Your Path to Wellness: Understanding your personal health indicators to prevent illness
Our health is one of our most valuable assets, in my opinion, it is our most valuable asset. As above so below, as within so without. Meaning, our inner world is reflected back to us through our external environment and our inner environment is influenced by our external environment. So, by nurturing our health we nurture our life, improve your health, improve your life.
To achieve optimal health it is important to see ourselves as dynamic ecosystems that are constantly in relationship with our environment. By being holistic in our approach and understanding the role of various factors, we can create resilience in ourselves to fight of pathogens, deal properly with toxins, process and work through life’s stresses. In this blog we delve into holistic health, explore the significance of knowing your DNA profile and the role of the microbiome as a major player in creating the resilience we need to live a fulfilling life.
Holistic health is a concept and a reality. Everything we take in through our senses affects our inner environment, and either adds to our resilience or takes away from it. Everything we eat and drink, people we spend time with, media and information we consume and watch, how much time we spend in nature, the products we put on and in our body and the everyday toxins we are exposed to all have an impact on our inner ecosystems. Holistic health is perspective and its a lifestyle, if we can view ourselves as whole, dynamic beings then we are well on our way to wellness.
Understanding DNA SNPs - Unveiling your DNA to reveal your genetic blueprint:
DNA Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, or SNPs (known as ‘snips’ in the industry), are genetic variations where a single nucleotide in the DNA sequence is different. We explain them as a part of the DNA code that doesn’t match what that particular code is coding for. In everyday terms, it is the area of the DNA sequence that is shorter, doesn’t match its pair, is stunted or can’t code for anything. This matters because these DNA sequences code for a particular enzyme or nutrient that the body needs to work properly. So, when a SNP is active, essentially the body is missing an important enzyme or nutrient, this means that certain biochemical pathways in the body that rely on these enzymes or nutrients can’t function properly and eventually cause a functional imbalance.
For example, I have been working with a patient for a period of time. This patient came to us with a variety of health challenges like; fatigue, irritability, depression, anxiety, chronic pain and a history of melanoma. As a part of their work up we referred them for a DNA SNPs test. Their results came back with multiple SNPs for multiple codes, but in particular they had almost every SNPs for Vitamin D. This means that this patient was unable to create the enzymes to activate and absorb Vitamin D from the environment and as a result the person had become deficient in Vitamin D, this deficiency causes fatigue, depression and mood imbalances. But the real clincher here was that Vitamin D is also protective against melanoma. By understanding this patients DNA SNPs, taking the right supplements and improving their lifestyle they were able to resolve the majority of their health issues and enhance the bodies capacity to protect itself from melanoma.
What I love about DNA SNPs tests is that it gives people real information about their genetic blueprint. Understanding these SNPs means that we can change our lifestyle and improve treatment options, so that our environment more accurately supports our inner environment. This is what wellness truly is.
The Microbiome: How a healthy gut keeps us going and going!
The science is irrefutable, we can no longer see the gut as a machine that chows down food and pumps out the waste! Our gut is full of trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, funghi and viruses - for the most part these microorganisms work together alongside our immune system to create a dynamic community called the microbiome. In fact, we are outnumbered, 9:1 by these microorganisms and our perception needs to shift to account for the incredible influence this microbiome has on our experience.
These tiny organisms play a pivotal role in our health, they transport nutrients, they create new compounds, they signal to our immune system and our detox system, they also contribute hugely to our mental wellbeing. Maintaining a balanced ecosystem for our microorganisms is essential to good health.
Healthy gut bacteria act as carriers for nutrients, helping to transport vital substances through the digestive system. They also serve as catalysts for various biochemical processes, ensuring that our bodies can efficiently convert nutrients into energy and building blocks for growth and repair. Moreover, a well-balanced microbiome is essential for a robust immune system. Gut bacteria communicate with immune cells, keeping them primed to defend against pathogens.
It’s no secret that gut issues are common. In fact, research shows us that alongside almost every chronic health issue, from chronic pain conditions and arthritis through to ADHD and mental health conditions like depression, there are moderate to severe gut imbalances. We can detect gut imbalances through functional stool testing. Functional stool testing can bring awareness to major bacterial imbalances, leaky gut and also the presence of food and drink intolerances. When we introduced functional stool testing into our practice our results with patients improved dramatically. This sis because we were able to get to the root cause of the issues, and the treatment and lifestyle options saw major improvements in a short amount of time.
To look after your gut, now, and into the future we recommend you perform a functional stool test, pay attention to your diet and how you feel after eating certain foods, manage your stress as stress has a major impact on the function of these important microorganisms!
Understanding our health indicators is a major step towards building the resilience in your body, and life to both prevent, and move through, health challenges, potential illnesses and stresses. By exploring DNA SNPs and their impact on nutrient absorption, as well as nurturing a healthy gut microbiome, we empower ourselves to take control of our health and create a strong defense against toxins, pathogens, and the stresses of modern life. Remember, health is a lifelong journey, and the choices we make today can have a profound impact on our well-being in the years to come.
For more information see our Naturopathy page or call the clinic to make an appointment.