The iceberg has melted in the medical world as scientists begin to unlock the mysteries of our genetic codes. The old way of thinking – that you are destined to experience a particular disease or condition because it “runs in your family” – is now an outmoded view of how the body works. Genetics certainly play a part in determining all sorts of characteristics and tendencies, but the new findings in the emerging field of “epigenetics” offer a far more hopeful and truly exciting message for us all.

To illustrate, let’s say you are an architect building a house. You have a set of plans or instructions calling for so many two-by-fours, so many sheets of plywood, etc. As the house is being built and the materials are getting used, you may need more or you may have used all the two-by-fours you need. This situation calls for communication from your project site back to the actual plans, which gives the message that there are enough supplies or that more supplies are needed. The message to make more material is thus either activated or put on hold.

It is the same with your genes. Your genes are a blueprint, or code, for making proteins that are used for the various functions of cells, tissues and organs. The genetic structure actually depends on information coming from your cells to determine which parts of the gene are active and thus what specific compounds the cells will make at any time.

Your brain is constantly processing information it receives from your sense organs. These signals are interpreted and communicated to your cells, and the messages transferred to your genes (DNA). The expression of your genes is changed and altered depending on the messages received.

Foods and Herbs Send Signals to DNA

Research is finding that certain herbs as well as chemicals contained in various foods send signals to our DNA, optimizing healthy cellular function. Examples include green tea, curcumin or tumeric, and compounds in the cruciferous vegetable family. Vitamin D also “talks” to your genes, which is one reason why adequate vitamin D intake is so crucial to your health. Learn more about these compounds and other healthy diet recommendations by visiting www.dreliaz.org/health-solutions/dr-eliaz-recommends/diet-nutrition/general.

More profound discoveries include the new scientific findings which demonstrate that your mind and emotions send signals to your cells that also determine your genetic expression. So it is not just the genes themselves, but their expression that determines health and disease. The expression of your genes is influenced greatly by the messages received from YOU, your body, your mind and your heart. This is something that we all have known intuitively, and that all the great spiritual traditions have been teaching for thousands of years. Now modern science is confirming these great truths, proving that our mental, emotional and spiritual states of being can greatly influence our DNA.

This is a very exciting development which represents a much more holistic understanding of health and disease, and one that has profound possibilities for healing. You can change your genetic destiny and in fact you are doing it at every moment! Take the time to enjoy a warm cup of green tea, take some deep breaths and relax. You have just changed your genetic destiny! This is truly powerful medicine.