Dr. Christopher: The Man Ahead of His Time

by Mishelle Knuteson R.E.T., M.H. - UtahIn 1976, Dr. John R. Christopher published a book called "Childhood Diseases". Since that time, the book has been added to and reprinted as "Herbal Home Health Care". This book is a staple for many people's library because it contains tried and true principles in health care. From the introduction of the book Dr. Christopher teaches a principle that has been proven once again to be true. In talking about childhood disease he says:

"The time we start preparing for an anti-disease susceptibility is many months before conception. If, however, that is too late and the child is here and sick at this time, we will have to work on the present cause, but this effort could be eliminated if we had started a few generations back."

Recently published in Time Magazine, January 2010, is an article on "Why Your DNA Isn't Your Destiny." A preventive-health specialist, Dr. Lars Olov Bygren from northern Sweden, was testing the long standing idea that whatever health choices we make during our life affects only our own health and does not change our DNA, thus having no effect on our children. However,

what Dr. Bygren and his team found is that environmental conditions and what we do to our bodies can somehow leave an imprint on the genetic material in eggs and sperm and these genetic imprints can pass along a new trait in a single generation. The poor health choices that we make can predispose our children even before the are conceived. This science is called Epigenetics of which Dr. Lars Olov Bygren comments,

"At the most basic, epigenetics is the study of the changes in gene activity that do not involve alterations to the genetic code but still get passed down to at least one successive generation. These patterns of gene expression are governed by the cellular material - the epigenome - that sits on top of the genome, just outside it (hence the prefix epi-, which means above). It is these epigenetic "marks" that tell your genes to switch on or off, to speak loudly or whisper. It is through epigenetic marks that environmental factors like diet, stress and prenatal nutrition can make an imprint on genes that is passed from one generation to the next."

This once again proves the importance of the health choices we make. What current research is discovering today was understood by Dr. Christopher more than 35 years ago. Let's commit to making healthier choices - not just for our well being, but for our children and grandchildren as well.

Mishelle Knuteson is certified in Rapid Eye Technology (RET) an emotional release therapy, an Iridologist, teaches classes in The Art of Feminine Presence and a Master Herbalist ~ graduate of The School of Natural Healing. Mishelle currently works as an Educative Master Herbalist (MH) for The School of Natural Healing and as Office Manager of Christopher Publications.