You and Your Gene Genie (don't let yourself go!)

Preface: This isn't the first time I have referred to David Bowie lyrics in this collection One Things you can Pick. And it may not be the last. Just making sure you know I know. Oh, and if you want background music as you read: Bowie Video circa 1972

In the quest to be true to yourself and become all you can, to evolve and manifest the best in you and so on, you're bound to have run into a certain pack of stubborn dudes from inner space known to hang out in your cells' nuclei. I'm talkin' about the notorious DNA gang. You know--fancy threads, secret codes you can't crack, hardly any sense of humor....

Also known as your genes. Here at blog time we have word on up to about 20,000 of them and counting*, each responsible for different little bits of you, able to be mixed and matched in seemingly endless combinations. Many experts won't even estimate how many human traits might be owed to genetics, but some estimate at least 60% of everything you are is nature over nurture.

But nurture does have one significant power that can trump nature in a variety of ways. Unlike DNA, nurture is not predetermined. You are NOT a done deal. When it comes to your genes, you can't really change what they say and usually you can't change what they do. But you can change how they show up in your life, and where, and when, and how much if at all. You are a work in progress. Indeed, you have a magical genie inside of you that will hear your wishes and grant many of them (within reason) if only you will work at the wishes in the right way.
Let's try it.

Oh, Genie of the Genes. Hear my wish. I want smaller feet.

Okay, so there's a good example of a wish that is not within reason. Some of the notorious DNA just has to be lived with and worked around. Foot size is one of them. I know, Japanese girls endured foot binding to try to keep their feet small way back when. But that was not working with Gene Genie's power; that was manipulating and deforming for no good reason.

Let's revise. Your wishes must be within reason, and for good reason.

For example, you can't change the genes that determine the color, texture and thickness of your hair. But you can change your hair. Nurture it, so to speak, with a box of hair dye, a flat iron or perm, and voila, you've gone up against the DNA gang and won this round. This wish was within reason. (Lyric connection alert: he says he's a beautician...)

You also can't change the genes, if you have them (and about 33% of you do**), that come from European ancestors, which carry a predisposition to certain aspects of obesity. Something to do with how your body stores stuff as fat and certain chemical processes that tell these fat burners or storers to switch on or off. But can you rub your partly European tummy and make a wish?

Oh, Gene Genie, I wish not to fall victim to obesity even though I have the genetics that encourage that sort of thing.
POOF! You are now Amish.

See, Amish people have that gene a lot of the time, and they have had it for a long time, because Amish people have historically married other Amish people. There's a lot of strong genetics as a result. But guess what? For good reason, Amish people are way less obese with fewer health risks overall than the non-Amish locals in town. This is because the Gene Genie responds very well to the regular physical labor and clean diets of the typical Amish lifestyle. (Lyric alert expanded: he says he's a beautician and he sells you nutrition...)

We all were born with gifts and challenges. When you run into a stubborn showing of the notorious DNA gang, go Amish on its butt. Say, your've got a body type you don't like, or a health condition or a slower metabolism than you'd prefer; what you need is to call upon your inner genie. Get the Gene Genie's attention! Pick One Thing: within reason, for good reason. And do the work while you make your wish know. Don't let DNA bully you. Be a rebel, rebel. (See Preface)

* You can learn more about those crazy smart molecular biologist types and all they have to say about your DNA as part of the human genome project via the the NCBI via the National Institutes of Health...and you can also see a really basic map of the genomes themselves, which I must admit is really underwhelming at first, here:
Human Genome Map and More

** You can read a Time magazine article on the study that showed how the old-fashioned lifestyle of the Amish indicates that behavior can trump genetics, here: Amish People Overrule Some Prevalent Genes

And if you're still interested in proving to yourself that you do indeed have a Gene Genie, consider this study, the results of which are not yet published. Same heritage of Indian tribes, similar genetics, but different lifestyles, looks like Westernized living is losing again...