The author of The Gene Therapy Plan, Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, says that while conventional medicine focuses on treating symptoms with prescription drugs, you should be looking straight to the most fundamental level: your DNA.
Even if your family history suggests you may be stricken with certain diseases, Dr. Gaynor shares why you still have a chance of not developing them.
Learn why you may not be able to alter the genes you are born with, but that you CAN change how they affect your life.
Transcription:
RadioMD Presents: Wellness for Life Radio | Original Air Date: April 24, 2015
Host: Susanne Bennett, DC
Guest: Mitchell Gaynor, MD
It's time to feel better with Dr. Susanne Bennett. Allergies, nutrition, ultimate wellness, all discussed right here, right now. It's Wellness for Life Radio on RadioMD. Here's your host, Dr. Susanne.
DR. SUSANNE: My guest today has caught the attention of Good Morning America, The Dr. Oz Show and the Martha Stewart Show. Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, best-selling author of The Gene Therapy Plan is here to discuss that. Although we cannot alter the genes we are born, with we can change how they are expressed and how we can change out health destiny. Welcome to Wellness for Life, Dr. Gaynor.
DR. GAYNOR: Oh, it’s great to be with you.
DR. SUSANNE: Thank you, thank you. Many people believe our genetic makeup determines our susceptibility to certain diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease but in your book The Gene Therapy Plan, you explain that our genetic destinies are not fixed. Can you explain why this is true and what can we do to alter our genetic blueprint?
DR. GAYNOR: Well, we used to think that our genetic destiny was determined by the genes we’re born with and now we know that our genes are dynamic and they can be changed for better or worse throughout our entire life by the food we’re putting in our body. So, the reason I titled the book The Gene Therapy Plan is because each of us is doing gene therapy on ourselves every time we eat; for good or for harm. So if we’re putting a lot of white sugar, refined sugar, refined flour, heat damaged vegetable oils in our body that come from fast and processed foods, we’re doing negative gene therapy. These actually turn on genes that promote inflammation, premature aging, tumor promoter genes and diseases like diabetes and heart disease. On the other hand, if we’re putting foods in our body that increase detoxification enzymes on a genetic level like broccoli, brussel sprouts, kale, garlic, black raspberries, they also decrease inflammation, enhance our sensitivity to insulin, then we’re doing positive gene therapy. So, it’s really a brand new field called “epigenetics” and that is the field where we know that we can control our genetic destiny. We’re not victims of it.
DR. SUSANNE: It’s so great to hear because, you know, often a lot of us have said, “Oh, our parents had breast cancer, had heart disease and now I’ve got to deal with it when I get older.” So, what you’re saying is that everything we do it doesn’t matter whether we’ve got these genes from our parents that might have suffered from different diseases, we don’t have to suffer from it anymore as long as we use food as our medicine and using that day to day. As you’re saying you’re altering your genetic blueprint.
DR. GAYNOR: Absolutely. So, we can change our genetic destiny. We can’t change the genes themselves but we can change the dynamics of our genetics throughout our lives. So, it’s sort of like having a crystal ball. We don’t have a crystal ball to know our future but we do in essence have knowledge through this book and this science that can determine our future by what we put in our bodies and how we put it in, how we prepare it. So our futures are going to be a lot sunnier and less cloudy if we take actions every day. But it’s never too late even if you’ve been overweight for decades, even if you’ve smoked for decades, even if you’ve had all these types of bad habits, it’s never too late because you can still increase detoxifying enzymes, decrease inflammation in your body and lower your risks.
DR. SUSANNE: I totally agree with you on that I am a true believer in making sure that our body is clean and healthy and what we’re exposed to is definitely not going to alter our genetics but, more importantly, also the ability for ourselves to get rid of these toxins. We’re so loaded with toxins these days. Now, in your Chapter One of your book, you go into four concepts that are actually real easy to remember. I love these four concepts. Can you just please shorten—summarize--these concepts to us so that everyone can learn them?
