Nutritional Genomics or How What You Eat Affects Your Genes

 

 

When I'm working as a Clairvoyant Healer, I've often wondered why I can look at one person and see that their main underlying problem is coffee and yet when I look at someone else, who is drinking coffee all day long, it is not a problem at all.  It turns out that there is a gene CYP1A2, that does not express itself well for some people who have that gene and drink coffee.

Bruce Lipton, author of The Biology of Belief, uses a good analogy to describe this phenomenon.   He says that how our genes are expressed is like someone wearing a long sleeve shirt.  When the shirt sleeve is long, we are expressing those genes in the normal way.  But in the presence of certain conditions like stress, or negative self talk, or a particular pharmaceutical medication, or various foods, then it is like rolling up the shirt sleeve of that genetic code and a whole different expression of those same genes are revealed.  In people who have the CYP1A2 gene, it is the coffee that rolls up the sleeve.

When it comes to nutrition, the field of genomic research is still relatively in its infancy, but it certainly holds vast promise for helping us to understand why some of us react one way to a certain food while others react another way.  Donna Gates, who wrote the book The Body Ecology Diet, now in its eleventh year of publication with Hay House, is passionate about the study of nutrition and how the foods we consume relate to our individual genes.  She is the one who coined the term "inner ecosystem" to describe the vast array of non-human organisms that preside over digestion in our gut tracts.  We need this network of microbes, now called "the microbiome," in order to digest our food.  And the foods we eat feed not only us, but also these organisms, which are comprised of a variety of bacteria, viruses, funguses, yeasts and more.

If we eat a diet of primarily white flour, coffee, alcohol, meats and lots of sugar, we promote populations of little critters in our gut tract that thrive on those foods.  If we eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, we promote the growth of a very different microbiome.  

Many of us now realize that one of the biggest problems associated with poor digestion in our culture stems from the overuse of antibiotics, especially in childhood.  The current medical trend for occasional or rare use of antibiotics is helping to correct this, and fortunately does not cause the same devastation to our microbiome and the "good bacteria," as the regular use of those drugs did in previous decades. 

However, after WWII, it was discovered that the use of antibiotics in animal feed either significantly increased weight gain and/or prevented disease in farm animals.  The practice of including antibiotics in animal feed in the animal husbandry industries, continues to this day and has had a very serious lasting effect on many a digestive tract in our American human population.  So, if you are eating non-organic animal products you are adversely affecting your microbiome with low level doses of antibiotics with quite probably every one of those meals.

Most of us have heard the term 'probiotics' by now.  These are the 'pro' meaning positive, and 'biotics' meaning relating to or resulting from living things, like gut flora.  But not that many people are familiar with the term 'prebiotics.'  'Pre,' meaning that which comes before or creates, and biotics, which is basically life.  Prebiotics are fiber rich foods, like fruits and vegetables, that create the conditions that are favorable to the intestinal flora or 'friendly bacteria.'  These foods are what we need for good digestion.  Prebiotics feed the microbes so that they can first break down our foods so that we can absorb the nutritional components.  Prebiotics in the form of raw fruits and vegetables are best for breaking down into materials that promote good probiotics in our gut tracts.

Fermented raw foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, or live culture nut and other milk yogurts, (with an especially favorable nod to organic raw goat milk kefir,) are particularly good at feeding and rebalancing the microbiome.  These foods have been used for centuries among human populations to restore healthy gut flora or to assist digestion when it tends to decline in advanced age.  As my husband who makes a spectacular kimchi sometimes says,  "There is a reason for why people eat these things."

Meanwhile, pasteurized, cooked or canned sauerkrauts, kombuchas, yogurts, et all will have very little to no positive effect on repopulating a microbiome as their cultures have been killed primarily through heating, but also through other food processing methods.  So, "Rah, Rah, Raw!" for raw fermented foods.

Now, back to nutritional genomics.  Genes are in every cell of our bodies.  They are located in the mitochondria of the cell, which holds the DNA.  The DNA, as you probably recall from biology class in school, is a pair of twisted strands, looking something like a spiralized ladder.  Our genes are located on these two strands and they contain all of our genetic material.  Each and every cell in our body has genes and every cell needs food.  That food comes from our digestion.  The food is delivered to the cell by our blood.  The nutrition in the blood that feeds the cell also feeds our DNA.  If our DNA is fed bad food, we then get the bad expressions of the genes, also known as disease.  The shirt sleeve gets rolled up.  It's that simple.  That's why junk food is bad for you.  

