Gene’c Myths and Legends Epigencs and...

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1 Copyright 2015 by Steven Horne and The School of Modern Herbal Medicine

Epigen'csandCons'tu'onWithStevenHorne,RH(AHG)

Gene'cMythsandLegends•  Scien'stsoncethought

thatfactorslikeintelligence,talentandgoodhealthweredeterminedbygene'cs

•  Sciencefic'onwriterswroteaboutgene'cally-enhancedhumanswithincreasedintelligence,healthandstrength

•  Turnsoutgene'csdoesn’tworkthatway

UnderstandingGenes•  Genesareblueprintsforthecrea'onofproteins,thebuildingblocksofcellularstructureandprocesses

•  ThebodyusesDNAtocreateRNA

•  RNAthencreatessequencesofaminoacidsthatbecomeproteins

DNA•  DNAconsistsofstringsof

Deoxyribose(asugar)aOachedtoaNucleicAcid

•  Thereareonlyfourtypes:–  Adenine(A)–  Cystosine(C)–  Guanine(G)–  Thymine(T)

•  Eachcanonlybondtooneothertype:–  A-T–  T-A–  C-G–  G-C

DNAReplica'on•  DNAcanbereplicatedbecauseifyouseparatethetwostrands,eachnucleicacidcanonlymatchwithoneother

•  Enzymesystemspreventmismatchessothatanexactcopyiscreated

Illustration from Wikipedia

RNA•  RNAissimilartoDNAbutusesabaseofthesugarribosetoaOachthenucleicacids

•  Thenucleicacidthymineisreplacedwithuricile(u)

•  DNAisusedtocreateRNAwhichisthentransportedtoribosomeswhereitisusedtocreateproteins

Blausen.com staff. "Blausen gallery 2014". Wikiversity Journal of Medicine. DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 20018762. (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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2 Copyright 2015 by Steven Horne and The School of Modern Herbal Medicine

RNAandAminoAcids•  Eachsequenceofthreenucleicacidscodesforadifferentaminoacid–  UUU,UUC=phenylalanine–  AUG=Methionine–  GUU,GUC,GUA,GUG=Valine–  UCU,UCC,UCA,UCG=Serine–  UAU,UAC=Tyrosine

CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

Reading the Genes

•  Each “link” of an RNA chain is coded to attach a specific amino acid to a polypeptide chain

•  This takes place in ribosomes within the cell

Illustration from Wikipedia

AminoAcidChart

Illustration from Wikipedia

ProteinStructure•  Thechainofaminoacids

createdfromtheRNAcollapsesintoathreedimensionalshape

•  Thiscreatestheproteinthatbecomespartofthecellsstructureandfunc'on

•  Aselectricalchargesarechanged,theproteinshapecanbealtered

•  Proteinscalledenzymescanalsoalterotherchemicals

Illustration from Wikipedia

GenesandProteins•  Beforethehumangenome

project,scien'stses'matedtherewereabout120,000genes,oneforeachproteininthehumanbody

•  Instead,theyfoundtherewereonlyabout25,000genes

•  Plus,98%ofthegenesdon’tcodeforproteins

IntroducingEpigene'cs•  Thematerialthatisabovethegenesiscalledtheepigenome

•  Theepigenomeislargerthanthegenesthemselves

•  Epigene'cmarkerscanturngenesonoroff,orup-regulateordown-regulatethem

•  Theepigenomecontrolshowgenesareu'lizedbythecell

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3 Copyright 2015 by Steven Horne and The School of Modern Herbal Medicine

CellDifferen'a'on•  Everycellofthebodycontains

thegene'cmaterialforthewholebody

•  Cellsindifferent'ssuesusedifferentpor'onsofthegene'ccodethatgivethemtheirspecializedfunc'ons

•  Thisisregulatedbyepigene'cs

EnvironmentDeterminesHowGenesManifest

•  The“brain”ofthecellisthecellmembrane

•  Thecellmembranereadstheenvironment,thenu'lizesthegenestomaketheproteinsrequiredtodealwiththatenvironment

•  Epigene'cresearchsuggeststhatdiet,lifestyleandevenourthoughtsandfeelingsinfluencegene'cexpression

“When I provided a healthy environment for my cells they thrived; when the environment

was less than optimal , the cells faltered. When I adjusted the environment, these

“sick” cells revitalized.”

