Genetics...How big a role do they play in your Health?
The content of this article is not based on any wonderful scientific study but rather is written from a common sense point of view and personal experience.
What has prompted me to write it is the recent death of my sister who at 64 years of age was 2 years older than me.
I have always maintained that genetics are overrated when it comes to determining how long you will live and/or whether you will enjoy good health or not as you age. In fact, in previous articles I have been criticized when I have suggested that I think the influence that genetics have on your health is only about 10%. (specific genetic disorders excluded).
When I stated that figure I was referring to the normal things that people get ill and die from such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes etc.
The 10% figure was based on an educated guess from my own general observations. I admit that I may be well out…perhaps it is 20%, maybe 30. I don’t know and neither does anyone else. But, I do believe that many people who suffer from so called inherited diseases do so not because of their genes but because they may follow a similar lifestyle, mental attitude and diet as their parents did.
I feel very sad for those people who resign themselves to a ‘predetermined’ death or disease simply because they expect to have that problem because their mother, grandmother and great grandmother all suffered from it.
Preventative mastectomy?
This position of resignation is quite common in the case of breast cancer. Consider the frightening number of women who now have a ‘preventative’ mastectomy because they are fearful of getting breast cancer. Those physicians who encourage or condone such a practice are I believe negligent. It would be interesting to see the statistics for those women who have undergone this procedure based on fear alone. I suspect that many of them would have developed other forms of cancer anyway.
I truly believe that the belief that many people have that genetics play a major role in the development of specific diseases is enough on its own to make it a self fulfilling prophecy. Once again this is a personal opinion but I think that there is enough evidence to support the notion that if someone believes that they are going to get cancer then they probably will.
The way someone thinks about their health does have a physical impact on it. Although it cannot be accurately quantified I don’t think that many people would deny that this is the case. Unfortunately many Doctors ‘pooh pooh’ this notion because it is not proven…but, how can you run a double blind placebo trial on something like this?
I think that cancer in particular is quite susceptible to how a person thinks. After all we call have a cancer lurking in our bodies. There is a balance between pro-cancer and anti-cancer forces in the body and cancer only manifests itself when it overwhelms the anti-cancer forces. This is why it is so critical to give your body all the ammunition it needs in the form of anti-cancer nutrients etc…as well as maintaining a positive attitude.
Anyway, back to genetics.
I mentioned in the beginning about common sense and personal experience.
As you know my sister died a little over a week ago. She died of a heart seizure after complications during heart surgery for a replacement heart valve.
Both my parents had heart ‘issues’. Mum died when she was 89 and Dad at 81. Ironically neither of them died directly from heart failure.
Now, this is where the common sense part comes into it. If my sister who died of heart failure and given that there is a genetic strain in our family for heart problems, how come I don’t have a problem? Diane’s problems developed well before she was 60.
I know the answer to this, and I am sure that you do as well. The short version is lifestyle and prevention. Diane was not particularly fussy about how she ate. She certainly had her fair share of processed foods and intake of trans-fats. On the other hand I try to avoid anything man made or out of a packet and I certainly steer clear of trans-fats and all the so called healthy fats sold as butter substitutes.
Even though Diane worked long hours and was always on her feet she did not have any outside exercise regime which is critical for good heart health.
Faith in Doctors?
The other big difference is that Diane had faith in the Doctors. She accepted the statin drugs and other medication even though I tried to tell her that they would eventually kill her. On the other hand I use my Omega 3 fish oil and Total Balance every day. On a regular basis I use our Cardio-Klenz for a few months each year as well as our Neuro-Natural. In other words I try to deal with the cause of disease including heart well before it manifests itself. (It costs less than a daily Starbucks)
My blood pressure is still 120/80, my cholesterol is always a bit high (based on the current artificially low levels) but that doesn’t concern me as that is definitely genetic and nothing to be concerned about as my triglycerides are excellent, so is my homocysteine and most importantly my C-Reactive Protein which measures inflammation is great thanks to the Total Balance and Omega 3.
If your health is reasonable it is actually quite easy to maintain internal circulatory health by taking a few simple steps. If your health is showing signs of deterioration it can still be reversed but the longer it is left the harder it becomes. Sometimes it can be beyond repair but that would generally only be after years of ‘conventional’ medical treatment.
