Perception and your Biology

So many people today are lead to believe that they are 'victims' of their heredity. If they have a family history, then they are doomed to get 'it' too, whatever 'it' is. I too had that belief for many years, until I finally educated myself on the facts. You see, knowledge is power, but lack of knowledge, is also a lack of power. My dad died of heart disease around the age of 50. Anytime anyone in your family dies before the age of 50, I quickly discovered that a big red flag appears on your chart (metaphorically) to indicate that you have a family history. I was doomed. It was in my family history, and there was nothing I could do about it.
For years, I was worried that I would inherit the heart issues that tragically took my dad life. It wasn't until I was older, and realized that perhaps my environment had more to do with my health than my heredity.

You see my dad had a very hectic life, working two jobs to support our blended family, smoked heavily, was overweight and led a sedentary lifestyle as a truck driver. I was quite young when he died, and was told that he died of a heart attack, although no autopsy was ever performed. It was assumed that was the cause of death, and ruled as such. That stayed with me throughout my adult life. You see, from the ages of 0-6 years old, children are in an theta state (mildly hypnotic) thus with no history to draw upon, we rely on those around us to fill our heads with their interpretation of life (good or bad).

Around the age of 30 I began to have what I thought was heart problems. I would have palpitations that would arise from nowhere, my left side would become numb, my left shoulder would ache, and I would feel weak. I was sure that this disease was now presenting itself in my body just as it had in my dad's. I was a victim of my heredity. In retrospect, these occurrences happened during very stressful times.

This went on for a number of years, and each time I was told my heart was fine but I was suffering from
anxiety. I was given a drug and sent home. I passed the stress test with flying colors, in fact it felt good to be on the treadmill. You see,  I am a runner, very athletic and eat  healthy foods, but the one thing I was not taking into account was my beliefs. My subconscious was methodically sending my body messages that I had a heart issue (the diagnosis I was given when I was young by doctors). So of course, my body would respond accordingly.
It wasn't until I began my studies as a Metaphysican that I realized my thoughts or my perception might be the instigator of my acute intense anxiety disorder ( as it was noted on my chart -yes I peeked).

When I began researching the biology of perception, I realized that our perceptions are our beliefs, and our beliefs select our gene and behavior.According to Dr. Bruce Lipton, a cellular biologist, less than 10% of all diseases are inherited, the other 90% are environmental, meaning created by the emotional, physical, and spiritual arena in which we reside.

Stanford University wrote an article about cancer stating that less than 10% of breast and colon cancers are inherited. The rest are due to acquired mutations, meaning they occurred after birth, or due to their environment, as well as lifestyle behaviors. http://cancer.stanford.edu/information/geneticsAndCancer/

The most important point is this: No matter the dis-ease that you are dealing with, in most cases, the
disorder can be linked to the environment and not inheritance. For me, when I realized that my thoughts, feelings, and emotions were contributing to my anxiety disorder, and it was not a genetic heart problem, I began to incorporate behaviors that would work with my body instead of just 'drugging' it.

Illness does occur, sometimes it appears out of nowhere, and we have to dig deep and truly be honest
with ourselves to see if we somehow contributed to it. Many times we go non-stop until our bodies can no longer sustain that lifestyle, and we become ill.  We live in a society in which vacations are rarely taken, lunch is fast food at our desk, sleeping 4 or 5 hours a night at best. When we do have down time, it is running errands, eating too much, drinking too much, or just laying on the couch recovering, so we can do it all again next week. Look around at the people you know who are suffering from some type of disorder in their body.

If you knew  that whatever dis-ease you are dealing with was not inherited but created through your environment, what would you change?

The Nocebo Effect

If positive beliefs correspond with the placebo effect, conversely negative beliefs have the ability to trigger a nocebo (Latin translation –I will harm) effect. The nocebo effect is a term to describe an ill effect caused by a suggestion or belief that something is harmful. In 2003, the Discovery Channel aired a program called ‘Placebo, Mind over Medicine’. One segment featured Dr. Clifton Meador, a physician who had been haunted by the nocebo effect for twenty nine years. Dr. Meador informed his patient who suffered from esophageal cancer that the prognosis was grim, as this disease had a 100% mortality rate. Upon the patient’s demise shortly after the diagnosis, an autopsy revealed that there was actually very little cancer in his body, and definitely not enough to cause death. He died with cancer, but not from cancer. Dr. Meador began to question if he had not given the patient that terminal prognosis, would he still be alive? Was it the implication of inevitable death the basis for his demise, since clearly the cancer was not the causation?  Our biology adapts to our beliefs and that is the source to understanding the powerful influence of our mind and creation. We can choose to live in fear or in love. One allows our cells to be more susceptible to disease, and the other to wellbeing. The proverbial glass half full or half empty theory is not just an aphorism; it is the recipe to a healthy productive life. 

Thoughts are translated into chemistry, chemistry is translated into biology. Be gentle with yourself, and your body will thank you with good health.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1qd_yfMbjU
 Read an excerpt from the best selling book  I co-wrote about the nocebo effect called "The Wellness Code"~
   http://www.newdirectioncoaching.com