Dirty Genes

I just read Ben Lynch's book Dirty Genes. He believes controlling the genetic expression of gene mutations (or SNPs, single nucleotide polymorphisms) is done with diet, stress management, adequate sleep, exercise, and avoiding toxic chemicals. He identifies seven genetic expressions that are either born dirty or act dirty and how each one contributes to a person's personality as well as their overall health. He doesn't think genetic testing is necessary as you can determine which genes are dirty by symptoms. Once you identify which genes are problematic, he describes the good and the bad characteristics for each in detail and tells you how to clean them up. Like laundry. LOL!

Although all the genes work together and interact cohesively, the one gene I found fascinating was the GST which is responsible for chemical detoxification. If this one is dirty, then the person is screwed...or...chemically sensitive. It manages your glutathione levels which control your detoxification levels. Did you know the overproduction of hydrogen peroxide in your body makes your hair go gray? Reverse the hydrogen peroxide levels, and your hair color will return. That was fascinating! And stay away from the herbicide Roundup. It screws with your estrogen levels and overproduction of estrogen creates all kinds of disease. Recently I learned overproduction of estrogen is thought to cause Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. It never surprises me how this is all interconnected. I enjoy getting new pieces of the puzzle.

It was amazingly informative. Some new facts and actions to take for my specific gene mutations include: don't eat leftovers as they create histamine, don't overeat as it negatively affects glutathione levels and methylation processes, avoid fermented foods which are another source of too much histamine, don't eat too much protein and eat only three meals a day, no small scattered meals or snacking. I love new information.

My favorite theory (mantra) is "NO PILLS FOR ILLS". He is all about avoiding supplements! So rare! But he believes if one must take supplements to support a condition, it's important to know when to stop or when they are no longer needed. Supplements are drugs. Taking them too long creates more health issues. He's all about healing with diet and lifestyle. Love it!

Excellent book. Highly recommend it.

Yes, I stole this image off the internet,  from Amazon.com specifically.
I figure I'm promoting the book so all is good.
If not, then let me know and I'll
remove it.

Genetics...You are So Screwed.

Most of my family are stinkers and don't give a rat's ass if their bad habits are poisonous to me so I avoid relatives when possible. My brother just recently quit smoking so his toxicity has decreased. I wait for a nice day so I don't have to sit inside his newly constructed [formaldehyde smelling] house and in the fresh and tolerably warm-ish air I am able to catch up on gossip and family news.

My niece was unexpectedly present. She's a stinker. Her long hair freshly washed in god-awful scented shampoo is enough to kill me...besides the make-up, lotion, deodorant, and scented candle fetish. And cats. She's a cat woman.

A few years ago she was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease so I was eager to discuss autoimmune diseases with her. I shared with her my Hashimoto's Thyroiditis diagnosis. She complained her doctors know nothing. (At times she so very much like me in odd ways it's frightening!) However, when I asked her if she had read any books or websites on autoimmunity. She hadn't. I attempted to ask her about her diet, but she became defensive stating her diet is fine although she still ends up in the hospital. She complained about being tired all the time, but she confessed she eats a lot of sugar. She told me stress is a trigger for her and asked me if I knew that. Yes, I did. She looked at her father and said, "SEE! I'm not making it up!"

We continued chatting and she wanted to know about my genes because she might have the same. She wants to get her DNA tested and I shared that I had mine tested. This made her very excited and she wanted to know our ancestry, but specifically the genes I have that are associated with health and disease. I told her I couldn't remember specifics and our DNA won't be exactly the same, but when I get home I'd email her. She kept bouncing between docile and attentive vs. loud, defensive, and high strung. I wondered if this was a symptom of something. (Too many toxins?? Too much sugar??)

I have many, many times in the past tried to educate her about chemical sensitivity, but like so many unenlightened, she's not interested. It's not personally meaningful to her and, well, she doesn't seem to give a rip about anyone around her. So on this particular encounter, I stopped asking about her health as I sensed it frustrated her or caused stress and I didn't want to personally be the trigger for her next hospitalization. She professed to being interested in solutions, but clearly she wasn't ready or not THAT interested. She hasn't reached the point of desperation and disability checks allow her to survive without too much financial worry. She doesn't understand everyone is one step away from chemical sensitivity, and try as I may, I can't convince her. If she has my same genes, she's less than a step away!

Being calm and looking very Modigliani...

At one point while we talked, I laughed loudly and she grimaced quickly covering her ears with her hands. My mouth fell open.

"Whoa! Do you have a hearing sensitivity?"

Most definitely. She can't tolerate noise. I shared with her I also have a hearing sensitivity and we compared information. Unfortunately, I failed to walk through the open door! Here was my opportunity to add more about chemical sensitivity and possibly convince her to start taking steps. Hearing sensitivities are a symptom of MCS. But do I continue to harangue her and risk her shutting down again? Damn the dilemma!

We exchanged email addresses and she wrote once. Promising, but that was it. I didn't even do any more quality haranguing in my email! She just stopped. I waited. I wondered if her email wasn't working as she implied she was having issues with it. Tired of waiting, I wrote her a letter enclosing some art she requested. It was long and informative because I figured if she wasn't going to email, I'd at least plant some seeds that might make her think. I told her about my DNA and specific genes that contribute to MCS. I told her it is common for people who have one autoimmune disease to get more. I told her autoimmune diseases are 77% caused by environmental factors, or chemicals. I told her stress is a huge factor and asked her if she realized stress has two forms: mental/emotional and physical. I questioned if she realized all the scented products and junk food she eats might be contributing to her physical stress level and creating autoimmune responses causing the fatigue and digestive problems. I told her a whole lot. It was one long letter! She never responded. It's very frustrating to want to help someone who doesn't want to be helped!

