from whole foods (foods without an ingredient list.) The more processed your foods are, the more inflammation you will have within your body, depriving your genes the nutrients they need to thrive. Whole foods can be fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, meat, eggs, grains, and dairy.
2) Choose foods that are organic, which means they aren’t sprayed with pesticides and herbicides. Choose meat and dairy from organic farming methods where the animals eat organic grains and are not pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones, and are allowed to roam freely, and stress free. We eat the same stuff our food eats, and toxins and antibiotics kill our gut microbiome and cause inflammation.
3) Engage in constant, moderate physical activity. We are the first generation to live a completely sedentary lifestyle. If you look at the world’s Blue Zones (areas of the world where there are more centenarians than anywhere else) research shows that the key to longevity is engaging in some sort of movement all throughout the day. According to Dr. Ben Lynch, “physical activity is what creates your mitochondria, which creates ATP (your cell’s energy) and gives your brain, organs, and muscles the energy to work, and allows nutrients to move in and out of your cells for optimal functioning.”
4) Get out in nature for at least 30 minutes a day. Research shows that being in nature can improve your immune function by increasing the number of (NK) natural killer cells and reducing inflammatory markers.
5) Reduce stress as it increases cortisol, the hormone that makes you hold onto fat, and it increases insulin due to having unsteady blood sugar levels. Combat stress with a grateful attitude. Crappy attitude = crappy genes. :) You have a choice as to the attitude you will embrace. Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it.
6) Reduce your exposure to toxins. They are found in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, our cleaning supplies, beauty supplies, home goods, textiles, basically everywhere. You can’t control your exposure completely, but you can do your best. Toxins are hormone disruptors and disease causers! I teach all about this in my “Hormone course” and my “Overcome Bloating and Brain Fog” course.
As I always say, the power to heal is in your hands. You have the ability to feel good, have amazing energy, look younger, be sharper, and heal your symptoms. There is no better time to start than now!!