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As blood testing and imaging studies become more “high-tech”, “low-tech” therapies and lifestyle are proven to be the key to greater health and happiness. As I repeat to both my clients and to myself, “For health and happiness, live close to nature, eat real food, and keep moving. Science will catch up.”
Science is catching up. Researchers can now see how our lifestyle affects genetic expression (our genes directing body function) in the here and now. They call this “epigenetics”, or “action upon the genes”. A major epigenetic factor is sunlight, which interacts with cholesterol in our skin oils making vitamin d sulfate. This nutrient, dubbed the antibiotic vitamin, affects over 2000 genes, and is vital for health and heart function.
Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, a genetic metabolic neurologist, stated in the recent issue of Time magazine, “I’ve seen all the hype about gene therapy for people with genetic disease, but it hasn’t delivered in the 25 years I’ve been doing this.” He should know.
In one study, he took mice with a genetic disease that caused rapid aging and early death. The mice were split into two groups, with one group running a treadmill three times a week and the other remaining sedentary. At the end of the study, the exercising mice had hardly aged, while the sedentary mice were close to death. He says exercise produces a slew of positive changes, both during and after, which are measurable with blood tests, and “exercise is the most effective therapy available to my patients right now…”
Feelings of gratitude and thankfulness are shown to be big drivers of immune system health. When we are grateful, we affirm we live in a loving, caring and helpful environment. This experience of safety and ease has been shown to reduce stress, increase positive emotions, and improve sleep and heart health.
According to Dr. Doraiswamy, an expert in brain and mind health:
“If [thankfulness] were a drug, it would be the world’s best-selling product with a health maintenance indication for every major organ system.
Meditation and relaxation techniques such as breath following and visualization all produce similar findings of reduced stress hormones, decreased inflammation, and improved immune function. And finally, more science shows how a “sense of awe” creates the same amazing results, decreasing inflammation, a major cause of illness.
So, recognize we can cultivate “awe”, gratitude and thankfulness. Also realize that ‘exercise’ includes brisk walking, gardening, laundry, and housecleaning. Gratitude journaling, thanking others, smiling, and maintaining good posture all drive a more positive mood and enhanced health. Time in nature does the same. A few close, quiet minutes at the hummingbird feeder at sunrise may well beat all the drugs in the world.
John Huntington is a local business owner in Oracle. He is a chiropractor with many years in the community. He writes a health related article in Pinal Nugget.
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