I sincerely believe that it is not natural for the body to get a prolonged illness or to deteriorate to the extent that it does for most people. I am now 62 years old and I see no sign of physical degeneration as yet. In fact, the most exciting part about becoming older is to see how long I can delay any significant deterioration.
If I believed that genetics play a significant part in health maybe I might not have made the effort to take care of my health and I would now be suffering a similar condition to what my sister had.
So, if you have family that suffered from cancer or heart disease don’t accept that you may face the same fate. If you take basic preventative measures they will in my opinion always override any genetic tendencies.
In good health,
Warren Matthews
Warren Matthews
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Reader Comments (37)
This is a bit of topic.
I have a 6 year old and he takes your X-L Childrens formula and Omega 3. I'm wondering if it is ok to also give him viral protec for some added protection for the upcoming flu season.
I entirely agree with you on the subject. Health is our responsibility, when we fail to achieve it we get sick.
One question. Is it ok to drink 1 table spoon of organic raw apple cider vinegar in a glass of water, at the same time as taking Total Balance Premium? If not, how long should I wait to drink the water and vinegar?
Thank you. Vera
I think that the Total Balance should be enough for your 6 year old. The Viral-Protec is not designed for a child that young. You are doing the right thing with the TB and Omega 3 so combined with a reasonable diet and by explaining how important it is to wash hands when at school before eating all should be OK.
There is no problem having the TB at the same time as your apple cider vinegar. Because it is acidic it will not affect the enteric coating. When using anything other than water to take the TB the only thing you have to be careful of is that you don't use an alkaline drink as that could affect the coating of the tablet before it reaches the upper intestine.
Drugs of any sort including provera and prednisone should only be taken as a last resort and then for as short a period as possible. They are all dangerous over time...it is just a matter of degree.
For general inflammation in the body that doesn't have any specific symptoms our Omega 3 fish oil is the simplest and most cost effective way to deal with it. Have a read of the Buyers guide on the website and you can see why that is so effective.
If you have inflammation that is causing pain to a specific part of the body then it could be worth trying our Arthrit-eze. Many people get relief from this...in conjunction with the Omega 3.
In so far as diet is concerned a good balanced diet which is natural is what is important. Natural in the respect of staying away from man made foods. Don't be afraid to eat quality meats (not processed) and don't be afraid to eat food which contains natural saturated fats.
If you are using our Omega 3 then it could be a good idea to double the daily dose rate for a couple of months.
If you still have pain at that point before resorting to drugs find a really good Chinese acupuncturist and you may find that will work wonders for you. I will be telling a personal story about that over the next few weeks. But make sure the acupuncturist has a lot of experience. They are like mechanics. One can pinpoint a problem in your car and fix it immediately whereas another cannot.
Personally, I believe that genetics does play a role in a person's physiological make-up...but only about 5% if that. It's this fraction of a difference that separates the Olympians (those who don't take steroids of course) from the amateurs. It may even be this small percentage that determines if you're at an increased risk of a specific disease or condition.
Having said this, genetics and congenital conditions should ENCOURAGE people to look after themselves (supplements and natural health). My wife does this religiously. Her grandmother recently passed away from Alzheimers. Knowing that she might be at an increased risk of a degenerative disease, my wife supplements with TB Women's Premium and Omega 3 / DHA Fish Oil and follows a healthy diet.
In addition to this, she is a puzzle / crossword / Sudoku fanatic - doing a few daily...constantly keeping her mind working and brain active. She knows there's no magic bullet or 'miracle cure' that's why she takes the initiative to stay healthy.
Secondly, all this talk about not trusting doctors is odd and bordering on conspiracy. A doctor in the US undergoes about a decade of medical training (plus, only few are able to enter medical school) and you claim that the average person shouldn't rely primarily on the judgment of his doctor? Oh, but the doctors are all taught lies by the pharmaceutical companies!? Let's be serious here... It's by not trusting doctors that people get scammed by faith healers, magic energy correction devices, magnets that make you live forever, etc. Granted, some medical recommendations may be skewed but most are generally sound for most people (of course, there are exceptions though).
Moreover, every study/article that doesn't seem to support a supplement used by Xtend-Life is discarded as being biased (the evil pharmaceutical companies are everywhere!) or with poor methodology. Yet, even if these studies are biased or use improper methodology, proving a study is irrelevant does not automatically support the efficacy of a supplement.