“But most cell biologists knew nothing of this wisdom of tissue culture techniques. And scientists moved sharply away from

considering environmental influences after [discovering] DNA’s genetic code.”

—Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D. in The Biology of Belief

NatureorNurture•  Areourpersonalitytraits,

abili'esandphysicalaOributes:–  Nature(gene'c)–  Nurture(environmentalinfluences)

•  Turnsoutit’sacombina'onofboth

•  WecanmodifygeneexpressionforbeOerorforworseANDpassthesemodifica'onsontofuturegenera'ons

AModelofDiseaseandCure

Disease(Symptoms)

Constitution(Genetics)

Environment

Remedy

“When a gene product is needed, a signal from the environment… activates

that gene”

—H. F. Nijhout in Metaphors and the Role of Genes and Development

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4 Copyright 2015 by Steven Horne and The School of Modern Herbal Medicine

Epigene'cRegulators•  DietandNutri'on•  Lifestyle–  Exercise–  Educa'onandTraining–  ChoiceofAc'vi'es

•  Chemicals•  MentalAatude•  Emo'onalState•  Beliefs

EnvironmentalTriggers•  Environmentalinfluencescantriggerepigene'cchangesthatcause“inherited”diseasestomanifest

•  Thesetriggerscaninclude:–  Trauma'clifeevents–  Nutri'onaldeficiencies–  Exposuretotoxins–  Poorhealthhabits

ExampleOne:Cancer•  Certaingeneskeepcellsfrom

becomingcancerous•  Histonescanturnthesegenes

offcausingthecelltomutateandbecomecancerous

•  Foodslikebroccoliandothercruciferousvegetables,garlic,andonionscontainsubstancesthatactashistoneinhibitors

•  Thishelpskeepthesecancer-blockinggenesac've

ExampleTwo:MentalHealth•  Abuseandtraumaappearto

createepigene'cchangesinbraincells

•  Forinstance,theymayaffectDNAmethyla'onpaOerns,whichcancauseover-orunder-methyla'onincells

•  Theseepigene'cchangescanalterbrainchemistry,causingmentalillnesseslikedepressionorschizophrenia

•  Theycanalsocreategeneralpoorhealth,somethingthatofenhappenstoadultswhoexperiencedabuseaschildren

RatStudy•  RatswhoreceivedagreatdealofphysicalaOen'on(lickingandcuddling)asbabiesproducedmorereceptorsforcor'solinthebrain

•  Thismeansthatthefeedbackloopsinthestressresponseactfastertoshutofftheproduc'onofstresshormones,helpingtherodentstofeelcalmerinstressfulsitua'on

•  RatswhodidnotreceivethisaOen'onproducedlesscor'solreceptors,whichcausedthemtosufferfromhigherlevelsofanxietyasadultmice

Nutri'onandEpigene'cs•  Methyla'onisusedto

deac'vategenes•  Forinstance,epigene'c

changescancausesomepeopletoover-methylateandotherstounder-methylate

•  Theymayalsocausethebodytohavedifficultyprocessingindividualnutrients

•  Thisiswhynodietorsupplementworksforeveryone

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5 Copyright 2015 by Steven Horne and The School of Modern Herbal Medicine

Epigene'cExperiment•  Twogroupsofpregnantmicewiththeagou'genethatproduces

yellowfurandatendencyforobesityanddiabetesmiceyellowcoats

•  OnereceivedadietrichinBvitamins(folicacidandvitaminB12)•  Theothergroupofgene'callyiden'calpregnantmicegotno

extraprenatalnutri'on•  Bvitaminsactedasmethyldonors:theycausedmethylgroupsto

aOachmorefrequentlytotheagou'geneinutero,therebyalteringitsexpression.

