I once heard a powerful parable about a father and his sons: the man, an alcoholic, raised his two boys under one roof. Every day, he would get up, go to work, come home, and drink himself into a fitful slumber. Both boys knew emptiness: empty cupboard, empty beer bottles littering the floor, empty void of parental protection.
Unfortunately, one boy grew up to follow in his father’s footsteps. He took his first sip at such an early age that he was addicted before entering high school. His brother, however, couldn’t stomach the stuff, and went on to avoid the fate that seemed to run in his family.
When asked about his condition, the first brother said, “My father was an alcoholic; how could I not become one?” The second, though, felt differently: “My father was an alcoholic. How could I become one?”
Like I said, it’s a powerful parable. It addresses a question long held by philosophers, psychologists, researchers, religious leaders, and everyone in between: are we truly free? Are our paths in life decided for us before we are even born, are our destinies formed in the first few years of our lives, or do we have the power to choose what we become?
On the question of mental health outcomes, the question has been hotly debated. Take, for example, the development of an eating disorder.
Physical imbalances like dysfunctional neurotransmitter production can contribute to an eating disorder. Neurotransmitters play an important role in mood and impulse control; if they are not regulated, the brain will be fighting against itself to resist unhealthy compulsions.
Certain genes can also predispose us to eating disorders. Comorbidities like anxiety and depression can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms. Social pressure to maintain a certain body size and emotional issues like low self-esteem can contribute, as well.
Any given mental or physical condition is nuanced in nature. No factor exists in a vacuum – unfortunately, people are just not that simple. It is difficult to say what is truly at the heart of any issue. However, until recently, the prevailing belief was much more cut and dry than this.
Not long ago, it was believed that much of our health – and many other areas of our lives – were controlled by our genes. Weight, disease, fitness capacity, mental health – these were products of a predetermined code that we could not affect. This was the belief until the field of epigenetics broke through that idea.
Epigenetics is the study of choice-based gene activation, and in recent years, it has largely been pioneered by one Dr. Bruce Lipton.
Dr. Lipton has spent decades studying genes and the impact of our environment on their expression – and he has found that the relationship between nature and nurture is much less either/or and much more yes/and.
Through his stem cell research, Dr. Lipton found that genes do not activate themselves. Instead, our environment and our actions and perceptions within that environment impact how our genes are expressed. He suggests that even as little as 10% of our health outcomes are predetermined by our genes. The rest is influenced by our environment and our response to it.
The bad news is that we are, in fact, responsible for seeking out relief. But on the other hand, the good news is that we can seek out relief – there is relief to be had, and it is within our grasp! It may not be simple, but it is possible. With healthy choices and uplifting beliefs, we can impact our own mental health – for the better.
And I have just one question for you: how will you choose, now that you know? Responsibly, I hope!
Make today your masterpiece!
Florina
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