Genetics

 When I attended The Institute for Functional Medicine’s International Conference on Genetics in 2015, I learned just how valuable and complex this subject matter is, and I knew I wanted to be able to use it to guide my patients health plans. What science has discovered is that each of us has the ability to influence our genetic expression, basically turning genes on and off. This field of study is call Epigenetics, or “above the genome.” The goal is to turn on protective gene function and turn off unhealthy genes. Also of tremendous value is the study of Nutrigenomics or how foods, specifically nutrients, also regulate our genes in desirable or undesirable ways! Knowing someones genetic makeup allows a provider trained in epigenetics and nutrigenomics to educate a patient on exactly what nutrition and lifestyle interventions are most important for them on the road to better health, and to reduce the risk of so many health conditions. Basically you learn a smarter vs harder health plan! 

The First Rule in Medicine is to “Do No Harm”. It is because I strongly believe in this as the standard of care, that I no longer recommend many of the direct to patient genetic testing services. I also elected to discontinue my professional provider status with 23 and me after they where purchased by big pharma in July of 2018! As someone who believes that genetics are a crucial part of a personalized health plan, this left an important gap in my ability to provide complete, comprehensive and personalized recommendations to my patients. I began to look for a genetic testing company that was well accredited AND could guarantee full privacy for my patients. I found exactly what I was looking for and completed their credentialing process in November or 2018. The company is call DNA Life and they require providers to certify for competency, and they do not require that I provide my patients personal information when we run genetic panels. I get the information we want and you don’t have to worry about who is selling or examining your genetic code!

THIS IS IMPORTANT – DNA Life will not include any genes in their test panels that are not modifiable with lifestyle and/or nutritional interventions. In other words you don’t have to worry about getting news about genetic risk that you will not have a recommended intervention for. Here is a basic example, are you missing a critical gene that builds glutathione, (needed to detoxify many things including heavy metals), ok you need to eat some glutathione, now your body has what it needs. You learn, and then intervene, where you are genetically weak. Interventions are many and straight forward. Take a look and the sample genetic test panels with the recommended interventions, in the Testing section of the website.  Don’t worry about what you will see – Worry about what you don’t know!   This is one of the most cutting edge and powerful wellness tests you can do, and because genes never change – you only test once. Remember – Hope is Not a Strategy.

One specific critical body system that helps to regulate healthy gene function is that of methylation. This is a process that is often unheard of outside the functional and integrative medicine circles, yet it is critical to health. Click on Methylation Cycles – Health Risks to see the number of diseases that human methylation can effect! Read this excellent article on methylation and the body healing abilities Click here. So now you know, methylation is a critical body function. The simple solution if you are a genetically low on the ability to methylate, ingest the correct amount of select B Vitamins in their methylated form. Yes, beneficial interventions can be that easy!

This Is Key – having an undesirable gene or gene SNP does NOT mean you will manifest a specific problem. Not having an undesirable gene does NOT mean you will not get a specific associated disease. Knowing what you are at risk for from a genetic standpoint allows us (that’s you and me) to make a plan to lower your risk(s) by influencing your genes in a healthy way – epigenetics and nutrigenomics! Knowledge is power.