DR. GAYNOR: Absolutely. Well, the first one is the rule of thirds. So, briefly what that is, Dr. Susanne-- I talk about all the diets that have been out there over the years. People have become so frustrated with them because, basically, they’re all leading to deficiencies in something. You know, it’s either no carbs or low carb. It’s either high protein, which ends up being a lot of high saturated fats, they’re all leading to deficiencies in things that help us with inflammation and detox and all of these other factors. So, the first is the rule of thirds and the rule of thirds is that if a third of your calories should come from healthy protein, that would include things like egg whites, lean meats, fish, tree nuts and a lot of people are surprised that I include raw vegetables in there which is why I love juicing so much. Raw vegetables are loaded with protein. Then, a third of your calories should come from healthy carbs that includes things like nuts, Swiss cheese and different fruits and as well as whole grains but not processed grains. And a third of your calories should come from healthy fats. That’s about a 3:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3’s. Examples of the best Omega-6’s are things like olive oil which you should have every day. It’s best that you don’t heat it because it can denature easily. It’s loaded with anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer nutrients. Examples of Omega-3’s are cold, deep water fish. If you don’t eat fish, you can get it from chia seeds. Chia seeds by weight have 8 times the number of Omega-3’s as the same weight as salmon. You can get it from pumpkin seeds and flax seeds as well.
DR. SUSANNE: Love all those. So the rules of thirds as you’re saying. What’s the number two concept?
DR. GAYNOR: The other is that you don’t want to get into fake foods or what I call “food-like” substances. So, it’s not that all carbs are bad for you but it’s the glycemic index of the carbs that are bad for you; it’s the processed foods that are bad for you that are loaded with all these preservatives and all these artificial things that are difficult to digest. The reason they’re so bad, let’s just take soda for instance. You know, you drink a can of soda and even if it’s diet soda, you know the aspartame is broken down to wood alcohol and methanol, which are pro-inflammatory. If you’re having a lot of refined sugar like in a package of donuts or a lot of the sports drinks even that are out there, what that will do is make you resistant to insulin so it promotes inflammation. Then your body makes more and more insulin and it quits working so you’re hungry all the time because your pancreas is trying to make more insulin because you’re resistant to it and so you’re always hypoglycemic and hungry. And the third one is that supplements are essential. No matter how well you eat there are some supplements that are absolutely key. One of the most important is Vitamin D especially D3. Everyone should know their 25 hydroxy Vitamin D level. That’s the blood equivalent of Vitamin D3. If you eat a perfect diet for Vitamin D: salmon, yogurt, cottage cheese, the most you can get in the diet is about 350 units. The least most people need is about 1000 units some people need 5-7000 units a day so you have to ask your doctor to check the level. I talk about other supplements that are absolutely key. And the concept four is, whenever possible go, with the whole food. It’s really good to get whole fruits, whole vegetables, it’s really part and parcel of it, which is a big reason why I put a whole recipe program in the book both for juicing, breakfast and a whole meal plan.
DR. SUSANNE: That’s excellent and again I have this book of yours right in front of me. Really love it. You’ve given us such great information. There’s so much available in this book. Again, everyone: rules of third. No fad or faux diets, fake food, stay away from that, you talk about supplements that are essential and I totally believe in supplementation and using the phytonutrients. You gave a whole list of it in your book. And, of course, whenever possible go with the whole foods.
Thank you so much, Dr. Gaynor. This is such great information. Please go to genechanger.com or go to my Wellness for Life Radio show page on RadioMD. This is Dr. Susanne sharing my natural strategies for ultimate health and wellness right here on RadioMD. Now until next time stay well!
Mitchell Gaynor, M.D., is Founder and President of Gaynor Integrative Oncology and Gaynor Wellness in New York City. A renowned pioneer in the field of integrative oncology for 30 years, Dr. Gaynor is author, physician, speaker and composer of original sound healing meditations. His latest book, The Gene Therapy Plan – Taking Control of your Genetic Destiny Through Diet and Lifestyle (due in April, 2015, from Viking Press with a Forward by Dr. Mehmet Oz), provides a revolutionary approach to reverse gene damage associated with aging, cancer, obesity, and diabetes and to prevent future gene deterioration with specific programs that are appropriate for anyone who wants to maximize longevity for themselves, their children and future generations.
