can we really influence gene expression?

[bobby]

Lately I've been noticing a lot of articles and messages from health professionals along the lines of: 'stop blaming your genes for making you sick!'; 'you can only get better when you believe you'll get better!'; 'your genes don't make you, you make your genes!', etc.

So we are born with a certain set of genes, but there's a whole range of things influencing whether or not these genes will be 'expressed', e.g. if we will get sick or not. In other words: we have certain things hidden in our genes, but that doesn't mean these things will come out in our lifetime.

According to certain health professionals, your gene expression can be heavily influenced by the way you live, eat, think, behave, etc. They believe you can switch off the genes that are causing your illness.

Terry Wahls loves that stuff: http://terrywahls.com/conor-devine-stop-blaming-your-genes/
As does Bruce Lipton: https://www.brucelipton.com/books/biology-of-belief
And the Bulletproof guy - hacking into yourself, flipping DNA switches: https://www.bulletproofexec.com/how-your-environment-hacks-your-genes-for-you/

Or all the random stories, like this one story from a while ago, about a guy who had terminal cancer, but turned his life around and started 'giving wholeheartedly', doing volunteerwork for the less fortunate. His cancer disappeared, which he saw as the result of his new way of life.

I have tried a lot of the things these people say, but it's really not working for me. So it makes me feel like this is just a new blame game. 'You can make yourself better, so if you don't get better, it's your own fault.'

What do you guys think? Truth or Lie?

 

[Lissa]

OMG! This stuff drives me nuts! If I hear "dis-ease" one more time I'll lose it. I have a sister in law who buys into this blame game idea....

I know she means well, but it is sooo disheartening to be met with such ideas that presume that I somehow haven't done enough to magically fix myself already. Like living with this disease is a choice... And if only whatever, I'd be cured already - so I must "need" to be in "dis-ease".

Primal SCREAM!!!!

That said--- I can also see another side where a person living in a miserable mindset, finds they feel better when they adjust their attitudes, find gratitude etc. Sure there is something in that. But curing all ills?! ?????!!!!! Ahhh yes if only life were that simple.

I for one, think that as a group we have endured more, fought more battles looking for answers, tried more things, and have continued to remain positive without giving up.... An astounding feat given the circumstances. We have honed the art of pacing and patience, as well as finding ways to be grateful for the smallest of things.

We are all finding ways to survive this beast... And those who would cast blame upon us for our illness, are utterly clueless as to the depths we have endured. I'm sure if they spent even a day in our shoes they'd be singing another tune.

 

[Who Me?]

I remember reading years ago, about cancer in particular, that your mental state played a lot in how you responded to treatment. Not that saying affirmations cured you, but that not being miserable all the time could help you respond better. I believe that I think, for cancer.

What I don't believe is that if we, or someone with MS, HD or Parkinson, can change their attitude and suddenly become cured.

I'm a cynic but that doesn't mean I'm miserable and depressed. Or that I brought this on myself (tell the virus that felled me it was my fault) and that I like being like this. So how do I think this applies to me/us? B*ll sh*t.

I for one, think that as a group we have endured more, fought more battles looking for answers, tried more things, and have continued to remain positive without giving up.... An astounding feat given the circumstances. We have honed the art of pacing and patience, as well as finding ways to be grateful for the smallest of things.

We are all finding ways to survive this beast... And those who would cast blame upon us for our illness, are utterly clueless as to the depths we have endured. I'm sure if they spent even a day in our shoes they'd be singing another tune.

Amen sister!

 

[bobby]

I'm sure if they spent even a day in our shoes they'd be singing another tune.

yes!!

But what about the people who had real physical illnesses and got cured? There either is something to this theory, or they were all spontaneous remissions and made the mistake to think that correlation = causation.

Btw, I'm not sure if what these people are talking about is just 'positive thinking'. Bruce Lipton talks about the biology of belief: changing your biology by truly believing in every fibre of your being that you are healing, nay, that you are already healed. It's more than the regular thought processes that go on in your head.

The more I think about it, the more it sounds like some sort of religion...

 

[Lissa]

yes!!

But what about the people who had real physical illnesses and got cured? There either is something to this theory, or they were all spontaneous remissions and made the mistake to think that correlation = causation.

Btw, I'm not sure if what these people are talking about is just 'positive thinking'. Bruce Lipton talks about the biology of belief: changing your biology by truly believing in every fibre of your being that you are healing, nay, that you are already healed. It's more than the regular thought processes that go on in your head.

The more I think about it, the more it sounds like some sort of religion...

Hmmmm my first reaction to believing you are healed can cure you.... How can it account for the random, spontaneous, and shall I say, glorious days where once in a blue moon we have no symptoms and feel good for a few hours? For those hours we feel alive again and throw ourselves into life. Yet it all gets taken away again as suddenly as it appeared.

