Our Incredible Epigenetic Potential...

By Dr Orly Zuker, Chiropractor 

(B.Appl Sci; Comp Med, Clin Chiro; Masters, B.Nursing, Webster Certif)

Great health is a goal for most people and if we lead the right lifestyle and make the best choices, we will have a good chance of achieving this and avoiding becoming a statistic. Unfortunately the '21st century lifestyle' involves inadequate rest/sleep, extreme stress, prolonged sitting (with technology instead of fresh air and sunshine), chemical toxicity and for many of us, a terrible and excessive diet. This is a formula for health disaster making it not surprising that science is discovering links between disease and an 'unhealthy lifestyle'. The good news is that we are all in full control and can choose to eat an apple instead of confectionary or junk food.

A quick reality check for our planet... We are far less healthy today than 100 years ago. Today we are dying from preventable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. These conditions are frequently lifestyle related and in most cases are completely avoidable. In generations before us, our ancestors lived an active and simple life. Cancer was mostly unheard of and genetically linked diseases were not common. The big question today is; are we causing or contributing to our own ill health? The answer is simply yes! In the 1800s and early 1900s our ancestors were afflicted by their poor living standards (inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene practices) which was of course implicated in infectious disease at the time. In addition, accidents and injury (due to unsafe work practices) were among the most common causes of death. Today, we blindly consume artificial preservatives, colourings, sweeteners and harsh chemicals, we breathe in toxic products and everyday put our health at risk, choosing a lifestyle that is not even close to 'healthy.'

Interestingly, throughout the history of healthcare different paradigms were accepted in order to understand health and illness. It was once believed that the cause of disease was evil spirits and luck, then it was the germ/ herd theory, and today the gene theory. The correct theory and 'truth' probably lies somewhere in between!

Science is doing its best to 'find a cure', cause or answer... However once we are sick, it can often take a great deal of time, money, pain, struggle and faith to fix, restore or recover our health. A better plan is to avoid ever becoming ill in the first place. Unfortunately in some cases this isn't possible however... No matter how 'clean' their lifestyle is, there are many people every day who are diagnosed with illness. Cases like these are very sad and not fair if that person who does 'all the right things' is still affected by disease! 
So, for those people who can take control of their health, doing it today is the key. For example, maintain your healthy weight before you need to lose weight and stay fit rather than needing to become fit, and so on...

Health as a general topic is an interesting one as health perceptions differ from person-to-person and culture-to-culture. The similarities however have a key denominator of wishing to live a long quality life, free of disease. For the good of future generations, science is now discovering that this may be possible through a concept known as epigenetics.

Epigenetics is an area of science that studies the heritable changes in gene expression (occurring without a change in DNA sequence). In simple terms this means that how we take care of ourselves and the affects of our environment/lifestyle may very well have detrimental effects on DNA quality and health in our children and our children's children.

This is an exciting area of geneology that gives us the power to perhaps alter our genes... And not necessarily be what we have 'running in our family'.

In an attempt to rebuild our health or in regaining our health a simple and holistic approach is often the best way to achieve great results... It is important that we begin by shifting our paradigm of health and by becoming educated. Being better educated about health will allow individuals to make healthier choices and better decisions. In addition, having an understanding of the body and how it functions (physiology) and genetics/ epigenetics is important... Very simply, our health potential is genetically encoded from conception (however can be changed with healthier lifestyle practices), our body needs fuel (sunlight, food and water), every organ is innervated by the nervous system (the master controller), the spine protects the nervous system. Other than this simple explanation the body is an intricate and highly complex machine, a masterpiece that will never be fully understood.

In combating lifestyle disease, we are fortunate to have doctors in alternative health care: Chiropractic, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Osteopathy, along with natural health care practitioners: Naturopaths, Homeopaths and Nutritional Medicine and Integrative GPs who are all working towards a similar goal; Assisting the human body towards greater health and function, by allowing better immune and environment adaptivity and better self healing/regulation.

Chiropractic is one particular health care modality that people are turning to for a fresh perspective. The chiropractic philosophy of health is focused primarily on the body’s innate ability to self heal and function and offers a gentle and conservative approach to care and treatment of an individual. Over the past 120 years of chiropractic, a growing body of research has revealed that chiropractic care is a great addition to a wellness lifestyle, where it may reduce health care costs, improve well-being and enhance a person’s quality of life. In addition, a landmark study conducted in 2005 revealed that regular chiropractic adjustments may have a positive affect on DNA repair and expression by reducing oxidative stress (an indicator of cellular ageing).

