These 5 ideas emerge from our Wellness and Prevention Paradigm.
They each explore different aspects of the age-old idea of nature vs nurture – how much are genes responsible compared with how much is the environment a cause? And by environment here – we’re talking both the actual environment us as humans (in which we live at the level of the organism), but also the beliefs, conditions and choices (the LIFESTYLE) we allow that make up the ‘world’ or the environmental conditions in which a gene exists!
These 5 concepts encapsulate very well some of the differences between what this Wellness & Prevention paradigm of Health truly means, when compared to the Allopathic-influenced ‘sickness and treatment’ paradigm:
The Wellness & Prevention Paradigm advances two primary arguments about the risk of illness and our capacity for health:
First, that: Modern illnesses are AVOIDABLE! Second, that: Modern health is ATTAINABLE!!
1. Our genes are PROGRAMMED FOR HEALTH.
We are NOT built to be SICK!
With a very small percentage of exceptions (there are a limited number of TRULY and solely genetic diseases such as Trisomy-21 (Down’s Syndrome)) illness or sickness are NOT the result of genetics. The fact that we still hear today of the latest genetic research and breakthroughs are testament to the death-throws of a biomedical gene-focused model which is actually now (in the era of epigenetics) OLD SCIENCE.
Toxicity (having too much of something we don’t need or that is not good for us) and/or Deficiency (having too little of something that is a clear requirement for ideal function) – are the two primary factors leading to sickness.
It is these two things, in combination which affect the expression of our genes and lead to sickness physiology;
We MUST move away from a belief in FAULTY genetics.
2. Our genes DO NOT DIFFER from our Palaeolithic, hunter-gatherer,
pre-agricultural, pre-industrial ancestors.
The concept of evolution makes clear that genetic changes take millennia to occur
The ten thousand years (= approximate timeframe since the agricultural revolution) is not enough time for this to have occurred.
3. Our ANCESTORS (and surviving tribes that model their lifestyles),
DID NOT DIE from the diseases of lifestyle LIKE MODERN HUMANS do.
Diseases like heart disease, hypertension, cancer, diabetes, and stroke,
or suffering from the degenerative or autoimmune disease like arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, low fertility, depression, etc.
were (are) virtually non-existent in these earlier pre-agricultural times/societies.
Learn more about the pillars of chronic ill-health (sickness) here.
4. The only difference between our healthy ancestors and our sick society today, is toxicity and deficiency.
The genes are the same!
The exorbitant rise is ‘chronic illness’ over the last 50-60 years are due to changes in lifestyle and stress levels during this time – we can’t blame genes!
5. Modern illness is due to environmental NOT genetic factors.
Our environment encompasses the external world around us, as well as our internal environment – both impact the expression of our genes through epigenetics – the food we eat, the thoughts we think, how much we move – in short, the lifestyle we choose to lead are all important aspects of our environment.
