Epigenetics - The Medicine Nobody Told You About

In this final episode of the season, I bring the conversation together. Over the season, we have looked at genes, methylation, food, sleep, movement, stress, environmental load, relationships, and the invisible biological signals of daily life. In this episode, I offer the one question I want you to carry with you: what is this input asking my body to do? This is the epigenetic lens. It is not about perfection, blame, or control. It is about seeing health as a continuous conversation between your life and your biology - and learning how to change the conversation where you can.   Downloadable Document "The Epigenetic Lens" DOWNLOAD HERE   If you are interested in becoming an Epigenetics Coach yourself, learn about my program here: The Certified Epigenetics Coach Training     Sources Feinberg, A. P. - The Key Role of Epigenetics in Human Disease Prevention and Mitigation https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3752894/ Alegría-Torres, J. A., Baccarelli, A., & Bollati, V. - Epigenetics and Lifestyle https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3752894/ Choi, S. W. et al. - Modulation of DNA Methylation by One-Carbon Metabolism https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10375321/ Lane, M. M. et al. - Ultra-Processed Food Exposure and Adverse Health Outcomes https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-077310 Severinsen, M. C. K. & Pedersen, B. K. - Muscle–Organ Crosstalk: The Emerging Roles of Myokines https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7288608/ Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. - Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316 Office of the U.S. Surgeon General - Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf   Imprint Dr. Nicola Schmitz Epigenetics Coach Alter Health Instagram: @alter._health Website: www.dr-nicolaschmitz.com Contact: [email protected]

In this episode, I talk about the biological power of relationships. I look at loneliness, social isolation, belonging, marital conflict, community, and the way our social environment can reach the immune system, inflammatory pathways, wound healing, stress physiology, gene expression, and mortality risk. This is not an episode with easy answers. Relationships are not like buying a water filter or going to bed earlier. But if we are going to talk honestly about epigenetics, we cannot leave out one of the strongest inputs shaping human biology: whether a person feels connected, safe, seen, and supported.   If you are interested in becoming an Epigenetics Coach yourself, learn about my program here: The Certified Epigenetics Coach Training   Sources Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. - Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316 Office of the U.S. Surgeon General - Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf Cole, S. W. et al. - Social Regulation of Human Gene Expression https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3020789/ Cole, S. W. - Social Regulation of Human Gene Expression https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3786751/ Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. et al. - Hostile Marital Interactions, Proinflammatory Cytokine Production, and Wound Healing https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16330726/ Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. et al. - Hostile Marital Interactions, Proinflammatory Cytokine Production, and Wound Healing https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/209153   Imprint Dr. Nicola Schmitz Epigenetics Coach Alter Health Instagram: @alter._health Website: www.dr-nicolaschmitz.com Contact: [email protected]

In this episode, I talk about environmental load - not in a dramatic or moralizing way, but as a practical biological reality. I explain how small daily exposures can accumulate through air, water, food, dust, cosmetics, plastics, cleaning products, furniture, packaging, cookware, and indoor environments. The question is not whether one single exposure will harm you. The question is what happens when small exposures arrive through multiple pathways, every day, for years. This episode is about awareness, not perfection. I am not interested in making anyone afraid of modern life. I am interested in helping you identify the few inputs that matter enough to change.   Downloadable Document "Room by room audit" DOWNLOAD HERE   If you are interested in becoming an Epigenetics Coach yourself, learn about my program here: The Certified Epigenetics Coach Training   Sources Kahn, L. G. et al. - Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Implications for Human Health https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7437820/ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - PFAS Explained https://www.epa.gov/pfas/pfas-explained National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - Endocrine Disruptors https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Volatile Organic Compounds’ Impact on Indoor Air Quality https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/volatile-organic-compounds-impact-indoor-air-quality Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / NIOSH - Benzene: NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0049.html Leslie, H. A. et al. - Discovery and Quantification of Plastic Particle Pollution in Human Blood https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022001258 Sharma, R. K. et al. - Impact of Microplastics on Pregnancy and Fetal Development: A Systematic Review https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11186737/ Imprint Dr. Nicola Schmitz Epigenetics Coach Alter Health Instagram: @alter._health Website: www.dr-nicolaschmitz.com Contact: [email protected]

In this episode, I compare three generations of bodies: our grandmothers, our mothers, and us. I talk about how daily life used to contain continuous, varied, unconscious movement - carrying, walking, lifting, cleaning, climbing, gardening, kneading, bending - and how modern life has removed much of that movement in just a few generations. I also explain why muscle is not simply a movement tissue. Muscle is metabolically active, hormonally communicative, and deeply connected to inflammation, blood sugar, bone, brain, mitochondria, and longevity. Movement is not only exercise. It is information.   If you are interested in becoming an Epigenetics Coach yourself, learn about my program here: The Certified Epigenetics Coach Training   Sources Severinsen, M. C. K. & Pedersen, B. K. - Muscle–Organ Crosstalk: The Emerging Roles of Myokines https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7288608/ Pedersen, B. K. - Muscles and Their Myokines https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2832864/ Henson, J. et al. - Sedentary Behaviour and Disease Risk https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10588158/ Park, J. H. et al. - Sedentary Lifestyle: Overview of Updated Evidence of Potential Health Risks https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7700832/ Lindholm, M. E. et al. - An Integrative Analysis Reveals Coordinated Reprogramming of the Epigenome and the Transcriptome in Human Skeletal Muscle After Training https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5580508/ Lee Know - Mitochondria and the Future of Medicine https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/mitochondria-and-the-future-of-medicine/ Imprint Dr. Nicola Schmitz Epigenetics Coach Alter Health Instagram: @alter._health Website: www.dr-nicolaschmitz.com Contact: [email protected]

In this episode, I talk about food not only as fuel, but as information. I look at how modern food has changed: nutrient density, processing, additives, pesticides, packaging, ultra-processed foods, and the growing evidence that what we eat communicates with metabolism, inflammation, hormones, gut microbes, mitochondria, and gene regulation. This is not a fear-based episode. It is an inventory. My goal is to help you understand why “eating well” can be more complicated today than it was for previous generations - and why food quality, processing, and context matter.   If you are interested in becoming an Epigenetics Coach yourself, learn about my program here: The Certified Epigenetics Coach Training   Sources Lane, M. M. et al. - Ultra-Processed Food Exposure and Adverse Health Outcomes: Umbrella Review of Epidemiological Meta-Analyses https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-077310 Chris van Tulleken - Ultra-Processed People https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/447284/ultra-processed-people-by-tulleken-chris-van/9781529160222 Davis, D. R., Epp, M. D., & Riordan, H. D. - Changes in USDA Food Composition Data for 43 Garden Crops, 1950 to 1999 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15637215/ Marles, R. J. - Mineral Nutrient Composition of Vegetables, Fruits and Grains: The Context of Reports of Apparent Historical Declines https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889157516302113 Leslie, H. A. et al. - Discovery and Quantification of Plastic Particle Pollution in Human Blood https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022001258 Ragusa, A. et al. - Plasticenta: First Evidence of Microplastics in Human Placenta https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020322297 Imprint Dr. Nicola Schmitz Epigenetics Coach Alter Health Instagram: @alter._health Website: www.dr-nicolaschmitz.com Contact: [email protected]