“Our genes do not hardwire us for chronic disease. It’s the environmental conditions and daily lifestyle choices that matter most.”
– Jeffrey Bland, PhD, FACN, FACB, CNS, Founder and President, Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute & CEO, Kindex Therapeutics & “father of functional medicine”
While there is little dispute that there is an underlying genetic component to autoimmune conditions, there are many hypotheses that seek to explain their root cause(s) and perpetuation: We don’t get enough sun. We’re too clean. Our guts lack adequate bacterial variety. Our immune systems confuse certain foods for enemies. We have weak and leaky cell membranes. Our immune systems are jacked up and primed for a fight. And we are simply not able to adapt to the myriad toxins and stressors in our environment and in our body/mind.
Some or all of these hypotheses may be true. Scientists will continue to seek answers through research, and we’ll share their findings over time. But we already have abundant good data and personal experience to share about things you can do right now to help yourself heal and/or prevent autoimmune conditions.
You Choose Your Destiny
The cornerstone of our philosophy is the relatively new science of epigenetics, the study of reversible and heritable influences on gene activity that are not due to changes in DNA sequence.1Epigenetics and autoimmunity; Brooks, W.H., et. al.; J Autoimmun. 2010 May; 34(3):J207-19. doi: 10.1016/j.jaut.2009.12.006. Epub 2010 Jan 6.;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20053532 Simply put, your genes are not your destiny, as science once had us believe.
How your genes get expressed is up to you and your environment – and maybe more importantly, your perception of your environment!2The Wisdom of Your Cells; Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. cell biology & author, The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter and Miracles; https://www.brucelipton.com/resource/article/the-wisdom-your-cells You may always have the genes for MS or any number of autoimmune conditions. But you have enormous control over whether those genes get turned up or dimmed down. Every fork-full of food, each body care product, every household cleaner, each hour of sleep and every thought in your mind direct your cells to harm or heal, inflame or restore. You choose.
Roots and Resolve
The roots of ill health and the solutions for good health can be found on every level: mind, body, and spirit. Since your health is the sum total of your relationship with your environment, and your environment is large and multidimensional, you must explore and address each and every category.
We want to make your journey back to vibrant health as smooth as possible based on the latest science and our personal experience. In these blog posts and shared stories we present the multidimensional map back to good health through the roots and solutions of autoimmune conditions.
Each individual’s path to healing is unique, and you are the CEO of your healing journey. Adventure wisely. Gear up for gardening in your own terrain. Dig into each root. Do some deep inquiry. Consider the corresponding solutions. Put yourself first. Educate yourself. Build a support team. Hire a holistic doc. Do what healthy people do. Remove your triggers. Add in nourishing habits. Keep at it. Have patience. Love yourself. We’re in this together.
Check out our Manifesto for ideas to get started. What are you doing that is working?
Take good care!
p.s. Before you go, please accept our FREE gift: Your Optimal Food Guide ebook, which can help you figure out which foods can help you reverse autoimmune conditions or just optimize your health.
p.s.s. And, if you are proactively seeking to heal from any autoimmune condition and want community, support and valuable information, please join our free, private Facebook group: Transcend Autoimmune.
Image Credit: Ignatiev/iStock
