You May Have Inherited Your Pain
Grandma had rheumatism and Grandpa had back pain. Now you have fibromyalgia. Did you ever stop to think you may have inherited your pain? Science has now explained why some of us are predisposed to developing painful conditions while others are not. This is a fascinating look into our genetic underpinnings that may help explain the epidemic of pain that we as a society are suffering. We are living in a phenomenal era. Until recently, our knowledge of human genetics was limited and composed of genetic identification of a relative handful of disease states, such as sickle cell anemia, Down’s syndrome and other devastating diseases.
But in 1989, a new world began to open up. The National Human Genome Research Institute began as the National Center for Human Genome Research (NCHGR). It was established in 1989 to carry out the role of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the International Human Genome Project (HGP). The project was developed in collaboration with the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and given the mission in 1990 to map the human genome, our basic DNA structure as humans. In 1997 the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) renamed NCHGR the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), officially elevating it to the status of a research institute - one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
By April 2003, the entire human genome sequence was completely identified. Scientists around the world now had access to a database that greatly facilitated and accelerated the pace of biomedical research. This human genome project may truly represent the greatest public health project ever undertaken. So much is now known about the human genome that the field of genetics is rapidly emerging as the foundation of much of modern medicine. You might ask, “What role does genetics play in my pain? Isn’t my genetic make-up a permanent feature? Do my genes ever change?” These are valid questions. Let’s take a look at each of them.
The role of genetics in pain is complex. The human genome project has given us more information today than we had in the past. This has allowed us to understand why some of us are predisposed to developing excessive or chronic pain. We now also know that inflammation plays at least some role in many of the conditions which produce pain. We can, therefore, search for certain genetic predispositions towards inflammation and thus, chronic or excessive pain.
In 1866, a monk named Gregor Mendel discovered inherited “factors” that seemed to play a role in the selection of certain traits in common peas. This discovery led to many other investigations. Ultimately, James Watson and Francis Crick made the well-known discovery that resulted in a Nobel Prize for their delineation of the double helix as the primal genetic material of life. This amazing discovery helped us understand many of the confounding inherited diseases such as sickle cell anemia, Down’s syndrome, cystic fibrosis and even some cancers such as breast cancer. These diseases are a result of gross abnormalities of the chromosomes, large collections of DNA found in paired sequences within each of our individual cells.
The human genome project allowed the scientific world to peer deeper into each paired chromosome and analyze each strand of DNA, building block by building block. These building blocks are composed of four purine bases - adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine. They are arranged in an amazing variety of sequences to give the human body its complex series of codes. These codes produce enzymes, proteins, hormones and much more, creating the master plan for your own unique body.
It is deep in the genetic code where scientists have discovered minor small variations that occur on a fairly common basis for some of us, determining how our bodies function in a variety of “less than normal” ways.
These minor variations are called gene SNPs (pronounced snips) or single nucleotide polymorphisms. These SNPs are important to understand for many reasons. Because SNPs produce a wide variation of physiological responses in the body, they are intimately involved in the reason we see wide variations in how individual bodies respond to trauma, injury and common causes of illnesses. Even more importantly, these gene SNPs impact the ways your body absorbs and utilizes nutrition, vitamins, minerals and even synthetic compounds such as pharmaceutical drugs.
So which gene SNPs may be involved in the development of chronic or excessive pain? It appears there may be many. Since inflammation is one component of chronic or excessive pain, then any genetic control of inflammation will impact your tendency to develop chronic or excessive pain. Indeed, there are several genetic variants of common genes known to predispose an individual towards the production of excessive inflammation. In addition, there are known genes that control your body’s ability to neutralize oxidative stress, another source of inflammation. And finally, there are genes that control your body’s ability to detoxify, render toxins harmless and eliminate them. Variants of these particular genes can limit your body’s ability to remove toxins, increasing the tendancy of these toxins to cause damage to DNA, proteins and tissues of your body and produce inflammation in the process. Notice I said “tendency”.
An amazing concept has stood traditional science on its head. The expression of some genes, in fact, can be turned on and off by many factors, including the foods you eat, the supplements you take and the lifestyle you lead. This is a radical discovery. For years, it was believed that our genetic make-up resulted in specific and consistent types of responses in the body. In fact, you may believe you have a genetic destiny based on the genes you have inherited. We now know this isn’t the complete picture.
While some genetic conditions may in fact be our physiological destiny, especially when large variations in chromosomes occur such as Down’s syndrome, far more genetic conditions can be modulated by the lifestyle we choose to lead. This is great news! This means that if you are willing to learn what conditions your genetic constitution predisposes you to develop, you can then create a lifestyle to avoid, modulate or moderate its effect. In particular, with chronic pain, knowing your genetic tendencies around inflammation, antioxidant systems of your body and your detoxification abilities can help explain your particular response to pain as well as give you the nutritional blueprint for improving your pain.
Add comment July 24, 2008
Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in our society. We now know it is a dangerous prelude to a multitude of health conditions, many that traditionally occurred only in adulthood. Unfortunately, we are seeing these diseases emerge earlier and earlier in our children’s lives. We may be the first generation to actually see our children have shorter life expectancies than our own generation. In addition, our children may suffer more chronic illness than we, as their parents, will experience.
