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I would like you to picture this scenario if you will…

Everyday, across the world, millions and millions of people visiting - no, inundating – doctor’s surgeries, clinics and hospital emergency rooms.

Now my question to you is: What drives these millions and millions of people to these places all of the time when I’m sure they would prefer doing something more useful with their time?

Of course your answer will be: Because they are sick!

And you are right.

Yes, it is sickness which compels millions and millions of people to visit these places.

Now my second question to you is? What is the commonest cause of their sickness? In other words what is the commonest reason why people visit a doctor’s surgery, clinic or hospital emergency room?

The answer to that question is the subject of my talk today.

And the answer is………..STRESS!

Yes stress is the cause of up to 90% of the illnesses that are treated in a primary healthcare setting such as a doctor’s surgery, clinic or hospital emergency room.

So today I will talk about stress: What it is and What it does to you.

But a more important question you would like to have answered I’m sure is: Can one eliminate stress completely from one’s life?

I will answer this question briefly below.

Alright, I will start off by describing what stress is.

However, before describing what stress is, it is important that I explain to you what a stressor is.

A stressor is anything that brings on or activates a specific response – called the stress response - within our brains and our bodies. This response is characterized by physiological changes such as a change in our heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, pupil size and chemical balance amongst others.

So what then is stress? 

Stress is the experience we have in response to exposure to one or more stressors.

And the reason that the body and brain respond the way they do to the stressor is due to the perceived threat that the stressor poses to the survival or well-being of the person exposed to it.

Now there are 3 types of stressors - physical, chemical and psychological or emotional.

Physical stressors include things such as cold, heat or injuries.

Chemical stressors are things such as pollutants, toxins and poisons etc

And

Psychological stressors include worry or concern about various things, relationship difficulties, conflict at work etc. In fact a closer look will reveal that these stressors are actually the thoughts associated with the situations just mentioned i.e. they are your thoughts you generate about, or your perceptions of, these situations.

It is important then to realize that…

Your very thoughts alone can induce the stress response and cause you to experience stress!

So what does stress do to us?

Well, as we have said, stress  is responsible for up to 90% of the illnesses that are treated in a primary healthcare setting. And they include both physical and emotional illnesses such as high blood pressure, spastic colon, depression and anxiety and panic disorders amongst the many others.

Now at this point it is important to mention that the stress response is  in fact a normal response. It is an attempt by the brain and body to correct the physiological imbalances which are brought on by exposure to one or more stressors.

The stress response is thus a survival response and the body and brain are well-equipped and designed to withstand short episodes of the stress response i.e. episodes which last from a few minutes to an hour or two at most.  For example if we are threatened by an aggressive dog our stress response kicks in and we run to a safe location. The stress response then dissipates and we return to our normal physiological state.

This normal and short-lived stress response is known as acute stress.

The problem arises though when we are continually exposed to stressors such as continual negative thoughts for example, then the stress response is turned on all, or most, of the time. And since we humans have not been designed to withstand such a persistent onslaught , a continually turned-on stress response causes severe damage to our brains, our minds and our bodies. In other words we become emotionally and physically ill.

This is the unfortunate result of chronic or persistent stress which occurs due to a stress response which remains activated over a period of days, weeks, months or years. And so by reducing - or preferably eliminating - chronic stress from our lives we will become happier, healthier, and even more intelligent.

Now let me get back to the question I asked earlier viz. Can you eliminate stress completely from your life? And of course I am referring to chronic stress.

The answer?  Yes! Chronic stress can be completely eliminated from your life.

There are many powerful techniques, technologies and practices which you can use to help you eliminate stress from your life. However discussion of these is beyond the scope of this article.

Wishing you a life of Health, Wellness and Great Performance!
 

I am sure you will agree with me when I say that assumption can be a dangerous thing.  In fact it can be a really, really
dangerous thing because, by definition, it is the belief that something is true without having any proof that this is the
case. In other words assumptions are made either because no proof or facts are available or they do not exist.  And without
proof, well, anything can be said to be true even if it is not!

