Looking over my genomics profiles, I wish I had paid more attention in Biology 1, 2, and 3, thirty years ago. Even if I had, would I remember any of it? Probably not. I've been re-introducing myself to the basics of biochemistry this weekend, with a little success.
At least I now have the ability to decode most of the information into plain English, and then confirm it with secondary and tertiary sources on the Internet. It is fascinating, if somewhat disconcerting, to read about the damage I've done to my body in the course of living almost 55 years. Considering how much "fun" I've had in that context, I'm actually in pretty good shape.
These "snips" (single nucleotide polymorphisms), are not inherited--they are identified mutations of the gene mitosis codes, theoretically due to exposure to pollution, pesticides, solvents, drugs, carcinogenic substances, heavy metals, toxins (biological and chemical), and free radicals circulating in the body. Then there are the enzymes that detoxify all the bad substances in the body, and how efficiently they are working. I now have a pretty accurate picture of what went wrong and what might have triggered my cancer, and what is going on now with my heart, bones, hormones, liver, and gut. Whether or not interventions can be made to slow any problems or even improve my overall health is still supposition, but I'm willing to give it a try.
The good news is that whatever the effects are of improved nutrition, dietary supplements, exercise and other lifestyle factors, they can be objectively monitored and measured via traditional scientific methods. The prior genetic damage can't be undone, but perhaps further damage on other pairs can be avoided. The enzymatic efficiency can be quantified to see if it's getting better or worse. Levels of "good" estrogen and "bad" estrogen can be compared to this baseline measurement in six months to see if they are getting better or worse.
This approach pleases me. It gives me the feeling of doing something positive towards improving my own health (other than just vague imprecations to "eat more fish and vegetables"), and it can be objectively verified to be working or not by real data. I can keep my inate skepticism at bay with a program like this, at least until I see the results.
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For those who have asked: GENESIS is an acronym for Genes, Environment, Nutrition, Exercise, Stress, Inflammation/Immunity, & Spirituality. See? That's pretty benign, not quite a "Dr. Evil" scenario is it?
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