Our body is made up of billions of cells that form our bones, muscles, tendons, blood, etc.  Without them, we would not exist in human form. In those cells are DNA chains that determine sequences of how cells will act or express as to what their particular job is.  

Heredity plays a large portion in our cells and can predispose us in a variety of ways.  Our looks, for example is a heredity feature we inherited from our parents. How tall we are, the color of our eyes, hair, and skin. For many, the shape of our body is also based on our heredity.  While some seem to be skinny, others seem to bulk right up.  That being said, I think many times heredity is blamed when things go poorly, but is it really our parent’s fault?

When my late husband was diagnosed with cancer, he asked the doctor how it happened.  The doctor told him is was "bad luck."  Personally, I don't believe in luck.  I believe there is a Devine plan that give an opportunity for growth.  Each of us are given choices to make; I wrote about that recently in a previous post. It's those choices and the plan of action that can determine the future.  

Let's take a look as some habits.  A habit is defined as a routine or behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.  Habits are both good and bad.  When I observe people and their families, I notice the habits being similar.  Children learn from the adults and the adults learn from other adults and so on.  These habits are not necessarily DNA or cell generated but one of observance and repeating behaviors.  Habits are also formed from social norms. Handshaking and saying “Hello” to someone are habits that we acquire in our life. These are not heredity traits, but habits that are learned along in life. Habits are learned at the kitchen table with food preparation and dietary intake. Habits are learned when a family goes for a walk or hike on a Sunday afternoon. I believe it’s these habits that we often confuse with heredity factors.

I have observed in the dental practice, patients that are healthy with a family history of diabetes, cancer, and/or heart issues. I’ve also seen the opposite. Those that are unhealthy with a similar family medical history. Is it bad luck or is it that the patient is making choices that sustain health? I think it’s the later. Studies show that only about 5% of the time does heredity play into disease diagnosis. Too often, we give in to the notion that it’s our destiny to receive the same health fate as our parents. If that’s the case, I’m in big trouble. Here’s my history:

• grandmother died of cancer—age 54

• father died of cancer—age 63

• mother died of cancer—age 78

I refuse to give into the idea that this is my fate. By choosing to live differently, I think we can change our DNA expression and live a full abundant life. That will look differently for each one of us. It’s a daily decision for me to choose foods that will sustain life. There are land mines around me that I have to stragetically avoid. To be honest, it was difficult at first to walk past the cookies and donuts in the office. But over time, I now have no desire to eat those things. For me, those few moments of eating pleasure isn’t worth the months or years of chronic disease.

It’s not heredity that keeps a person on the couch playing video games or bing watching movies. It’s not heredity that frequents the drive thru at the fast-food restaurant or giving into those sugar cravings. These are habits that will not likely sustain health for the long haul. Habits, like these, are toxic to our cells and can lead to distress and eventually disease to our body.

Please hear me say that there are factors that predispose us to disease, and if continuing to live the same way as our parents, can end up with the same fate. Ponder the thoughts of what is heredity or habit. What decisions are you making to sustain health vs. leading to disease? Each of us has the ability to change the expression of our DNA based on our environment, whether that is internal or external. How do you want to go out? Live well and die quickly or linger for years and die a slow death? I’m opting for the first scenario. Will you join me? I need to have someone around when I’m 90 years old to share a glass of wine with!

Health bite: Fate is not based on one’s heredity but the habits you acquire.