Why do I say this? Well, I am specifically thinking about the assumption, since the discovery of the helical structure of
human DNA by scientists Watson and Crick, that our DNA or genes control our lives. Where did this assumption come from?  From Sir Watson himself! In fact he stated this to be a dogma or doctrine, the “Central Dogma” as he put it, in a speech he made in 1953. Why was this an assumption? Because neither he, nor anybody else, ever proved - nor provided any scientific evidence - that it is true! They provided no facts to back up their claims.

Now Watson’s false assumption or belief has not only been misleading but has also had a major negative impact on the lives of millions, if not billions of people across the globe. Ever since Watson published his “Central Dogma of Molecular Biology” a large proportion of human beings have become programmed with the belief that their DNA or the genes they inherit from their parents, determines everything about their lives, from the illnesses they get to their personality characteristics and “everything in between”. In fact the “primacy of DNA” has ruled supreme for many decades now, with genes being praised or blamed for much of the experiences of humankind, from academic and athletic achievement to the hopelessness associated with diseases such as certain cancers for example. Even medical doctors hold the false belief that genes control virtually everything about our lives. This is not surprising given the fact that medical schools have been programming future doctors with this belief for many years now.

So what is the truth then? The truth is your genes do not determine your fate in life, or who you become. Your environment does. A person is not a “born loser”, a “born leader” or a “natural-born killer”. At best genes only contribute to our characteristics but do not determine them. Certainly genes do determine certain physical characteristics such as height, eye color and skin color. However other aspects of our lives such as our personality characteristics or psychological makeup, the length of time we will live and our propensity to get sick or remain healthy and well for example are largely determined or controlled not by the genes themselves but by factors or signals outside of them. These signals originate from the environment outside of the genes (or more accurately outside of the cells which contain them) and the phenomenon whereby genes are controlled or directed by factors external to themselves is known as “Epigenetics”. “Epi” means above. 

Now these environmental signals that direct the selection and expression of our genes are categorized into internal and external. Internal environmental signals that turn genes on or off are those that arise from within the individual and include their own thoughts, beliefs, biochemistry (hormones, neurotransmitters etc), emotions, intentions, spirituality and electromagnetic energy flow for example. External environmental signals on the other hand include the society in which the individual lives and works, the food they eat, the toxins or pollutants they are exposed to, the habits they engage in and the parenting skills of those entrusted to their care and upbringing amongst others. These environmental signals may impact on our genes second-by-second, minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, day in and day out. For example, persistent negative thoughts in the form of worrying contually activate those genes which produce the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.  Continual flooding of the body with these stress hormones is extremely destructive to it, and ultimately results in both emotional and physical illness. And the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke cause damage to certain genes resulting in the formation of damaged cells which grow uncontrollably to form cancerous growths. And cancer of course often kills people.

So what can you do to epigentically control your genes to work for you rather than against  you, to provide you with the healthiest body and mind possible, to help you achieve your goals efficiently and effectively and to enhance your performance significantly? In other words what do you need to do to be the best director of your genes, the best director of your life, you can possibly be? Here are some of the things that you should do:

1.    Eat correctly – only good, nutritious food
2.    Drink lots of water – 8 or more glasses per day
3.    Eliminate stress from your life
4.    Don’t smoke anything or use illegal substances
5.    Minimize, but preferably eliminate, your negative thoughts
6.    Identify your destructive beliefs – then eliminate them
7.    Meditate, meditate, meditate regularly – preferably every day
8.    Get your electromagnetic energy to flow freely
9.    Become physically and mentally fit - engage in regular physical and mental exercise
10.    Free yourself from negative emotions
11.    Have a positive attitude
12.    Visualize

Of course some of these, such as eating correctly or not smoking, are things your doctor will advise you to do. But chances are your doctor has never prescribed a new set of positive beliefs for you, or advised you to visualize often or to become a more conscious and spiritual person. Now there are some physicians who already do practice epigenetic medicine. But this discipline is, unfortunately, not widely practiced.....yet. Given the undoubted benefits delivered by epigenetic medicine it is not long, I think, before it becomes as commonplace as conventional, allopathic medicine. So don’t be surprised the next time you visit your doctor he or she prescribes an energy routine or advises you to perform EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) regularly on yourself or to meditate. Adhering to his or her advice will go a long way in helping you become the best director of your genes you could possibly be.

So, here’s to a future of successful control of your genes in the best direction possible for you.

And, as always, wishing you a life of Health, Wellness and Great Performance!