Genetic or Environmental?

Just this last week, I did a video call with an individual that claimed that most of her health issues were a consequence of her genetic makeup. She cited several times that she had conditions that were common in her family, and her poor health was a result of bad genes. While this may be true in some cases and diseases, this is not the common situation. As I asked questions and we talked, most of her chronic conditions appeared (at least to me) to be lifestyle and environmental causes and not so much genetic in etiology.

Later that evening, my brother texted me about a movie he was watching and recommended I look at it. I followed his advice and spent an interesting 2 hours watching Heal. Released in 2017, director Kelly Noonan Gores’ documentary explores scientific and spiritual modalities pointing out that our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions have a huge impact on our health and ability to heal.

As I watched, what I found most fascinating was reviewing the segments by the contributing scientists in the film. It prompted me to review a book in my library, The Biology of Belief. I recall when first reading it, how interesting the concepts put forth and how powerful epigenetics can be for our bodies and our health. To paraphrase the message from the book’s author, Dr. Bruce Lipton, it is the environment of the cell that determines its fate, not the genetics of the cell. Dr. Lipton, a stem cell researcher, observed that genetically identical cells when placed in culture grew into different cell types depending on their type of culture media. In other words, their genetic expression to become a certain type of cell was dictated by their environment. This has had a profound impact on how we look at disease and chronic conditions, while highlighting the fact that we need to provide a proper environment for healing and health to persist.

The implications of this research radically changed our understanding of life, showing that genes and DNA do not control our biology; instead, DNA is controlled by signals from outside the cell, it’s environment, not only physical, but including energetic messages emanating from our positive and negative thoughts. This synthesis of the latest and best research in cell biology and quantum physics has been hailed as a breakthrough, showing that our bodies can be changed as we retrain our thinking.

A good example of this in addition to the personal stories of healing covered in the film, is the observation of organic chemist, Dr. David R. Hamilton. While working in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Hamilton was fascinated with observations that in drugs studies, very often 30 to 70% of test subjects receiving a placebo drug improved. As he states in the movie, sometimes at an effectiveness equal to those receiving the test drug. His conclusion was that their thoughts were acting on a cellular level to produce the results.

The placebo effect is a substantial argument that belief can alter biology.

Our bodies are amazing and we have discussed this in previous blogs. There are over 10 trillion cells in the human body, and we need to replace six billion a day to stay healthy. The body is constantly replacing old cells with new ones at the rate of millions per second. By the time you read this sentence, 50 million cells will have been replaced by others. Even as a physiologist, I find this incredible and astounding, while also reassuring that if we give our body the right tools it can heal and protect itself.

It is becoming apparent that not only is good health a result of a healthy environment physically but also emotionally and spiritually.

A Nikken Wellness Home is designed to address many health and lifestyle concerns, including environmental toxins, contagions, dehydration, poor sleep quality, weight matters, nutrition and can address financially concerns. In a practical sense, the Wellness Home creates an environment that enables us to make healthier choices every day. The awesome thing about a Wellness Home is that any home can be a Wellness Home, by utilizing Nikken products and technologies to make your home the healthiest environment possible for you and your family. Our motto is: “Every home a Wellness Home”.

Nikken’s philosophy of living a balanced life through the Five Pillars of Health is one way to access the emotional and peace of mind that can help us all be Healthy by Choice. A Healthy Mind requires the other four pillars of health. Healthy Finances, Healthy Body, Healthy Family and Healthy Society.

The five pillars of health are the foundational pillars of a Nikken Wellness Home.

I suggest watching the documentary “Heal,” it is now available on Netflix and YouTube.

Be Healthy by Choice, not by Chance