So...if she has my genes, she's screwed! MCS might just be around the corner for her. With women, it often rears its ugly head after age forty when their bodies over time have become overloaded. She has years to go, but she's already showing signs and has an autoimmune disease. I'd like to say I wouldn't wish MCS on my worst enemy, but at the same time, I wish it on everyone! If everyone had MCS, no one would be using toxic products and everyone would be far more tolerant of the chemically sensitive.

Time will tell. I keep holding out she might email me again, but it's been two months. Hmmmm....

Validation and Vindication

As a young girl I watched my mother die. She sat on the couch every day for months and cried in pain. After she died, my brother and I were forced to live with my father, his new wife, and step-siblings to grow up surrounded by smokers, junk food eaters, drug addicts, alcoholics and every other manner of poor parenting and little nurturing. As a young girl I made a solemn vow to not get cancer, be healthy, and not end my days in such a miserable situation. I started reading health books. I refused to ever smoke cigarettes, drink much, or do drugs. I probably missed out on a whole lot of fun in my youth, but I was convinced it was for the best. Anytime I started to slip, I hit the "play" switch in my brain and listened to my mother's tears.

I grew up being harassed for my health-driven determination. No one really understood my emotional baggage. They just thought I was weird. Or bossy. My step-mother constantly accused me of being a hypochondriac. I'm pretty sure she got really tired of my epiphanies and constant dietary advice...you shouldn't drink Coke constantly, we shouldn't eat that fake cheese, the book I just read said smoking will kill you, why are we eating frozen dinners or pizza so often? She didn't understand I was trying to save them. I didn't want anyone else to die. My siblings, who all started smoking around eight years old, always asked me with a smirk and snarky tone, So, what weird diet are you on now? My father constantly told me I was fat, but he didn't seem to connect our diet with his obesity nor my weight gain. As a young adult I'd have to stand out in the rain during holiday dinners because everyone inside was smoking and my lungs couldn't handle it. Eventually I stopped trying to celebrate the holidays with family, but I was the only one left out and this always made me question if my desire to be healthy was wrong. After all, I was the minority and I was the one suffering in exile and isolation. Everyone was having way more fun than I was!

I do blame much of my chemical sensitivity on my family's ignorant bad habits. I've heard there is a connect between hypothyroidism and second hand smoke and chemicals of all kinds contribute to autoimmune diseases. Children don't have much control over their environments: poor air quality, poor diets, and general emotional stress can take a toll on developing bodies. Stupid, irresponsible people shouldn't be allowed to be parents, and unfortunately, they usually pass their bad habits on to their offspring. We really shouldn't wonder why our health care system is overtaxed with all the unhealthy, apathetic people doing whatever they want regardless of the outcome.

Aside from the chemical sensitivity and the thyroid disease connected to the chemical sensitivity, the rest of me is fairly healthy. Hooray! I can deal with dying. I just don't want to be miserable on the way there or for any length of time. Is that too much to ask? I am determined to outlive all my relatives and I am hopeful all my sacrifices and healthful habits will pay off. If not, I'm going to be a very resentful dead person.

I visited my brother yesterday who lives about three hours away. I do this once a year around his birthday and when his organic Asian pears ripen. Because of the bad habits of all family members, I don't have much contact with any of them. Once a year or every other year, my brother visits me. He works hard at not smelling like smoke, we usually sit outside, and I catch up on the latest family gossip. Sometimes I ask him about his diet and he tells me he had Twinkies for breakfast, McDonald's hamburgers and fries for lunch, and dinner will be two cans of processed spaghetti with four slices of margarine-frosted, bleached-white Wonder Bread. Eeeww. There have been times I've uncontrollably exclaimed, WHY ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?, but I no longer lecture or advise. It took me a long time to realize trying to be helpful was a waste of my time. I've trained myself not to care.

Everyone is getting older. There have been times over the years when I've whined about MCS and wondered why no one else in my family seems to be as unlucky as me. Poor, poor, pathetic me. But it's all relative (pun intended), and it's all starting to catch up with them now. In the last year alone, family members are plagued with newly diagnosed diabetes, Crohn's disease, fibromyalgia, blood clots, back problems, heart attacks, strokes and out of control stupidity forcing perpetual unemployment and disability. And that's just what I could drag out of my brother. He's not really forthcoming with the gossip. I can say I'm not surprised, but I confess, as I listened to him I silently thought, It's about time!

Am I a horrible person for thinking this? Am I bad? I know I should probably be more sympathetic, but really? If you smoke for 40 years, this is what happens. If you eat junk food all your life, this is what happens. If you do drugs or drink excessively, this is what happens. Did they really expect a better outcome? My brother tends to blame all health problems on genetics. He thinks if it runs in the family there is nothing that could have been done to prevent it. Really? This is a common medical assumption I always hear, but in truth I think it's just a way to avoid personal responsibility. The only thing we've inherited from our parents were their bad habits and the nasty environment they provided for us. As adults, we have a choice to continue the stupidity or stand up and take responsibility for ourselves. I put up with a lot of abuse as a kid for wanting to be healthy and throughout the years I've questioned if it was worth the effort. Even with MCS and Hashimoto's, I'm still fairing better than anyone else and I am thankful for that! Their bad news is my validation. (I AM a horrible person! Why don't I feel bad about that?)

The best news, however, was my brother quit smoking!!! This is a MIRACLE. He said his lungs started really bothering him to the point where he couldn't breathe. Such excellent news! He had a new house built and doesn't let anyone smoke in it. Hooray!!! I'm trying to pretend I didn't hear about the tumor doctors recently found on his spinal cord. Hey, he did say God told him smoking would kill him, I just figured it would be lung cancer, esophageal cancer or something more obviously connected to his cigarette addiction.