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This article was provided by Dr. Kenneth Wingrove, a chiropractor at Desert Hills Chiropractic in Farmington, NM. If you would like to learn more, please visit https://www.myfarmingtonchiropractor.com/.
As a doctor dedicated to health and the prevention of disease, I can hardly contain myself! I do not believe I will live to see anything more exciting than this in medicine.
There are two forces at play with regard to your lifelong health. These two forces interact with each other, and ultimately impact the overall health of the body you inhabit.
The two forces are your environment and your genetic code. Both are malleable, both can be directed and controlled to some degree. The more value you place on creating an environment that will positively impact your health, the more likely you are to suppress the expression of any genetic disease.
Genes are not set in stone. Your genetic code is flexible. It is able to adapt to the world you live in, the food you eat, and the level of physical activity your body has on a daily basis.
That is the world of epigenetics. There is an emerging field of study, a fledgling enterprise that is dedicated to the discovery of your genetic potential. Human potential medicine aims to categorically analyze your genetic code and identify your innate strengths and weaknesses.
When you have knowledge of your own genetic propensity to flourish or fall victim to disease, you can modify your environment accordingly. If you know exactly what supplements and foods will most positively impact your health, you can spend every dollar with precision and purpose. When you have the answer to what diet is best for your body, or what type of workout will increase your health the most, you'll also have the ability to custom order the lifestyle that gives you the best return on your resources.
Can you imagine having a simple genetic test run and getting back a perfectly designed plan for your long-term health? That is powerful! It is a whole new level of disease prevention we have never had access to in any previous generation.
This kind of knowledge has been accessible before now, but only after multi-thousand dollar functional blood testing that is mostly uncovered by health insurance.
Genetic testing is far cheaper, faster, and more comprehensive. It has also proven consistent and accurate, rendering up the same vital knowledge that an untold number of chronic disease sufferers spend years and tears accumulating.
Genetic medicine certification programs are advancing at both the practitioner and coaching level. I expect we will soon see a boom in the genetic medicine arena.
Genetic medicine is rapidly advancing it's knowledge and effectiveness. This is in part because it's frontier medicine, advancing medical treatment at a rapid pace, and in part because of the huge numbers and varied backgrounds of people signing up to be genetically cataloged and studied.
I recently received my 23andMe® genetic health assessment. It was an easy and pleasant experience. My genetic code is now available for study and comparison in ways no previous study groups have been gathered.
There are no medical tests or studies from the past that have had access to the sheer numbers of people now being genetically tested.
Genetic medicine gathers health information on a population-wide scale.
This doesn't sit well with everyone. While genetic testing helps identify health risks and can offer invaluable insight for those designing a personally healthy lifestyle, it can also provide information to agencies that have nothing to do with health.
I predict a future area of law written for the coming influx of genetic information. How will it be used? Who will have access to my genetic profile? Will future insurance premiums be based on a genetic profile taken at birth?
This a powerful new tool, and it can cut in both positive and negative directions.
For me, the benefits of being able to identify personal health risks and modify my lifestyle accordingly, greatly outweigh my reservations.
I can raise my children in an environment best suited to reduce or erase the risk of future disease based on their genetic code. No generation before mine has had the opportunity to do that.
It's a new arena in health care, one that chiropractors are particularly positioned to incorporate in practice. We already have the mindset of wholistic health. Many of us are already practicing functional medicine and testing in our clinics. Genetic medicine is the natural next step. We really can’t know all of the effects the science will have on the lives of our patients. That is part of the adventure of living.
Dr. Kenneth Wingrove DC
Bio:
Dr. Kenneth Wingrove DC resides and practices in beautiful Farmington NM. He graduated chiropractic college from Parker University in 2010. He is married to love of his life, and together he and his wife Erin raise four children.
He is the author of The Autoimmune Breakthrough - Simple Steps to Restoring and Protecting Your Health and Vitality.
He can be reached by visiting www.myfarmingtonchiropractor.com
References:
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April 5, 2018
N Engl J Med 2018; 378:1323-1334
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Epigenetics: A New Bridge between Nutrition and Health
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