turn up the wellness

You don’t have to be scientific or studious to be thrilled by Epigenetics.You just have to love the possibility of change.

This nine minute clip explains it far better than I ever could, its exciting news:

Epigenetics 

If you’re more of a reader, the article below is great too:

Epigenetics, Time Magazine

So I was trying to understand the implications- for my own life. There are genes in my body which are speaking too loudly, the genes responsible for my illness. They must have been switched on or turned up at some stage, which means that they can also be turned down. If what I do, and my perceptions can make the epigenes control the ‘volume’ of my genes, that means my actions now, in this stage of my illness can lead to recovery. 

One scientist said that when someone goes into remission from cancer it is often from a great change in perspective on life and diet, resulting in the epigene turning up the disease preventing genes, and turning down the disease promoting genes.

It means that medicine doesn’t necessarily have to discover a cure for me to recover, my body could recover on its own! 
  
 I wonder if this is why CFS seems to mysteriously leave after 5 or 20 years, without reference to the latest treatment option tried – it goes because what the patient has been doing in making life manageable and holistic has caused the epigenes to turn up the health promoting genes?

I’m seriously keen to turn on the disease preventing genes.

So when Chinese Medicine herbalists talk about positive energy flowing through the body, maybe they are onto something absolutely critical, the stuff which changes the ‘volume’ of certain genes. Maybe diet, and exercise, and keeping the brain active, and loving others and all those factors of a healthy life are turning up the good genes through epigenetics. Lying around in bed, feeling rottenly depressed and bitter at life’s ‘cruel blow’ and eating processed rubbish seems to be the ultimate strategy to ensure illness remains, while learning positivity and changing your lifestyle might be the catalyst for the illness to go. Even if the illness remains, you’re going to be a far better influence on the world if you’re spreading positivity.

In western medicine we have separated the mind from the body for too long – we have mental illness, and physical illness, and we don’t talk very much about the union between mind and body. But they are intrinsically linked. What we do in our lives affects which genes are most prominent and what we believe affects what we do.  

This is a huge inspiration to make healthy mind body choices – not just for us, but for our kids because they will be influenced by our choices.

I can choose to eat healthily, drink purified water, enjoy the sunshine, exercise often, be spontaneous, rest when I feel tired, laugh with friends, stimulate my brain everyday with new learning, and fight off stress.  I’d never have learnt about how rich life can be if I’d never become very sick, and I probably wouldn’t undo this if I could go back in time – what a chance to take time out and learn to live!