•  B-vitamingroupproducedhealthybrownmiceofnormalweightwithnopropensitytodiabetes.

–  hOp://www.'me.com/'me/health/ar'cle/0,8599,1951968-2,00.html

Methyla'onSymptomsOvermethyla'on

•  Obsessivethoughtswithoutcompulsiveac'ons

•  Hairybody(hirsu'sm)•  Lowlibido•  Lowmo'va'oninschool•  Non-compe''ve•  Talka've;highar's'cability•  Noseasonalallergies;

an'histamineintolerance•  Highanxiety•  Foodandchemicalsensi'vity•  Adversereac'onstoSAMe,

SSRIan'depressants

Undermethyla'on•  Obsessive-compulsive;

ritualis'cbehaviors•  Sparsebodyhair•  Highlibido•  Strongwilled•  Compe''veingamesand

sports•  Perfec'onis'c•  Seasonalallergies•  Phobias•  Addic'vetendencies•  Highfluidproduc'on(saliva,

tears)

Methyla'onCorrec'onOvermethyla'on

•  Respondtofolatesupplements

•  DonotrespondwelltomethyldonorslikeSam-e

Undermethyla'on•  Respondwelltomethyl

donorslikeSam-e•  Respondpoorlytofolicacid

orfolatesupplements•  Sam-eisanaturalreuptake

inhibitorforserotonin,dopamineandnorepinephrine

PrenatalNutri'on•  Epigene'cssuggestthat

parentswhowanthealthychildrenshould“cleanuptheiract”beforeconcep'on

•  Italsodemonstratestheimportanceofgoodprenatalnutri'on

•  Folateorfolicacid,forinstance,hasbeenshowntoreducebirthdefects

•  Pregnantwomenshouldeathealthyandtakesupplementstoensureadequatenutri'on

PrenatalNutri'onQuotes•  1980’sDr.LarsOlovBygrenprovedinStockholmthat:“condi'onsinthewombcanaffectyourhealth,notonlywhenyouwereafetus,butwellintoadulthood”

•  1986LancetJournalshowed“ifapregnantwomanatepoorly,herchildisathigherriskforCVdiseaseasanadult”

SmokingMayAffectEpigene'cs•  Astudyof166fatherswho

smokedbeforeage11,showedthatsmokingmaycauseepigene'cchanges.

•  Theirsonshadhigherratesofobesityandheartdiseaseandshorterlifespans

•  Thissuggeststhatharmfulepigene'cchangesfromsmokingmaybepassedontooffspring–  EuropeanJournalofHuman

Gene'cs2006

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6 Copyright 2015 by Steven Horne and The School of Modern Herbal Medicine

Gene'callyModifiedSoy•  MicefedGMOsoyhadchangesintes'clessugges'ngpossible

problemsinspermcells•  EmbryosofmicefedGMOsoyhadchangesinDNAexpression,

comparedtothosewhoseparentswerefednaturalsoy•  56%ofratswhosemotherswerefedGMsoydiedwithin3weeks

comparedto9%ofthosewhosemothersatenon-GMOsoy•  Aferthestudywascompleted,theratfoodusedbythat

laboratorybeganincorpora'ngGMOsoy.Within2monthsinfantmortalityskyrocketedtoabove50%

•  ThisisthesameGMsoythat’splantedin89%ofthesoyfieldsintheU.S.

–  JeffreySmith-leadingspokespersononthehealthdangersofgene'callymodifiedorganisms(GMOs)2003SeedsofDecep+on.

GMOsandHumans•  Theonlyhumanfeedingstudyeverpublishedshowed

thatgenesinsertedintosoybeanstomakethemherbicidetoleranttransferredintotheDNAofhumangutbacteriaandbecameastablepartoftheirDNA.

