Changing Your Genetics. (Yes, it CAN be done.)

Can you change your genes?  Can you adapt to your environment?  Can a mother change her babies' genes before the child is even conceived?

This weekend I was reminded of a common theme I heard about a lot growing up- creationism vs. evolution.  (No, I'm not going to talk about religion- don't worry.  And either way, my opinion doesn't matter.  This blog is about health and has nothing to do with religion or politics.)  The major premise of evolution is adaptation.  Regardless of what beliefs you hold, adaptation is a reality.  Ever since the human genome project started (and before), many brilliant scientists started talking about and researching epigenetics.

• Epigentics: In biology, epigenetics is the study of changes in phenotype (appearance) or gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence, hence the name epi- (Greek: επί- over, above) -genetics.   (reference: wikipedia)

What the heck does this mean?  You can turn genes on or off, and this changes your body.  That "fat gene" your neighbor has?  They can switch it off.  That "heart disease gene" or "cancer gene" that runs in your family?  You can switch it off.  That "thin/fit, super healthy looking, high energy, fill in this blank with something you desire for your health gene"?  You can turn it on!

You are NOT stuck with the genes you were given or currently have.

Claiming responsibility for your own body is very powerful.  To often, we hear, "Well, cancer runs in my family- there's nothing I can do about it."  Believing you'll get cancer, heart disease, an autoimmune disorder, etc..  is a horrible way to go through life.  And it's just not the truth.  Every decision you make alters your body's ability to adapt, or turn on and off genes.

I've often wondered how "health philosophies" different than my own view adaptation.  Giving this plenty of thought, I feel confident to say that medicine gives very little credit to the body's ability to adapt on it's own.  (Ex: "You've got a bacterial infection, you'll need this antibiotic" on the small end, as opposed to "You've got cancer, you'll need to have surgery and severe radiation/chemotherapy to survive" on the other side of the spectrum).  My health philosophy is that the body can adapt to nearly anything, provided the genes are kept as natural as possible and the organ systems are all still connected.  If you don't have a pulse or brain function, your body just cannot adapt.

My favorite lifestyle choices to increase the adaptability of my body are (in the correct order):

1. Regular chiropractic adjustments and checkups
• 1x/week to keep my nervous system working at it's peak, and keep my brain and body communicating their best
2. Clean and health eating
• Focus on eating as many organic non-starchy vegetables as possible, lots of healthy protein, fruit, water, and take supplements for things I have a hard time getting in my diet 
3. Exercise everyday
• Move my body for at least 30 minutes everyday, strength train at least 2x/week, and get plenty of time outdoors
4. Stay happy and enjoy life
• This changes, but common themes are spending time with my husband, family, friends, and dog; enjoying nature; travelling; focus on my purpose in life

Most chiropractors believe in the body's ability to heal itself (or learn to adapt).  It's actually the primary tenet of chiropractic philosophy, and it's guided by the nervous system.  Medicine also believes in the body's ability to heal itself- it just doesn't give the body nearly as much credit as it deserves.  Sometimes I can completely understand this though; many MDs see horrible life threatening diseases everyday, it's probably easier to believe that body needs a lot of help in its survival.  While I'm thankful that there is medicine and amazing medical doctors in the world, I simply don't choose to trust my health to a paradigm that believes the body needs a lot of help.  I choose chiropractic as my primary form of health care because the chiropractic philosophy states, "The body doesn't need a lot of help, it just doesn't need any hindrance."  Hindrance in this case is Subluxation (the inability of the body to communicate through neural pathways, in which pain is actually an adaptation), and poor lifestyle choices.

Allow proper nervous system communication and add good lifestyle choices, and you've got a healthy/adaptable body.

Here's the truth and your call to lifestyle action:

Everyday we make lifestyle choices that change our genetic makeup and the genetic makeup of our future generations.  Make good lifestyle choices and you and your family will be healthier tomorrow.  Make bad lifestyle choices and you will be sicker tomorrow.

Health is simple, and it truly doesn't take much to be healthy.  Health (like many of the best things we can experience in our world) is a more of a shedding process than anything else.  Add in good lifestyle choices, make them into habits by repeating them, and you'll automatically shed all those things that make you less adaptable/healthy.

What genes can you change today?

Eating for Health Made Simple (Seriously!)

