Nature vs Nurture
Doing a lot of thinking today. Here I am. Diagnosed with yet another disease, Parkinson's. This one, like all the others, seems to have a genetic link. My genes are literally dictating my life and my health. I feel like I don't have complete control.
My father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease back in the 1980s. He was 56 at the time of his diagnoses. I am 56. I am the exact same age that my father was when he got diagnosed. Let that sink in. I am the exact same age that he was. It didn't matter what lifestyle choices that I made over the years. My genes have dictated the timing. And he died at the age of 66. I can't help but wonder if I will have a similar fate.
Back in the 1970s there was a lot of debate over "nature vs nurture". What has more influence over a person's health and personality? Can bad genes be over-ridden by living a healthy life-style? Likewise, can someone with really good genes ruin their health with some bad habits. It seems to me that it is the genetic makeup of a person that really holds the key to whether or not someone will be healthy.
I am one of those people who does literally everything right where health is concerned. I eat extremely healthy. I exercise. I get lots of quality sleep. I don't stress. I drink lots of water. I even floss. Ok, sometimes I floss. I also don't do any of the bad stuff, like smoking and drinking alcohol to excess. You get the picture. But even with all of this, my genetic tendency toward certain diseases has still come to fruition. So, can a healthy life style make up for crappy genes? Perhaps the answer is no.
I had a whole conversation about this with my doctor. Her take on it was that I actually am making up for my genes with my healthy lifestyle. She said that things would have been so much worse. Perhaps if I had smoked, I might not have been able to deal with these things. She had a point.
So, this brings me to one of the main reasons for this blog. I do live a healthy life-style and will continue. I'm hopeful that it will make a difference in the long run. It didn't help me to avoid getting Parkinson's and some others diseases. However, maybe it will help in surviving these diseases. Maybe I will have increased fortitude to stand up and fight.
My father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease back in the 1980s. He was 56 at the time of his diagnoses. I am 56. I am the exact same age that my father was when he got diagnosed. Let that sink in. I am the exact same age that he was. It didn't matter what lifestyle choices that I made over the years. My genes have dictated the timing. And he died at the age of 66. I can't help but wonder if I will have a similar fate.
Back in the 1970s there was a lot of debate over "nature vs nurture". What has more influence over a person's health and personality? Can bad genes be over-ridden by living a healthy life-style? Likewise, can someone with really good genes ruin their health with some bad habits. It seems to me that it is the genetic makeup of a person that really holds the key to whether or not someone will be healthy.
I am one of those people who does literally everything right where health is concerned. I eat extremely healthy. I exercise. I get lots of quality sleep. I don't stress. I drink lots of water. I even floss. Ok, sometimes I floss. I also don't do any of the bad stuff, like smoking and drinking alcohol to excess. You get the picture. But even with all of this, my genetic tendency toward certain diseases has still come to fruition. So, can a healthy life style make up for crappy genes? Perhaps the answer is no.
I had a whole conversation about this with my doctor. Her take on it was that I actually am making up for my genes with my healthy lifestyle. She said that things would have been so much worse. Perhaps if I had smoked, I might not have been able to deal with these things. She had a point.
So, this brings me to one of the main reasons for this blog. I do live a healthy life-style and will continue. I'm hopeful that it will make a difference in the long run. It didn't help me to avoid getting Parkinson's and some others diseases. However, maybe it will help in surviving these diseases. Maybe I will have increased fortitude to stand up and fight.
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