Anxiety and Your Genes
A person can develop anxiety based on their experiences growing up and environmental risk, however, more and more research is showing that some people are much more susceptible to anxiety because of their genetic makeup.
In her book, Dr. J. Dunn explores issues into why you are the way you are and how you can make changes. It’s a whole new paradigm in understanding what causes disease and mental health issues. The basis of the book talks about how to bypass your genetic makeup to help change destructive behaviors such as overeating, substance abuse, and anger.
Anxious People
Have you ever met someone who just couldn’t relax? These people are always worried about something. If they can’t find anything to worry about, they worry about that. It can be very frustrating to be around someone like this. It seems they really can’t just relax and enjoy life. We may counsel them to learn to meditate and learn relaxing behaviors but it doesn’t seem to do much good. These folks just can’t seem to stop this behavior. We may chalk it up to bad upbringing or abuse or trauma in their lives, but mostly it is how they see the world through their anxious lenses. This predisposition can be genetic. Some people who have a genetic variant in the enzyme catechol-o-methyl-transferase, or COMT may stay in a constant physiological state of stress. They can’t break down their stress hormones efficiently. It seems that people sometimes feel an “emotion” in the physical body and then try to determine why they’re feeling it. In some cases, the “emotion” can originate instead from a physiological state, and we just assign a story to it in our minds to try to explain these physical sensations. We can be feeling anxious and stressed because we have high levels of adrenaline, and, instead, our minds may determine that we are stressed because of something that happened in our lives.
The COMT enzyme breaks down these stress hormones, adrenaline, and noradrenaline, along with dopamine and serotonin. When there is a genetic variant in this gene, we can’t break down the anxiety-causing hormones, resulting in a state of anxiousness. This variant can lead to ADD and ADHD as well; it is difficult to pay attention and “settle down” when your bloodstream is full of stress hormones that can’t be broken down.
In addition, a genetic variant in the enzyme glutamate decarboxylase, or GAD, can also lead to anxiety. In fact, when there is a variant in this gene, the anxiety is coming from the brain and neurological excitation. This excitation can cause damage to brain cells and can also lead to seizures if the glutamate cannot be broken down into gamma amino butyric acid, or GABA, a calming neurotransmitter.
With a little compassion and a bit of nutritional advice, these folks can get their nervous system calmed down. They can be more relaxed and focused, and life can be so much more pleasant and enjoyable.
To find out how your genetic makeup affects your behavior click on the link below for a free copy of J. Dunn’s book.
Dr. J. Dunn explains
Dr. J. Dunn explains how her research was motivated because of her personal struggles to feel healthy. She had a case of mono when she was sixteen years old and suffered from lifelong depression. Since then she has battled chronic fatigue syndrome caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Looking into the history of the virus she found that 90 percent or more people have antibodies to the virus and yet don’t necessarily have an issue with it for the rest of their lives. She was also looking for true answers to her own depression. These were missing pieces in the puzzle of health, and she began her quest to search for why and how to fix them. She approached her research with a compassionate point of view, knowing that some types of behavior and health problems are caused by inherited biochemical imbalances and are not personal failings. Things such as:
Weight
Depression
Anxiety
Focusing Issues such as ADD and ADHD
Addictions
Chronic Fatigue
Genetic testing can identify potential health problems and give you another tool to make informed decisions about managing your health care. Dr. J. Dunn explores how to obtain correct results and what to do with the results. She also talks about compassion for yourself and others when it comes to problems beyond our control. Her book – Genetic Compassion – will help you to understand how genes play a very important role in how we feel.