And then, there are claims that if you just eat right and take Xtend-Life supplements, you will live perfectly healthy... as if it were that simple. Where is the EVIDENCE? Testimonials by Warren and others? This counts as zero evidence from a scientific perspective? Oh, sure double blind research may not be cheap but just imagine how many people would take these supplements if it were more than just faith in Warren. And right now, it's not just faith that these will work, it's also faith that Xtend-Life's products contain what they claim. Who verifies this? How can I be absolutely sure? Oh, Xtend-Life will send me a PDF if I ask? Great, but I'm still getting it from Xtend-Life, what independent organization can prove to me that these supplements contain what they claim and that they actually WORK.
I've been a customer for a long time but some of this silliness is getting to me. Trying to induce a sense of distrust in science and medicine puts Xtend-Life on the same plane as religion until Xtend-Life publishes research of its own. Right now, it's all empty words spewing fear, doubt and uncertainty.
The purpose of this post was to give some personal opinions relating to genetics. I don't believe that I was making any specific claims. For that reason I didn't think it necessary to provide concrete medical evidence. I thought that I made that clear in the first sentence.
I agree with you that there is a lot of quackery out there with a lot of alternative therapy's and neither I nor Xtend-Life subscribe to them. However, there are some which have sound evidence supporting their use and acupuncture is one of them. Even the WHO supports this. I have experienced the benefits of it personally.
The problem with therapy's such as acupuncturists is that the results depend upon the skill and experience of the individual acupuncturist. In this regard it is a bit like if something is wrong with your car you can take it to a mechanic who cannot figure out the problem, cannot fix it and may even make the problem worse. On the other hand you may take it to a mechanic who knows instantly what the problem is and fixes it right the first time.
So, it is important to keep an open mind about some of these therapy's. Some therapists are good and very effective whilst others are not and taint the particular therapy.
In the case of Xtend-Life's products we only use ingredients that have sound scientific data supporting their use. If you have been a customer for some time then I am sure that you are aware of this.
Does each product contain what we say it does? Yes, they do. Can we prove it? Yes we can. How? There are only two ways. One is that you can visit our factory and that is an open invitation to all customers and observe how we manufacuture the products, follow our paper trail, look how we test and check all ingredients, see how we double check each part of the process and how our blending protocols are MUCH more sophisticated than other manufacturers.
The other way is to spend $35,000 per batch to have it sent to a laboratory to check all the ingredients. I know this price because we had a firm quote from the NSI in the US. If we did this that would add about an extra $35 cost per bottle as we do small frequent batches to ensure best blending results. (For single ingredient products the testing is cheap but not when you have around 90)
I don't think that our customers would be happy to pay an extra $35 a bottle for their Total Balance to prove something we already know.
It is a complex subject to try to explain how we know that each product does contain what we claim. We accept that this is an area of concern for customers no matter whose product they are using. It is our intention within the next few months to produce a pictorial explaining every step of the manufacturing process. Hopefully that will be useful in better understanding what we do.
You question if the supplements work and why we do not have studies to support them. We along with many other supplement manufacturers have struggled with this for years as to the best course to take to prove this, and we still don't have a viable answer.
The problem is that unlike a pharmaceutical which has a specific mode of action...for example to block the action of a specific enzyme to supress a symptom we are working on promoting general health. So, what do you test for?
When you are focusing on prevention you are trying to support the entire body and all the organs not one isolated part being the symptom which may successfully be suppressed by using a pharmaceutical drug. But often by suppressing the symptom it creates another problem else where in the body. The body is a complex mechanisim and you cannot safely deal with one part in isolation.
Just like exercise and a good diet which benefits the entire body, not just the muscles or one part of the body. For example, exercise helps with the hormonal cascade etc, etc.
The other problem with trying to do a study on a complex supplement such as Total Balance is that it would stifle innovation. We are now on our 7th generation of Total Balance over almost 10 years. Years ago we actually patented it but it was a waste of time and money because as soon as we upgrade as a result of new knowledge or technology the patent becomes useless.
Supplements are not like drugs which can be patented for 20 years and the costs of doing the studies are warrantted. There is so much new information coming out on natural ingredients that we would be doing our customers a disservice if we didn't continually refine and improve our products.
