(See also the “General Patient Protocols” sheet found under the “Patient Intake & Evaluation” section of the portal)

   A healthy nervous system, nutrition, toxic exposure, physical movement, rest, and stress account for up to 85% of any condition and up to 98% of chronic disease risk. It’s not genetics.

   85%+ of the time, our health problems, symptomatic complaints, and disease risks are based on our choices or our exposures.  Exposures can be what our mom and dads exposed us to “just” prior to or during pregnancy along with airborne pathogens we breathe in and out unknowingly.  SIDE NOTE: I believe “Preparing for having a baby” will be a big program for WA docs in the future as cleaning your genes is the best thing to do for the well-being at birth and beyond.  Mom and dad’s epigenetic care influences the health of the next 4 generations they generate.

GENETICS V. GENOMICS

  For clarity; genetics is the study of individual gene functions. We contain 46 chromosomes which are the storehouses for genes; each containing a variety of different genes. Our 20,000+ genes (Sources vary between 20-25,000) are bound tightly to our DNA and provide the instruction template our body uses to function. Genes create the instructions for the body to use in order to build hormones, proteins, muscles, and different types of cells. 

   Initially, medicine and even natural doctors looked at a particular gene and decided how to treat it. Yet, unique genes do not work in a vacuum, but are instead working with 1000s of genes and gene networks. When we look at this properly, we look at it globally or what is called “genomics” rather than “genetics.”

  Genomics is the assessment of a multitude of genes, how they interact, and create physiologic function together.  Also considered as part of the genome is your mitochondrial genome (from mom) and your bacterial genome (microbiome) as they also influence the genes and overall biochemistry as well. This is very chiropractic deductive reasoning as the “whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” It is innate wisdom and the balance of a multitude of genes working within the body’s ecology that produces and maintains health or disease.

   In consideration of genomics and making clinical decisions for patients, it is also essential take into account other information such as: health status, other biomarkers like inflammation and Vitamin D, lifestyle, and looking at the larger list of genes to direct people towards their best environment. 

   Genomics are the key to understanding how genetic information can affect our health, the type of choices we need to make to improve it, and what is necessary to overcome or prevent disease. 

   The AMC-Well Aligned doctors can make all of the difference in someone’s life now and in their generations to come.

Have fun saving the world,

Dr. Ben Lerner