•  Thismeansthatlongaferyoustopea'ngaGMOfood,yourowngutbacteriamaybeproducingtheseforeignproteins,includingthepossibilityofproducingtheBttoxin–apes'cide.

•  Thismeansthatea'ngaGMOcornchipcouldtheore'callyturnyourintes'nalfloraintolivingpes'cidefactories,possiblyforthelong-term.

•  Ingeneral,theFDAallowedtheproductsanywaywithoutadequatetes'ngbecauseitwasdeclaredthatitwas“generallyrecognizedassafe.” 

AvonLongitudinalStudyofParentsandChildren(ALSPAC)

•  Babylo'onscontainingpeanutoilmaybepartlyresponsiblefortheriseinpeanutallergies

•  Highmaternalanxietyduringpregnancyisassociatedwiththechild'slaterdevelopmentofasthma

•  LiOlekidswhoarekepttoocleanareathigherriskforeczema

ThoughtsandFeelings•  Aresearcherepigene'cs,Konstan'nEriksen,recentlystated:

•  “Contrarytowhatmanypeoplearebeingledtobelieve…wearefreetomakedecisionsthatimpactourlivesandthoseofothers.Ourbeliefscanchangeourbiology.Wehavethepowertohealourselves,increaseourfeelingsofself-worth,andimproveouremo'onalstate.”–  (hOp://wakeup-world.com/2012/03/26/the-science-

of-epigene'cs-how-our-minds-can-reprogram-our-genes)

LoveYourGenes•  Goodnutri'on

–  Vitamins,especiallyB-complex–  An'oxidants–  Probio'cstocreatehealthygutflora

–  Adaptagens•  Avoidtoxins(drugs,smoking,

alcoholandchemicals)•  Exercisethebodyandmind•  Learntocopewithstress•  Cul'vateposi'veaatudes

andletgoofpastemo'onaltrauma

Cons'tu'on•  Alltradi'onalsystemsofmedicineincorporatetheideaofcons'tu'onaltypes

•  Acons'tu'onaltypemayinclude:–  Basicbodystructure–  Tendenciestophysicalstrengthsandweaknesses–  Basicpersonalitytendencies

•  Tradi'onalcons'tu'onaltypesareofenlinkedtobasicenerge'cmodels–  4elements(air,water,fire,earth)–  5elements(wood,fire,earth,metal,water)

The School of Modern Herbal Medicine

7 Copyright 2015 by Steven Horne and The School of Modern Herbal Medicine

IsIridologyanEpigene'cWindow? Cons'tu'onalIridology•  Iridologysuggeststhatcertainirisstructuresareindica'ons

forboth:–  Physicalstrengthsandweaknesses(tendenciestocertainhealth

problems)–  Basicpersonalitytendencies(bothstrengthsandweaknesses)

•  Whetherthephysicalhealthissuesassociatedwiththeseirisstructuresmanifestappearstobelargelydependentondietandlifestylechoices

•  Thepersonalitytendenciestendtomanifestaseitherposi'veornega'vepersonalitytraitsdependingagainonaperson’schoices

•  IrispaOernsmaybecomemoreorlessdominantinsucceedinggenera'onsdependingagainonchoices

Example:HeartSign KidneyZone

WhatMyEyesSayAboutMeCons'tu'onandEnvironment

InteracttoCreateourStateofHealth

The School of Modern Herbal Medicine

8 Copyright 2015 by Steven Horne and The School of Modern Herbal Medicine

Ques'onstoPonder•  Whataboutthe98%ofourgene'cmaterialthatisn’tcodingforproteins?

•  Undertherightcondi'onscouldsomeofthisbetriggeredintoac'vity?

•  Howmuchcontroldoesthoughtorconsciousnesshaveovergene'cs?

DoWePossessGene'cMemory?

Canweinfluenceplantgene'cs?Brassicaoleraceavarie'es There’saLotWeDon’tKnow

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