Let’s go back to the fairy tale of the Three Little Pigs. I often used this story as an analogy while teaching Health Sciences to future medical professionals. I tried to impress upon my students that their behaviors could keep the wolf at the other side of the door. Sure, maybe a disease was in their family, but they were not doomed to become affected by it unless what they ate, how they exercised, or how they thought opened the door to let the wolf in.

Scientists and researchers are coming to call this epigenetics. It’s the idea that our genes are not the end-all-do-all verdict of our health’s fate. Usually, how we eat, think, and exercise influences whether our genes turn on and express themselves or not.

Last week I covered the first half of an article found HERE,   that underscored the importance of improving our brain’s healthful functioning – with the resulting benefits being passed on to our bodies – through positive thinking.

Not that bad things don’t happen. Not that we don’t have uncomfortable conversations and thoughts. But a constant negative internal narrative is affecting our very cells by making them MORE receptive to the negative neurotransmissions our brains are sending.

“I can’t help it!” My students often exclaimed.

Wait. You can’t control your brain? While we may not be able to control a reflex knee jerk, we most certainly CAN control how we are actively, consciously thinking.

Perhaps past negative experiences have brainwashed some of us into seemingly reflexive negative narratives about ourselves or others. With guided professional help, people can learn a new narrative. If the audio reel in your head is constantly berating yourself, it need not be that way forever. I would urge readers to become actively involved in resetting that narrative through recommendations of a professional counselor.

Negative thinking does more than make a gloomy day in our heads. It is something that does not contribute to a healthy sustainable life as we explored last week.

The article I shared from the Huffington Post also says:

Only about 5 percent of gene mutations are thought to be the direct cause of health issues. That leaves ninety-five percent of genes linked to disorders acting as an influencer, which can be influenced one way or another, depending on life factors.

Genes acting as influencers instead of being the one and only driver of your health destiny?

This is BIG.

WE are the drivers of our health destiny. Just because a gene sitting in the back seat says we should turn right, doesn’t mean we have to turn right. Our positive influences and practices can create a total new GPS system to guide our body’s health outcome.

The mind-body connection is being studied more every day and is being found to be the greatest influencer of all for our health outcomes. Meditation and mindfulness are just a couple tools at our disposal to deepen and strengthen that connection.

Such things were once considered fluffy and out there, but the current scientific studies of the mind-body connection and epigenetics are revealing concrete evidence that validates the hopeful message that we are much more in control of our health destinies than previously imagined.

Yes, you CAN keep that DNA/gene wolf on the other side of the door.

I would like to conclude this post with something that will get your positive hormones humming today. This may be one of the funniest comedy routines I have ever heard. John Branyan will lead you through the best Three Little Pigs you have every heard – a la 16^th century! Enjoy!

In health,

Deidre