The best way to get to the root cause of disease is to understand how your personal environment interacts with your genetics to determine your overall state of health or disease. Your personal environment consists of what you are eating, your stress levels, trauma you may have experienced, toxins you are exposed to, and the water you drink.
You can’t change your genes, but you can change which genes get turned on or off and how that affects your body. You can do this by changing your personal environment. Each input from your environment determines the overall health of your body. This idea is similar to having the right kind dirt for a plant. You need to have the right amount of organic matter, pH balance, the right amount of nutrients, water, light, and air. Our bodies need the same thing, in order for us to be healthy we need to have a healthy personal environment.
The US spends billions of dollars on treatments for chronic diseases and interventions for risk factors. While these are useful for our current situation, a smaller investment in the promotion of healthy lifestyles would likely provide a bigger overall benefit.
With every patient we address the quality of your diet, what stressors are present in your life, whether you have been exposed to toxins, whether you experienced physical trauma, and how you use your body physically (exercise, stretching, prolonged sitting, etc.). These factors have an effect on every system in your body and how it functions. If we do not address these areas, we are not addressing the underlying cause of disease. Getting to the root of the environmental influences on your health is the beginning of your path to achieving wellness.