Our individual genetic code explains why some foods are good for some people while those same foods may be bad for other people.  Knowing one's personal set of DNA answers the question of why some of us do poorly with too many carbohydrates while others do really well with non-refined carbohydrates and actually need them for good quality sleep, and good mental and physical health.  Our genes can explain why some foods serve us and some foods don't.

None of our genes, not a single one, is positively expressed in the presence of sugar.  I'm not talking about the sugar from fruit here, which is a natural and very healthful food, loaded with bioflavonoids or other wonderfully nutritive elements like enzymes, vitamins and minerals.  But the processed, stripped bare, plain old sugar that comes in a box or a bag, does not feed your good genetic expression.  It feeds the bad ones.

Genes are labeled using a series of numbers and letters.  The MTHR677 gene is very common in Italian and Hispanic populations.  When people with this gene eat the good 'Mediterranean Diet' with plenty of vegetables and fresh olive oil, they have good energy, less cardiovascular disease, increased fertility and lots of happy smiling faces.  People with the "slow" version of the CYP1A2 gene don't do well with caffeine and will feel jittery and nervous when they drink coffee or eat chocolate.  Children with autism will always have an MTHFR gene mutation and will be unable to methylate or detoxify their bodies adequately.  For individuals with this gene a clean healthy diet, free from junk foods, is especially important since it is harder for their livers to detoxify their bodies.

There are companies that can analyze your genetic code from saliva and many people are doing this now.  But there are only limited ways to figure out what all those letters and numbers mean.  I'm guessing that it is a bit like getting a printed off and analyzed astrology chart, somewhat helpful, but not terribly clear.  Hopefully more diet and nutrition majors in food science studies will enter this very promising field because coaches are not yet all that readily available.  

Also, it is worth mentioning that some of the bigger corporations have been found snatching up personal genetic information, presumably for advertising opportunities.  I understand that this was the case with a major online retailer.  They were purchasing personal data from the genetic code company called "23andMe," who was offering genetic testing comparatively inexpensively until the FDA issued them a warning, which shut down their marketing for a while, opening the door for dialogue on standards. 

If you do choose to get your genes analyzed, see if you can find a good nutritional gene coach.  They can help with bringing balance and suggest supplements to support various situations, but the main tool for creating balance and stability is always diet.  Donna Gate's book, which I mentioned earlier, The Body Ecology Diet, will get you there, pretty much no matter what your genetic code may be, because diet is always at the root of our good or bad health.  And her number one tool is first clearing the chalk board by cutting out the common offenders and stopping eating whatever is causing the trouble and then rebuilding the microbiome with raw fermented vegetables.  

So, check out my husband's wonderful kimchi video and start off your New Year with a fresh clean slate of healthy prebiotics and a great diet element for creating beautiful lasting health.

 

 As a Clairvoyant Healer, Spiritual Counselor and Intuition Instructor, I share many tips for leading a healthy and fulfilling life.  Please be advised that I am not a doctor. Nor am I licensed in any healing modality. However, I have had years of experience in alternative and complementary health and healing. All healing programs, including standard western medical protocols in addition to natural therapies, can cause harm rather than the benefit that you may be searching for. After all some people can have a strong reaction to something as seemingly innocent as peanuts or strawberries. Therefore, anything that I may recommend in these blogs and videos could be dangerous for you to try. So, it is important that you Ask Your Doctor First before trying any natural healing protocol. However, most medical doctors have little experience regarding natural healing programs and herbal medicine. So please understand if your doctor is unfamiliar with these ideas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm So Grateful for Homeopathic Medicine

 

 

Decades ago one of my main mentors, Charles Otto, D.C., introduced me to homeopathic medicine.  And I'm so grateful.  This extremely effective and subtle healing therapy works in part on the principle of 'like treats like,' somewhat like vaccinations.  This is known as 'The Law of Similars,' where something that triggers a disease can also be used to treat that condition.  With homeopathy, the substance is used in minute concentrations, where it is almost a mere whisper of its former self, and the more dilute the preparation the stronger it is. 

Homeopathic medicine was first created by Samuel Hahnemann, a German Doctor in the late 18th century.  It found widespread use throughout Europe and North America.  Though still embraced in Europe, its use was diminished significantly in America, in the 1950's, when the pharmaceutical and related industries began stacking the Boards of Directors of all of our medical universities with men who would promote their approach to healing using drugs and surgery to the exclusion of all other types of healing modalities.  The end result of this planned monopoly was that hundreds of natural healing clinics fell out of popularity and closed their doors in the decades that followed.  

