There were audible gasps from the audience as Dr. Mark Pettus painted a picture of a country whose health and well-being was in poor shape, and getting worse.
On Monday, May 20th dozens of community members took part in an evening program that was both informative and engaging, as we explored how we are anything but “prisoners” of our DNA. The lecture was part of the JFS Miriam Adler Family Life Education series, and took place at Congregation Beth Emeth.
By taking charge of our “environmental inputs” Dr. Pettus stressed that we can play an active role in determining whether helpful genes are “turned on”, or non-helpful ones are “turned off”. Some of these environmental inputs include:
- The foods you eat
- The amount of movement you engage in
- How you interpret and respond to stress in your life
- Quality of sleep
- Environmental toxin exposure
- Love and social connection
- Meaning in one’s love, work, and play
- Medications
Dr. Pettus argues that understanding how our “Book of Life”—the genetic information we receive from our parents—interacts with our lifestyle we can make choices that greatly improve our chances for a healthier future. These choices matter, whether we are 6 or 60!
A lively period of questions and answer followed the presentation, indicating an eagerness to become more proactive health-wise.
Although the science of epigenetics is in its infancy, the principles clearly reflect common sense wisdom. Consider this Thomas Edison quote shared by Dr. Pettus:
“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet, and in
the cause and prevention of disease.”
For those looking to learn more, Dr. Pettus shared his website: www.thesavvypatient.com. The site hold a host of articles related to epigenetics, nutrition, sleep, meditation/mindfulness and other aspects of health. In his discussion of environmental toxins, Dr. Pettus suggested we check out the Environmental Working Group site (www.ewg.org) as a helpful resource.
Here at JFS and the NNORC we continue to look for ways to improve the well-being of our community members. We welcome your suggestions for future programs and activities that would support these efforts. Please feel free to contact us at 514-2023 to share your ideas.