DNA Research and the Effect on Our Genes (Part I)
Facilitated by Rev. Patrice Joy, MA Holy Fire Reiki II Master Instructor
From How to Reprogram Your DNA for Optimum Health by Adelle LaBree
Email for a consultation: healingfeelings333.com
Private sessions: $55 per hour
Schedule a program for your group. Call for group rates. Discount for youth groups.
In 1990 The Human Genome Project launched a three billion dollar research study in microbiology which has led to DNA research on the cutting edge of the future of medicine. This amazin.g emerging science explains the way that genetic traits are involved in the development (or not) of disease within an individual and how much control you have over your health no matter what genes you inherited. It is clear in scientific studies that the foods you eat, your physical activity, interesting daily stimulation, emotions/moods, stress levels and the chemicals and environmental toxins you contact affect the regulatory molecules of your genes.
Scientists have discovered that although the genetic DNA you inherited cannot be altered, there are several factors that can affect a cell’s genetic behavior and change the expression of your DNA traits. The way helpful and harmful genes are activated and expressed or repressed is a new field of studies called Epigenetics. It is a widely held belief that DNA, which is shaped like a double helix has a fixed structure and cannot be changed. Yet, through the science of Epigenetics, the DNA’s genetic behavior can be affected through various means such as positive thoughts and emotions, sufficient nutrient absorption, exercise, nature, magnetic fields and certain vibrational frequencies.
In Adelle LaBrec’s book How to Reprogram Your DNA for Optimal Health, she defines Epigenetics as the study of changes to gene expression that alter how genes behave without altering the underlying genetic code itself. This is possible because epigenes are the cellular layer above your genes. DNA is the master genetic programmer located in the nucleus of every cell. A process called Methylation occurs in cells involving methyl donor groups which are basic units of inorganic chemistry. These methyl donor groups often affix near the beginning of a DNA strand where essential proteins also need to connect with the cell. When the beginning of a DNA gene is blocked by destructive methyl donor groups, proteins can’t afix to it and positive genes will most likely remain inactive. Even though methyl donor groups don’t change the underlying DNA strand, they do alter patterns of genes to activate or repress epigenes and influence which genes dominate.
Through the process of Methylation your enzymes hinder the negative blocking activity of the methyl donor groups. Proteins connect with the DNA strand by binding with your enzymes. The way your body can break down and use the food you eat is a factor in this process since enzymes are a critical part of digestion. If you have healthy enzyme activity, this significantly impacts the expression of your healthy genetic traits by blocking the methyl donor groups. If you don’t have efficient digestion, you can eat healthy organic unprocessed foods that don’t get utilized by your body and these are just flushed out in your colon and bladder.
Since what you eat affects the DNA methylation, it is critically important to make wise choices in your daily food intake. This is especially during pregnancy. Prenatal diets low in nutrients containing folic acid and vitamin B12 have been linked to increased risk of asthma and defects of the spinal cord. Exposure to the chemical additive BPA in the early development phases of an embryo’s development can cause irregularities. Development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease have also been linked to the presence of the placement of methyl groups. Methylation plays a crucial role in determining whether or not certain disease will be genetically expressed.
There are many toxic substances in the environment that suppress the cells activity and affect the epigenetic process in harmful ways that create stress on the body. Some of these include: Heavy metals, pesticides, diesel exhaust, tobacco smoke, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, BPA in plastics, growth hormones, radioactivity and bacteria. The good news is the adaptive changes in our DNA that have occurred due to environment contaminants, stress, poor diet, lack of nutrients and sedentary lifestyles are not irreversible. When these triggers are removed from your life, the biological response will fade as well. Then your DNA can revert to its original cellular programming. One of the ways to restore DNA to optimal function is to control your emotions.
Scientific evidence is proving the theory that emotions also greatly affect our health and quality of life. There is now evidence that we can “program” our DNA epigene behavior through emotions and change the very blueprint of our health and our life. In a recent study conducted at the Institute of Heart Math, human DNA was placed in a sealed test tube. Test subjects who generated focused feelings were able to intentionally cause a change in the shape of the DNA. Negative emotions produced at will, caused the two strands that comprise human DNA to wind more tightly. Heart-centered feelings of love and appreciation generated by the research subjects caused the human DNA to unwind in just two minutes. Although this did not change the structure of the DNA, it changed its related epigene behavior.
Another important mechanism that controls epigene’s role in DNA is Histone Modification which is also known as Chromatin Modification. Histones also have proteins and DNA coils around the basic proteins in the histones to form chromatin which in turn forms chromosomes. The tightness or looseness of the DNA spooled on the histone protein determines how strongly a particular genetic trait will be expressed. Histone Modifications tend to be less enduring than those triggered by Methylation, but are affected by your positive and negative moods and attitudes.
