As both a physician and a human being, I have incredible respect for the field of medical genetics, the specialty of medicine that involves the diagnosis and management of hereditary disorders. Having worked in a genetics laboratory as an undergraduate, I’ve always been attuned to the importance of obtaining a thorough family history of my patients. In addition, since losing both of my parents to cancer at a young age, I’ve been acutely aware of the implications that genetic risk might have for me.

However, as a practicing emergency physician, I routinely encounter a phenomenon that greatly concerns me - I find that many people feel completely victimized by their genes. This is apparent when I ask patients if they have any medical problems and they promptly list a variety of diseases. When I then inquire how long they’ve had these diagnoses or what medications they take for them, they clarify that these are actually the medical problems of their mother or father. It’s obvious that they are failing to distinguish between having a genetic predisposition for a particular disease and actually having the disease. Their fear and fatalism are so palpable this encounter, that I feel compelled to educate and empower on this topic.

This is where the amazing field of epigenetics comes in! It is the study of how our behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way our genes work. I love to share this bit of science with patients and clients because it shifts us from a fear-based mindset and reminds us to focus on the things that we can control! While our genome (our twenty-three pairs of chromosomes encoding every aspect of our bodies and minds) will never change, the study of epigenetics shows us that the choices we make on a daily basis can affect how we express these genes. In other words, things like getting sufficient sleep, stress management, movement, and good nutrition can prompt chemical modifications to our blueprint helping us to “turn on” our protective genes and “turn off” our disease-causing genes. When people fully process this concept, they find themselves newly empowered to take back ownership of their own health.

Thus, in the centuries old debate of nature versus nurture, I choose whatever moves us to action! In the case of nature, we must respect that some diseases tend to be strongly heritable and take advantage of the early screening tools or interventions that our doctor recommends (e.g; early mammogram or breast MRI for genetic risk of breast cancer – like me.) But once we take that step, we turn our attention to what we can do to lower our risk! We seek our healthiest selves by the very simple actions of eating more whole foods from the earth, moving our bodies, prioritizing sleep, growing our spirituality, making loving connections, and living with purpose! That, my friends, is your call to action today!

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Colleen Rivers MD is a cancer survivor and founded Seek which provides heath coaching and workshops to inspire simple changes that are transformative and guide you on your journey to restored health, renewed connections and a greater joy of living.

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Colleen Rivers MD is a cancer survivor and founded Seek which provides heath coaching and workshops to inspire simple changes that are transformative and guide you on your journey to restored health, renewed connections and a greater joy of living.

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