Millions of Americans are taking food supplements and applying skin care products in a never ending battle to stay & look younger, feel better, and treat their ills. They take these based on what they read, see and hear with a small percentage actually getting advice from their healthcare practitioners. For most, this guessing game leaves people uncertain, confused and often ingesting supplements and applying topical creams that are not specific to their individual needs.
How is one to choose from the hundreds of nutritional supplements and skin care products?
With over half of the population of the United States taking nutritional supplements and using topical skin care products the vast majority are uncertain as to what they’re using and why. Many times this shot-gun approach leads to the over (or under) consumption of vitamins, minerals and active ingredients. For the most part, the very nutrients the body and skin craves never make it into the shopping cart.
In the last sixty years, the nutritional and dermatological science has pushed forward and made tremendous breakthroughs in this area. The era of ‘one size fits all’ is coming to an end.
In a book published in the 1950’s entitled Biochemical Individuality, University of Texas biochemist, Roger Williams argued:
“Each of us has a unique chemical makeup that induces various responses to foods, drugs and the environment. The reason we are unique is that our genes are different.”
This unique chemical makeup has sparked the interest of several areas of health and has created the fields of Pharmacogenetics, Nutragenetics and Dermagenetics. Pharmacogenetics is the prospect of combining pharmacology and genomic capabilities. This science would be a breakthrough because more than
100,000 people die each year as a result of adverse responses to medications that are beneficial to thousands of other individuals. 2.2 million people experience serious reactions and others don’t respond at all. In combination with genetics each individual’s genetic makeup can be assessed before prescribing a generic product. Nutragenetics and Dermagenetics would also examine the individual’s unique make-up and determine which vitamins,minerals,nutrients and active ingredients necessary for optimal health inside and outside.
We have mapped our genetic structure and we are unraveling the working of human biology. This has enormous implications including a new understanding of what specific nutrients best serve our unique genetic, physical and bio-chemical makeup. Nutrients along with certain lifestyle modifications, can support our strengths and balance our weaknesses.
Our genes hold the answer to determining our lifestyle and nutrient well being.
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