I’d like to share with you another story of discovery that I know a lot of you will relate to. When you start using SelfDecode, you’ll have plenty of these stories yourself that you can share with your friends.
When I was a kid, one thing I vividly remember is my grandfather complaining about his back pain.
As I got older and hit my teens, my father started complaining about his back pain as well.
I didn’t think much about it back then. They both worked physically demanding jobs and it must have taken a toll on their bodies as they got older.
But about a month ago, my older brother came up to me and told me that he was starting to feel some small aches in his lower back. Unlike my father and grandfather, my brother worked a pretty laid back office job.
He even bought a standing desk to mitigate the problems that occur from sitting for 8 hours a day.
So once he told me that it was getting worse, I really started to get worried… About myself of course.
If this was a genetics thing, then that must mean I’m vulnerable to these pains!
I knew that there were hereditary conditions that got passed down from generation to generation, but I didn’t know pain was one of them. I really wanted to get to the bottom of this, and with our newest Pain DNA Report, I was able to do just that.
So I set up a super fun little family activity. I got all my siblings and my parents together, and got them to spit in separate tubes to get their DNA tested. Sounds like fun, I know.
But what I found really confirmed my suspicions: we all shared multiple genes that were directly linked to our susceptibility to back pain, and our overall sensitivity to pain.
All three of us had the same variants for:
- The SCN10A gene – associated with increased sensitivity to pain.
- The SERPINA6 gene – linked to lower levels of cortisol, an anti-inflammatory hormone, and thus associated with chronic pain issues.
- The FAAH gene – Our variants increase FAAH, which isn’t what you want. This is a gene that encodes an enzyme that breaks down anandamide, a cannabinoid with painkiller effects. Less FAAH = more anandamide = less pain.
Using Your Genes To Prevent Future Problems & Fix Current Ones
When we all got our results back and compared our genes, we noticed that there were plenty of genes that we shared that contributed to an increased vulnerability to pain issues.
But the one thing that shocked me was that compared to my father and brother, I carried even more genetic variants that made me even more susceptible to back aches and pains.
They started implementing their personalized recommendations and quickly saw improvements with their health issues.
Although I’m relatively young and don’t experience any back pain at the moment, it was still interesting to see my genes that predisposed me to pain.
One gene that particularly stood out to me was ADRB2, which was a negative gene variant that I carried and my family didn’t.
The ADRB2 gene has a wide range of functions. Apart from being implicated in pain disorders, the negative variant is also connected to mood issues like anxiety, which is something that I’ve had to deal with for a while now (and none of my family members had this problem.)
This makes sense, because we know that various mind-body approaches can alleviate pain, in part by calming the mind.
There was one particular supplement at the top of my recommendation list (CBD Oil) that is studied to reduce anxiety and pain. Given my ADRB2 gene, it makes sense why it was recommended for me.
So, by implementing my own prioritized diet, lifestyle, and supplement recommendations, I’m able to reduce my anxiety while also preventing potential back pains in the future!
How To Be Proactive and Optimize Your Health
With our newest Pain DNA Report, you can easily be proactive like me and take preventative measures by optimizing your health. Or, if you’re already experiencing pain issues, you can be like my brother and start implementing changes to help!
All you have to do is sign up to SelfDecode and upload your DNA file or order a DNA kit if you haven’t sequenced your DNA yet.
Then, download your Pain DNA Report and follow your own personalized recommendations to start optimizing your health!
