Sunday, March 8, 2009

Where did you get those Genes?

Are those genes Parasuco, or Wrangler? Did you get them from your mom or dad? Today we are led to believe that we are a victim of our genes which are passed down from our parents, grandparents, great grandparents, great great grandparents…you get the idea.

We are told that obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer are genetic. How is it that all these diseases have drastically increased over the last 100, 50, even 20 years, when our genes have not changed in over 40,000 years?

In fact, “DNA evidence shows that genetically, humans have hardly changed at all (to be specific, the human genome has changed less than 0.02% in 40,000 years.)” 1

How is it that only 35% of the women with the breast cancer ‘gene’ get cancer? Why don’t the other 65% percent with the ‘gene’ for breast cancer get it?

“Every year for the last 50 years, there have been more medical doctors, more nurses, more drugs, more hospitals, and more money spent per person in North America and most other industrialized nations yet every year the rates of chronic sickness and preventable death increase!4

The question needed to be asked is, are we programmed for health, or sickness? If you are an evolutionist, how does it make sense that we would pass on bad genes? Didn’t Darwin argue survival of the fittest, that we only pass on the strong genes? If you’re a creationist, how does it make sense that God would program you for sickness? Whether you follow science or religion, they both agree that we are programmed for health. If we are programmed for health, then why are we so sick? If it’s not our genes, then what is it? 2,3

If we compare a chimpanzee in the wild, to one in captivity, which one is healthier? It’s an obvious answer, the one in the wild. Do they have different genes? No. Which animal species is the sickest? This answer sometimes comes as a shock, it’s the human species. The only other animals that are as sick as us, are the ones we have domesticated, or put in captivity. Are there any humans still out in the wild? The answer is yes. 2,3

Modern day hunter gatherers, one’s that mimic the lives of our ancestors do not suffer with the chronic diseases that we have, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity, etc. 6 75% of all deaths in western nations are caused by chronic disease, or diseases of civilization.5

Humans in industrialized nations are not living to our potential. “One hundred and twenty-five years of activity and vitality should be the attainable goal for mankind. All other mammals live for five times the number of years it takes them to reach maturity. Man reaches his skeletal maturity about the age of twenty-six. This indicates one hundred years of PRODUCTIVE life as a reasonable goal for all of us.” 7

Do we have different genes than our hunter gatherer counter parts? NO!!! So then? What is the difference? The answer is environment. They eat, move, and think in ways completely different than we do. The things that get passed on most by families are tendencies. You eat the same, move the same and think the same as your parents. We mimic their lifestyle. So if they ate, moved and thought, in patterns that expressed heart disease for example, then you are likely to do the same, and attain heart disease…unless you change your lifestyle! Keep posted for what we require in terms of nutrition, exercise, and thought patterns in order to manifest wellness.

Yours in Wellness,
Dr. Adrian

References:

1. Cordain, Loren Ph.D. “The Paleo Diet” John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York 2002
2. Chestnut, James L. “The Science of Wellness” audio series
3. Chestnut, James L. “Genetics Lifestyle and Health: The Scientific Truth Regarding Who Gets Sick and Who Stays Well” audio series
4. Chestnut, James L. "Innate Diet and Natural Hygiene" page 17copyright 2004 The Wellness Practice - Global Self Health Corp
5. Eaton, Boyd M.D. et al “Stone Agers in the Fast Lane: Chronic degenerative diseases in evolutionary perspective” 1988; Am. J. Med 84, 739-749
6. Eaton, Boyd M.D. and Konner, M. Ph.D. “Paleolithic Nutrition: A consideration of its nature an current implications” 1985 N.Eng J. Med. 312, 283-289
7. Martin, Clement. M.D. “How to live to be 100: Actively, Healthily, Vigorously” Frederick Fell Inc.

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