Fortunately, two natural healing colleges have remained, Bastyr University in Washington State and until very recently Florida College of Natural Health.  (Sadly, as of 2020, FCNH no longer exists.)  Students of natural healing, known as Naturopaths or Naturopathic Doctors, can practice in many states in America, though a number of states require additional licensing or certification.  Similar to how a plant that has been sprayed with poison may die in one area, blessedly what works well for nature will continue to survive and pop up in another area.  So, we do still have access to Naturopaths, which include herbal doctors and homeopaths, who can help us with our healing journeys using tools other than the too often dreaded standard western medical approach of drugs and surgery, sometimes referred to as allopathic medicine.  Naturopaths are often preferred as they can offer more gentle, less invasive options which are still very effective.

Most healthy food stores across the western world do offer herbs and supplements along with homeopathic medicines.  These persist due to their efficacy even though they are not supported by our insurance industries and are paid for out-of-pocket.  Consumers spend billions of dollars annually on these products.  This alone stands as a testament to their usefulness.  My own personal apothecary is full of natural healing products.  I have supplements to address many vitamin and mineral needs.  I have herbs to provide broad spectrum healing, many of which I grow and harvest myself.  And I inherited a Standard Homeopathic kit from Dr Otto after he passed.  Many different homeopathic medicine kits are available for purchase like the HomeoFamily Kit by Boiron.  But I love my old one, with the good doctor's hand written notes alongside the map of remedies inside the top.  

Homeopathic medicines come in the form of tiny little tablets or balls that have been infused with the energy of the plants or other substances from which they were derived.  And as I mentioned, the more dilute they are, the more powerful they are.  So a homeopathic medicine that has been diluted two hundred times, 200x, is more potent than one that has only been diluted six times, 6x.  A 6x formulation can be used many times a day, for instance, one might prefer to take a 6x dose of Hypericum perforatum along with 6x Arnica montana every half hour, or as needed, to speed the healing and ease the pain of a burn.  Whereas, a 200x formulation of something like Ignatia amara might just do the trick, with a one time dose, for easing the sighing disappointments of a teenager.

 Some of my favorite remedies are as follows.  I frequently use Arnica montana for injuries like bruises and scrapes, Hypericum perforatum for nerve troubles like aches and pains, or Belladona, also for pain.  Whenever I get something in my eye or a little sliver or a splinter or have a run-in with some fiberglass, I turn to Silica, sometimes labeled Silicea, to help bring relief.  Apis mellifica eases the sting of insect bites or punctures, the ones that like cold compresses.  Ledum palustre also helps with puncture wounds, the type that likes hot compresses.  Ledum is good for dog bites, impalements and vaccinosis.  Symphytum (comfrey) helps with fractures and torn tissues.  I have used Ignatia amara for grief and the negative thoughts that can sometimes accompany that situation, along with Aconitum napellus for the shock of bad news.  

My basic homeopathic kit holds several dozen remedies along with descriptions of their common uses or indications, but there are hundreds of homeopathic medicines, all with wonderful uses and I only have a working knowledge of a very few.  Often homeopathic remedies can be quite specific, depending on the individual and how the symptoms are uniquely presenting themselves, so, it is, of course, best to consult with an experienced homeopath or naturopath to really dial in an appropriate cure.  However, if you need a little shortcut, the Boiron company has a homeopathic medicine finder on their website, https://www.boironusa.com/mf/.  They also have a hot-line that you can call at 1 (800) 264-7661 where their knowledgeable staff can help you to make a selection. 

Dr. Otto taught me, years ago, that homeopathic medicines should always be taken away from food, either a half an hour before eating or an hour afterward.  They do not like to be taken while someone is using essential oils, or drinking strong beverages, like coffee or black tea.  These are subtle medicines and they can be influenced by other materials, so they do not like to be stored near any electronic devices.  They prefer to be stored in a cool dark place, (as is also the case for most herbs and supplements.)  When taking homeopathic medicine, one should place a single little pellet under the tongue and let it dissolve there, taking care not to touch the fingers, lips or mouth to the inside of the container.  If they are handled carefully, none of these subtle medicines will ever expire.