Healthy tips to enhance your epigenetic potential:

1. Sleep: Sleep at least 8hr a night. Ensure that your mattress is supporting your posture and use a contoured foam pillow so that optimal neck and spine curves are encouraged as you sleep.

2. Morning Ritual: Every morning before food or any other drink, have a glass of water (room temperature) and add half a fresh lemon squeezed. This is an age old detox practice in Chinese communities.

3. Keep stress at bay: Manage stress levels with regular exercise, meditation, yoga, daily walking and by dealing with issues through communication and problem solving as they arise. Letting things go, giving in and relinquishing control often releases unnecessary power, stress and disharmony.

4. Diet & nutrition: Eat plenty of raw or slightly cooked fresh produce. Try not to overload on fruit as the sugar/fructose found in fruit may create gut disturbance and sensitivities in some individuals. Snack on cut vegetables and try to consume organic where possible so that you reduce your toxin/chemical load. Eat a balanced diet with a variety of grains, fruits and vegetables, meat, fats and minimal processed sugar.

5. Water: Drink fresh filtered water. A minimum 1.5-2L per day is an appropriate target for most people, and be sure to avoid plastic bottles (use glass or stainless steel instead).

6. Reduce Toxic load: Use chemical free, natural and organic personal hygiene and cleaning products where possible. It is possible to purchase natural, organic and chemical free deodorants, shampoo, conditioner, soaps, laundry and dishwashing detergents, toothpaste, cosmetics, and absolutely everything else today. Making your own household cleaners with vinegar-water-eucalyptus is cheap and easy and bicarb soda is like magic for scrubbing! 

7. Exercise: Exercise at least 3 times a week for a minimum of 30min each time. Ensure that you stretch and warm up/cool down so that your body is prepared and recovers optimally. Yoga is a great activity that encourages mind, body and spirit connection/ exercise that can help with stress management as well as physical flexibility.

8. Avoid 'bad' habits: Minimise alcohol intake, avoid unnecessary medications and recreational drugs. Avoid known carcinogenic (cancer causing) habits such as smoking and be sure to avoid burning or charcoaling meat and other foods.

9. Get outdoors: Spend as much time outside as possible so that you can breathe the fresh air and cleanse your lungs. In addition, make every attempt to have adequate sun exposure to manage your vitamin D levels for health. 

10. Happy back: Maintain healthy spine and nervous system function by regularly exercising, stretching, having good posture and by visiting your family chiropractor for spinal adjustments.

Remember that in most cases, health happens by choice, not by chance and the choices we make yesterday, today and tomorrow will have a significant impact on our current and future health status. With appropriate nutrition and a healthy lifestyle our genetic code can be protected and even changed to help us prevent disease and illness.

 

References:

Cutfield, ws etal. (2007). Could epigenetics play a role in the developmental origins of health and disease? Paed res. Vol 61 (5): part 2. Pg 68-75.

Jiang, YH etal. (2004). Epigenetics and Human Disease. Ann Rev Genom Hum Genet. Vol 5. Pg. 479-510.

McCredie, J.  (2009). How epigenetics is changing our fight with disease. ABC Science. http://www.abc.net.au/science

Weinhold, B. (2006). Epigenetics: The Science of Change.  Vol 114 (3). Environm Health Perspec. Pg. 160-167.

Crews, D & McLachlan, JA. (2006). Epigenetics, Evolution, Endocrine Disruption, Health, and Disease. Endocrin. Vol 147(6). Pg. 4-10.

Rodenhiser, D & Mann, M. (2006). Epigenetics and human disease: translating basic biology into clinical applications. CMAJ. Vol 174 (3). Pg. 341-348

Feinberg, AP (2007). Phenotypic plasticity and the epigenetics of human disease. Nature. Vol 447. Pg. 433-440.

Gadit, AAM. (2011). Nutritional factors in mental health: Does ‘Epigenetics’ provide a road map? J Pak Med Assoc. Vol 61 (8). Pg 823-824.

Campbell, CJ etal. (2005). Surrogate Indication of DNA Repair in Serum After Long Term Chiropractic Intervention–A Retrospective Study. Journ Vert Sublux Res. Pg.1-5.