"What some call health, if purchased by perpetual anxiety about diet, isn't much better than tedious disease."  George Dennison Prentice


I believe health is simple, therefore eating for health is simple. 

I mentioned this to a patient the other day, and got a "yeah right" and a "you've got to be joking" look.  This is a completely understandable reaction.  There are hundreds of diets out there that recommend completely different things:  low fat vs. low carb, vegetarian vs. Paleo, diabetic friendly vs. the cookie diet (I thought this had to be a joke for years.. it's not)...  then you've got your "free" diets..  gluten-free, dairy-free, fat-free...  and so on.
And to top it all off, we've got a medical establishment full of experts that tell you all of these diets are horrible fad diets.  What's recommended?  The FDA's food pyramid- a base of grains, 5 servings of fruit/vegetables, some protein, and low in fats/sugars.  On top of this- you need to count every calorie you take in everyday to maintain your current weight or to lose weight.  It's all your fault if you're fat, right?

This is what I thought for years.  I calorie counted (which is a horrible curse), ate according to the food pyramid, and obsessed over eating everything because it might make me fat.  Unfortunately- the majority of North Americans only watch their diet to lose weight.  Most people don't eat primarily for health or energy.

Newsflash:  We should be eating to keep our bodies sharp and healthy.  That is the purpose of eating.

We should enjoy eating because it keeps us alive.

You should be eating in accordance with how you want to live.  If you want to live well (and for a long time), you need to eat for wellness.

I have 4 simple rules for eating:

Rule #1: Eat real food.  (and drink real water).

If you can't pronounce it, or have never heard of it growing from the Earth- it's not food.

Drink lots of water- we are over 75% water and are constantly losing it.  You need to rehydrate your body on a consistent basis.

Rule #2:  Eat mostly non-starchy vegetables.

Every popular diet supports this.  Mostly means over half of everything you eat.  Non-starchy vegetables exclude corn and potatoes.  (So many people consider these vegetables- we should have a new food group called Starches because they spike blood sugar more like grains than their non-starchy friends do).  A diet over 50% of things like leafy greens is a diet very high in plenty of nutrients and antioxidants.  Salad and steamed vegetables are your best friends, even if you don't know it yet.

Rule #3:  Eat clean protein.

I won't tell you that you have to eat meat if morally you're against it.  Doing something against your beliefs is incredibly damaging to your body.  You do need protein- a fair bit of it.

Clean protein examples are: organic free range chicken and eggs, sustainable fish (like wild Pacific salmon), free range beef, beans (black and kidney are amazing), clean nuts and seeds, humanely raised turkey...  those are my favorites.  Organic and local are always best if possible. 

(Side note on organics:  everything is organic- it's just what we do to the food when it's growing or after we harvest it that's nasty..  and it is nasty.)

Rule #4: Don't fear fat.

Dietary fat is incredibly important.  Your cells are surrounded by fat- if you don't get enough high quality fat, your cells will not be healthy.  If your cells aren't healthy, you aren't healthy.  Extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, clean fish oil, avocado, nuts/seeds..  they're all lovable.  Eat them and be happy (fat makes you satiated or full and releases a lot of happy neurotransmitters).

These 4 Rules are simple and easy to follow.  Unfortunately, I think they might be a bit incomplete for our society for a couple reasons.  1) A lot of us have unknowingly really screwed up our bodies, and 2) Our society doesn't make it easy to eat this way all the time.

My last two suggestions:

Extra Tip #1)  Find out your deficiencies and take supplements.  Three very important supplements that most of us are deficient in are Vitamin D, probiotics, and an omega 3 supplement.  These things are difficult to get in the right quantities, and very important. 

Extra Tip #2)  Eating perfectly all the time is insane, and might drive you crazy.  5-10% of your diet can be things that don't fit into the 4 Rules.  It's best if they're real food, but sometimes they won't be.  In our society of processed foods, you've probably got an addiction to something not-that-great for you.  Eat it once in a while, but here's the biggest take away:  Make sure you savour and enjoy it. 

I'll be completely honest:  I ate 4 cookies and had a coffee when I sat down to write this- and they were so good.  But I don't do it all the time. 

The biggest takeaway message I can share is this:

Food is meant to nourish and sustain you.  Let it do that.  We're lucky enough to live in a society that makes is very easy to live well, healthy, and prosperously.

Enjoy your food and you will enjoy your life.