Interestingly enough, prior to the 1950's and the subsequent takeover of our medical approach to healing by the pharmaceutical, surgical and related industries in this country, most medical doctors were quite proficient at prescribing appropriate homeopathic cures.  They used them to help with healing and as an adjunct to their procedures.  But, now that time has passed, and very, very few medical doctors in the U.S.A. have any knowledge of homeopathics, nor of most other natural therapies for healing, including the basics of diet and nutrition.  Hopefully this tide is turning with our new millennium.   

Please understand that I am not opposed to the standard western medical approach to healing.  Prescription medications and surgical remedies certainly do have their place and I will absolutely avail myself of their services, should I have need and gratefully too.  But, sometimes a more subtle, or more far reaching approach to healing is worthy of consideration.  So, for those among us who enjoy being self empowered and prefer to care for our own bodies for most of the ills that seem a part of life, I'm writing this blog to encourage you to check out homeopathic medicines if you have not yet been introduced.  You will find them right there, in your local neighborhood healthy food store.  So stop in, and say 'Hello,' because a good thing will always prevail.

 

 

 As a Clairvoyant Healer, Spiritual Counselor and Intuition Instructor, I share many tips for leading a healthy and fulfilling life.  Please be advised that I am not a doctor. Nor am I licensed in any healing modality. However, I have had years of experience in alternative and complementary health and healing. All healing programs, including standard western medical protocols in addition to natural therapies, can cause harm rather than the benefit that you may be searching for. After all some people can have a strong reaction to something as seemingly innocent as peanuts or strawberries. Therefore, anything that I may recommend in these blogs and videos could be dangerous for you to try. So, it is important that you Ask Your Doctor First before trying any natural healing protocol. However, most medical doctors have little experience regarding natural healing programs and herbal medicine. So please understand if your doctor is unfamiliar with these ideas.

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

♡ Cleaning Up Our Act ♡

Cleaning up your act is a lifelong task, isn't it?  Frank and I got started with this in our twenties.  After a fine rebellious rising up in our late teens and early college years, we discovered, as most do, the toll that the fast life can reap.  Dehydration and hangovers make poor test results both in the classroom and in life.  So, we started back then, finding the more moderate road.

Our thirties brought on some serious work and striving as we sought to meet our life goals.  This begged an even cleaner home base from which to draw our strength.  So, out went most of the toxins, found in commercial products: shampoos, cleansers, cosmetics, plastics and processed foods.  We also realized that natural fibers and home cooking gave us a sturdier base to launch and land from.

Our forties began the years of deep cleaning, to edge out the sludge of a lifetime's accumulation, not only mentally, by seriously rethinking who we are and how we wanted to be in the world, but also physically, regularly cleansing the internal organs through fasting and juicing, along with taking sabbaticals for inner renewal.

Then came our fifties, the decade that determines how the quality of your later life will be.  It's easy to drop the joys of physical exercise at this age and trade them in for a more restful and relaxing way of being, but it is so critical to step it up instead.  Dancing, gardening, swimming, biking, walking, whatever it is, our activities keeps us flexible and alive.  Enjoying regular movement holds that eventual downward pull toward the compost pile at bay for a few more decades.

Now that we are in our sixties, we see that slippery slope beginning to claim our peers.  The "Standard American Diet" (S.A.D.) of processed "food," lots of sweets and too many animal products along with sedentary days has been collecting it's toll.  So we are conscientiously upping the ante with exercise classes and time spent with friends recreating.  We've also gone nutritarian to compliment our periods of detoxification.  It's not servings, it's pounds of vegetables, fresh and raw along with berries and seeds for clean sugars and proteins each day. 

Recently we invested in a new super fast juicer.  Frank calls it, "The Kitchen Chipper," because it can juice and entire head of celery in about two seconds.  It only takes us five minutes to make our quart of breakfast juice and five minutes to clean and dry the machine.  So now, it is no big deal for us to make our green juice and consume our pounds of veggies every day.    

Chia seeds, sunflower seeds, a few almonds and walnuts go into our berry and herbal tea smoothies at lunchtime, so we have more than enough protein without burdening our kidneys and livers.  These delicious fresh drinks also provide tons of micro nutrients and complex combinations of bioflavonoids at a lower cost and with way more abundant bio-availability than stuff that comes in a bottle or a jar.

With this and some nice raw sauerkrauts, kimchis and other fermented foods, we hope to round the bend into our last three or four decades with the glow of our own "health care" rather than being subjected to prescribed disease management.  Wish us luck, as we continue to do our best and clean up our act year by year, decade by decade with love for our selves and for all.

© Josephine Laing, 2015