Wouldn't it seem that feeling/thinking healed= being healed would then stick?! When I actually feel good I forget I'm sick! I don't remember and then feel like crap again-- I feel like crap again and then remember!!

It does sound like some sort of religion @bobby ! hah!

 

[Who Me?]

@Lissa @bobby we can start our own Cult!

 

[Cort]

This is a bit different take. With regard to changing our gene expression using drugs or something like that I sure hope so. I wouldn't be surprised at all if a mass of epigenetic changes triggered by infection or whatever play a role. I don't know that an infection is it...but epigenetic changes triggered by an infection sure could fit the bill. That would also make sense given the later onset for many us.....these changes build up over time

With regard to the other I think more than lifestyle changes are going to be needed for the vast, vast majority of us.

There are the outliers though. Wahls story - going from wheelchair bound to hiking the mountains - just through changes in diet is amazing...

 

[Cort]

Hmmmm my first reaction to believing you are healed can cure you.... How can it account for the random, spontaneous, and shall I say, glorious days where once in a blue moon we have no symptoms and feel good for a few hours? For those hours we feel alive again and throw ourselves into life. Yet it all gets taken away again as suddenly as it appeared.

Wouldn't it seem that feeling/thinking healed= being healed would then stick?! When I actually feel good I forget I'm sick! I don't remember and then feel like crap again-- I feel like crap again and then remember!!

It does sound like some sort of religion @bobby ! hah!

I love how when you are feeling better you can just forget the other stuff...It's kind of amazing....and it should stick if your mind was the only thing that was affected.

How these sudden spots of health appear is a mystery....but then so are some of the relapses or flares. Something is happening we know nothing about.

 

[Who Me?]

It's those moments/hours when I feel decent is what keeps me going. What changed? How can I replicate it?

But I never forget I'm sick. I just remembered a dream I had last night where I was walking at a strip mall looking for shoes. And in my dream I was saying to myself "wow look at you walking and not using your cane and not getting tired".

I bought wedge sneakers. The front was yellow polka dot (I hate yellow and hated it in my dream) and the back was Dalmatian print. Lol.

 

[bobby]

@Who Me? so snazzy
[bimg=200|no-lightbox]http://www.hboubhills.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/1200x1200/ef466eba2a0bae384fa77d009f4f58e0/g/z/gznew1023ct_1/gz11126-31.jpg[/bimg]

 

[Who Me?]

Hahaa. Not quite as "fancy" as that. Like slip on tennis shoes. Yellow polka dot front. The heel was Dalmatian!

Although I do kind of like those! I'd break my ass wearing anything with a heel.

 

[Who Me?]

I had just seen these so I think that was in my brain

 

[Veet]

I did all the right things for years and years. After I collapsed, I spent more years and years trying to believe myself well, before I found the proper information to begin to recover myself. Certainly diet and environment changes can often relieve some of the burden we experience. And life is far more pleasant when we can manage ourselves out of states of misery. Life is hard enough without taking on the belief that if only we had better thoughts we'd be fine. yes, religion.

...And this is pretty much the best I can articulate my thoughts. Nothing has helped my mental processes, beyond the biochemical changes I was able to create w/ diet, detox and micor-nutrients. Nor has anything given me any gains in physical energy. I feel incredibly fortunate to be mobile and caring for my self, more or less stable, rather than deteriorating.

 

[Who Me?]

 

[bobby]

I did all the right things for years and years. After I collapsed, I spent more years and years trying to believe myself well

funny thing is, for me it didn't even work when I still believed it would work. there was not a doubt in my mind that I would be healthy again, soon. and here I am, years later, still pretty much in the same physical state. I too have found some things that help, but nothing has led to anything majorly significant.

I do think about the possibility of deterioration too though. You never know if what you're doing is keeping the deterioration at bay?

 

[Who Me?]

I do think about the possibility of deterioration too though. You never know if what you're doing is keeping the deterioration at bay?

Exactly. I may not be getting much better but how much am what I'm doing is keeping me from getting worse?

 

[bobby]

that is what a lot of people don't get: that it's not just about getting from sick to cured. there's also this thing called: getting worse. a possible reality lingering in the back of our minds.

 

[Who Me?]

getting worse.

= panic and fear

 

[bobby]

= panic and fear

oh no! just realized it's the panic and fear in the back of my mind that is keeping me sick! I'll be cured thanks to you @Who Me?

 

[Who Me?]

oh no! just realized it's the panic and fear in the back of my mind that is keeping me sick! I'll be cured thanks to you @Who Me?

ROFLMAO hahah