Your attitude has a tremendous influence on your health. Holding an angry perspective regarding what is bad in the world can trigger the negative gene activation associated with hate, hostility. sadness and grief. Seeing what is good sparks compassion and fosters the genes associated with hope. Since the emotions you carry affect pain levels and genetic code behaviors, self-healing choices are of great importance. The emotions you hold about your personal life and about world events affect the function of your DNA and epigene expression.
Dr. Tollesfsbol, PhD, Professor of Epigenetics and Gene Regulation in Cancer and Aging at the University of Alabama, is researching aging from cellular damage occurring when telomeres at the end of the DNA strand break down causing loss of critical encoded genetic information. These are intricately linked to aging and death because of the way cell division affects telomeres. Since these telomeres are not essential, their loss takes the brunt of the effect of cell division; then the essential cells further from the end of the strand are able to retain integrity. In other words, telomeres protect DNA strands from losing critical encoded genetics information as we age. Dr. Tollesfsbol explains, “The gene for the enzyme that maintains the telomeres, referred to as telomerase, is actually inactivated before we are born”.
Adelle LaBrec reports the protective capacities of telomeres are not ever lasting. Telomeres lose part of their length with each cell division. Many researchers believe that reactivating the gene that maintains telomeres could be a promising way to increase people’s lifespans and slow down aging. This is centrally controlled by the cellular rate of vibration which is affected by relaxation and stress levels as well as the negative or positive energy you hold within yourself and allow in your environment.
Dr. Bruce Lipton, a world renowned leader in cellular biology and quantum physics research, discovered that DNA responds to electromagnetic signals produced by your senses, thoughts, beliefs and emotions. His book The Biology of Belief describes how molecular pathways connect the mind and body and how retraining our thinking can change our bodies. Dr. Lipton is the foremost authority on the link between thoughts, emotions and genetic expression. He feels your thoughts, attitudes and perceptions are the true keys to optimal wellness through genetic behaviors affecting your DNA. It has been determined that by using the science of Epigenetics, it is possible to “rewrite” the way genes express themselves and experience spontaneous remission for diseases such as cancer, heart disease, fibromyalgia, alzheimer’s, diabetes and many other illnesses.
Dr. Lipton’s work reflects a deep respect for the laws of Quantum Physics. His breakthrough studies revealed that epigenes, located on the cell membrane transmit electromagnetic signals to the interior of the cell. These signals are produced by your senses, thoughts, beliefs and emotions. In Quantum Physics, the mere act of observing a sub-atomic particle changes it. This means that your perceptions can actually impact and change external reality. Dr. Lipton expresses the belief that it is imperative to take responsibility for your own health and do your best to send healthy signals to your epigenes. His advice on how to do this is as follows: Eat nourishing organic foods; avoid exposure to chemicals and toxins; exercise regularly; make restful sleep a priority, think positive and seek out loving relationships.
Current research from the field of Integrative Medicine on prevention and the importance of healthy living habits provides knowledge that a person has control over one’s own genetic DNA blueprint in several other ways. What you eat and what you do with your time and energy affects your epigenes expression. Your ancestor’s environment could have caused them to pass down a bad gene to you and thus set up a lifetime of disease unless you change the habits that created these genetic behavioral patterns. These lifestyle patterns include what your family has put their time and energy into for generations. Dietary habits and activity levels are important influences in cellular and epigene behavior as well. The researchers determined that the body’s epigene behavior can be programmed by human language. Words, phrases and the vibrational quality of our thoughts and feelings, Dr. Lipton’s advice is summarized is his comment, “How you communicate with your genes will influence how they’ll express themselves, so my advice is to bathe them inside and out in the healthiest environment possible”.
Optimal weight maintenance is also related to positive genetic behavior. The research of Dr. Alice Walton PhD discusses a study in which the amount of daily exercise was studied to induced stem cells to become blood-producing cells of the bone marrow rather than fat cells. You probably have heard that exercise is a factor in weight loss and forming muscle mass, but this genetic link provides a stronger motivation to choose a more active lifestyle.
Who and what you surround yourself with also directly affects your health through numerous influences including the thoughts and beliefs of others, the philosophies, cultural and the religious environment that surrounds you. It involves the way you and your ancestors have handled pressure and the levels of resulting stress. Your responses revert back to the personal responsibility of choosing priorities. Hopefully what you choose to give your attention and time to is what you value the most. In this way you will optimize your quality of life and accomplish the improved health and longevity you truly desire. Dr. Lipton summarizes the power you have to rewrite your genetic code by saying, “Genes are not controlling the life of your cells; your mind is.”