Sorry, this is not actually an article on what style of pants to wear. Instead we will be discussing how the genes that make up your cells can be influenced by your environment and your beliefs. In the study of Biology, we know that we all have specific genes. These genes make up our DNA sequence which we have been told can determine what we look like, what color our eyes are, and even whether or not we will succumb to a specific disease. It is hard to feel in control of our health outcome when we are constantly worried about “mom had cancer, all of her sisters had cancer, and any minute now, I will get my diagnosis”. It’s almost as if we feel it doesn’t matter how well we eat or take care of our bodies because “if I have the gene, I will eventually have the disease”. Well, I’m excited to tell you that this is not the case. The study of Epigenetics proves this for us. Epigenetics is defined as the study of changes in the appearance of a gene caused by environmental mechanisms and not by your DNA. This has been studied since 1942 and is quite recently taking a front seat in the world of biological science. Let’s picture one single cell in your body. This cell is comprised of a membrane layer and then all the little “organelles” on the inside to allow the cell to survive and grow. Each cell has little signals sitting on the outside of the membrane. These signals will detect the environment and different factors such as chemical, physical, or even emotional stressors or enhancers. Once detected, the little signal protein will change its shape. This change triggers a reaction inside the cell that will not only last for the remainder of the cell’s life, but for many generations. The interesting thing is that there is NO change in the underlying DNA sequence. So your DNA stays the same but these other non-genetic or environmental factors will cause the genes to BEHAVE or express themselves differently! Within the last 10 years, this area of study has shown that you are not the fate of your genes. Environmental influences such as nutrition, stress, emotions, etc. can and do modify the way your genes are expressed [Pray and Silverman 2004]. What this means is that it really doesn’t matter what genes your genetic make-up consists of. What matters is whether or not the genes are turned on or off.

One other extremely important factor in overall gene expression is the state of the nervous system. There are two parts to your nervous system. Parasympathetic (rest and digest) and Sympathetic (fight or flight). These two parts need to be in a good balance in order for everything to work as it should. There are specific times when you will be dominantly in either state, but then everything should balance out evenly again. The problem in our country is that almost everywhere we look; there is some inkling of fear. Headlines in the newspaper, or evening news, what’s going to happen to the economy, is the world going to end, etc… Fear always puts the system in the fight or flight response (sympathetic). Basically, when a saber tooth tiger shows up, you either run as fast as you can to get away, or you fight to the death. Afterwards, (if you’re still alive), you go back into a more balanced state. We were not built to maintain this sympathetic state for long chronic periods of time. Living in fear keeps us in a constant sympathetic state. When this happens, those little protein receptors we spoke about on the outside of the cell change shape and the genes start expressing negatively.

Overall, if you can learn to take care of your body by exercising to your own standard, eating as many good nutrients as possible, and at least before bed read or listen to something that calms your heart, you truly can affect anything that may have previously been thought to be ‘set in stone’ in your genes. For an excellent depiction of how epigenetics work and the power of your mind and what you believe, read Dr. Bruce Lipton’s Biology of Belief.