The Interplay of Genes, Environment, and Self-Healthcare Education: A Recipe for Healthy Living

Our environment and DNA work together to shape who we are and how we survive in the complex dance of life. Renowned neurologist Gilbert Gottlieb summarised this nicely when he stated, "Genes not only collaborate with the environment during development, but also require input from it in order to function effectively." This phrase has a lot of resonance, particularly in the field of self-healthcare education, where realising how these factors interact can be the key to living a longer, healthier life.

Self-healthcare education is more than just acquiring knowledge about health; it's about actively engaging with the factors that influence our well-being and taking charge of our health journey. At its core, it recognizes that our genes provide the blueprint, but it's our environment and lifestyle choices that determine how those genes express themselves.

Genes, the fundamental units of heredity, play a crucial role in shaping our predispositions to various health conditions. However, they are not destiny. The field of epigenetics has revealed that environmental factors can influence how genes are expressed, essentially turning them on or off. This means that our lifestyle choices, such as diet, exercise, stress management, and even our social interactions, can impact our genetic expression and overall health outcomes.

For example, regular exercise, a heart-healthy diet, and stress management skills can help reduce the risk of heart disease in people who have a hereditary susceptibility to the condition. On the other hand, ignoring these elements might make them more genetically susceptible. This shows how crucial it is to understand how our environment affects our genes and how we may use this information to improve our health.

Self-healthcare education empowers individuals to make informed choices that positively influence their gene-environment interactions. By learning about nutrition, exercise physiology, stress management, and other aspects of health, individuals can tailor their lifestyle to support optimal gene expression and overall well-being.

Additionally, education about self-healthcare encourages a proactive attitude to illness prevention and maintenance of health. Rather than depending exclusively on reactive medical procedures, people who are aware of their genetic inclinations and environmental factors might take proactive steps early on to potentially prevent or lessen the effects of specific health disorders.

Furthermore, critical thinking and autonomy in making healthcare decisions are promoted via self-healthcare education. Skill in identifying reliable sources, assessing evidence-based procedures, and navigating the intricacies of the healthcare system is crucial for advancing individual health and wellness in this era of excessive information.

Incorporating self-healthcare education into our lives is not just about individual health; it has broader implications for public health as well. By fostering a culture of health literacy and self-empowerment, we can cultivate healthier communities and reduce the burden on healthcare systems.

Gilbert Gottlieb's discovery of the mutually beneficial interaction between genes and environment serves as a moving reminder of how dynamic human health is. In the context of education on self-healthcare, it emphasises how crucial it is to comprehend and actively participate in the aspects that influence our well-being. We may create the conditions for healthier, more satisfying lives for ourselves and future generations by adopting this holistic perspective and taking advantage of the interactions between genes, environment, and lifestyle decisions.

Global self-healthcare education and research (GSHER) has taken its first step towards this by coming up with the first Self healthcare education point at Chhend,

Join us and be a part of this upstream health Model

Dr Biswajit Mohapatra

Surgeon, Author, Health and wellness educator and a True ‘GESHERIAN’