The key when developing a supplement is to do the research on the ingredients that are used and look at each one in depth to ensure compatability and synergy with the other ingredients.
I agree that Doctors undergo many years of training. But what for? I think that you would agree that it is primarily for intervention. They operate in an environment in which they see sick people and they intervene primarily using drugs.
Only about a day of the decade of training is devoted to prevention in the form of diet and some of that training is wrong anyway. For example the low fat, low cholesterol diet.
The reality it that they are not trained to keep a healthy person healthy...and I am sure any honest Doctor would accept that.
With regard to people not being scammed by Doctors and only by these way out alternative people, I am sorry that I don't agree with that.
Having said that I would make it clear that Doctors are not scamming patients knowingly but inadvertantly by following some accepted guide lines. The biggest medical scam in all time is the cholesterol/statin scam.
If you do some serious research into this you will appreciate what I am saying. In a few months time I will elaborate on this in much more detail.
In summary I think that it is important to keep an open mind on everything to do with health and the body. There is much that we do not know, there is much that Doctors and the medical profession do not know. There is much that the alternative therapy's do not know.
But, what is interesting is that some disciplines have survived the test of time. Acupunturist is one of them...4,000 years. The interesting thing is that this discipline is considered alternative. On the other hand current intervention medicine is considered mainstream. Some would say that it should be considered alternative. It wasn't all that long ago that mainstream medicine considerd that blood letting was the way to cure illness. How many lives did that therapy cost?
In time it will come to be understood that some of todays mainstream practices will be considered in the same light as blood letting...dangerous and unnecessary.
Mainstream medicine certainly has its place and I would never deny that but parts of it have got out of control in the pursuit of profits.
Always insightful reading and inspirational reading your blog. I had a quick question about expiry dates. I have two unopened bottles of neuro-memory that are about to go past their due by date (tomorrow). Should I go ahead and throw them out or can I still take them with some assurance nothing adverse will heppen?
Thank you.
No problem about the Neuro-Natural. It will still be OK. The enteric coating prevents the deterioration of them as fast as normal tablets so if they are only a little over no problem. There is a margin built in.
Hi Warren
i have a problem... or maybe not... lol
i've been taking your fish oil + others for 4 months well for the last...mmm... 3 months i've gotten your omega 3 dha fish oil and has arrived with tiny crystals inside the capsule usually on the inside of the capsule (not in the middle) and seeming as you have the best quality and your manufacturing process is superior, there shouldn't be any just like the first month i got it... i talked to joanna the first month and she said she'll pass it on, but nothing... so i don't think this is normal AND also all 3 batches surprisingly came from the same batch NP310-which needs to be checked...so long for the "small frequent batches to ensure best blending results"... so yeah if you can comment and check this that would be great...
Rest assured that there is no problem with these little crystals. In fact they are good for you. They are in all batches but are more obvious in Batch NP310. The resaon for this is that just after we did that batch we had some extreme cold weather in Christchurch and the temperatures in the warehouse reached close to zero over night.
These crystals are not visible normally at 15+ degrees Celcius but they are when chilled. Then to get rid of them visually they have to be heated to about 25 degrees C, but there is no need to do this as these crystals are natural and we believe are part of the beneficial X-factor.
I have been using this batch myself although I think that all that batch is now gone and we are on a new one now in which the crystals are less obvious as it did not experience such cold weather.
Thanks for raising it.
I just wanted to add that when my former spouse was in medical school in 1984, his only nutrition education was from a book that they had him buy, absolutely no lectures about it were given to the medical students. I, on the other hand, had an entire semester long course in my nursing curriculum. Thus I knew more about it than him.
Thus, it may be unwise to assume that any doctor has necessarily learned more about nutrition than an ordinary non-medical person. Doctors are primarily trained to work with ill people, not to encourage health. And focusing on prevention prevents them from continuing to take in those precious dollars that most of them seek and find. There are exceptions to this rule, there are doctors who are educated about and encourage health, nutrition, exercise, etc, but as a nurse for 15 years, I rarely saw them. Instead, I was forced to frequently administer medications that I knew were not in the best interest of the patient. I got out of the health field, because it was not so healthy.
Be your own best health advocate. Reading posts by you, Warren, fit what I have learned over the years. I am glad that I stumbled upon your site this past year. Here's to health and wellness and truth in this oft confused world! Thanks.