Genetic Profiling… imagine if this was you!
My wife found this article, and she read some of it to me, and it got me fired up. I was just getting ready to introduce all of you to The Food Babe, and it got back burnered for this one (I’ll get you to her resources later). But this, oh man, genetic profiling is kicking a kid out of school! Brought to you by an interesting web site to say the least.
The background. The disease cystic fibrosis (CF), involves fibrotic changes to the lungs, that reduce their capacity to breather, increase mucous production, and ultimately are the cause of death for most of those people with the disease (I say most, as I will say without wavering, that every disease that has seen this earth, has been healed on this earth, with no intervention by man). The disease is pretty bad, and I have had a few patients over the years with it, and one who is in Florida awaiting a lung transplant.
So now here is the kicker, IF you have this disease, there is some concern about cross contamination of bacteria that might reside in the lungs, by coming into contact with other people with CF. Now let me make this part clear. CF does not effect the immune system, so the potential to be infected from another CF individual, or to infect another, is no different than walking into a room with some other sick individual. Psuedomonas bacteria tends to develop in these patients over time, but that is because pseudomonas is in you and I, and all it takes is weakness for the overgrowth.
Lets fast forward to Palo Alto CA where 11 year old Colman Chadam is kicked out of school because he puts another child at risk. Why? Because the other child has CF, and because Colman has a gene that causes him to be likely to develop CF. Yep, the kid has a risk factor, and he cannot go to school because of it. Genetic profiling has caused him to be discriminated against.
“I was sad but at the same time I was mad because I understood that I hadn’t done anything wrong. It feels like I’m being bullied in a way that is not right.”
If you have learned one thing from me, or will learn one thing from me throughout your time under our guidance… genetics are simply the loading of the gun, and lifestyle, environmental factors and other outside in efforts are the finger pulling the trigger. Certain diseases, the gun is a little more volatile, and there is definitely a greater risk of the disease coming to fruition when it is CF versus cancer. But what if it held off for another five years? Why wasn’t he allowed to attend his school then high school? How about ten years or fifteen… does it make sense to utilize DNA against him right now?
Outrage, that is my feeling, outrage and a desire to support this child and his family. I have a policy in my office, no matter how sick you are, come get adjusted, and I will adjust you, without a mask. If you are really bad, I’ll wash my hands before the next person and wipe off the table, so don’t fall into fear. Why am I willing to adjust, because I take care of my immune system. Even worn out and tired like I am right now from all the work and no sleep this past weekend, I know I have a capable immune system. Yet here we have a child being profiled, discriminated against and segregated over his DNA.
It almost sounds like something from a year 2100 based movie. DNA isn’t your destiny, read the article in the TIME magazine sitting out in our office, google Epiginetics… see for yourself! Be well and blessed, Dr. E