Taking care of yourself the best gift you can give them on Mother's Day

Johannesburg -  Mother’s Day is almost here. To your kids, you are a superhero. That invincible presence always there when they are sick, sad or just hungry. The person who is there to put a smile on their faces. 

Make those special moments unforgettable. Listen to their frustrations. Teach them those lessons that they need to learn to be a better person.

You are that wind beneath their wings, championing them from afar and close-up.

Of course, being a mom is a huge role - not to mention a demanding one. While it is the one job you would not trade for anything, it is easy to get so immersed in it that you forget to take care of another important person - YOU.

That’s where GENEWAY comes in. It offers you the opportunity to take care of you and, in so doing, your loved ones, too.

Rather than wait until you start feeling unwell, you can undergo DNA testing that will uncover possible health threats stemming from your genetics. This preemptive measure is not just great news for you but your whole family as well. 

GENEWAY’s signature statement is: “Unlock the best version of YOU by decoding your unique genetic makeup.” 

In the same way that no two fingerprints are alike, your DNA has unique markers stemming from your lineage.

Translated: this means that they can glean important information like a predisposition to cancer, diabetes, heart problems and more. In this day and age - not to mention fast-paced lifestyle - stress, lack of exercise, poor dietary habits are external factors that have a domino effect on your health. 

Countless over-the- counter meds might help alleviate the symptoms but they don’t treat the root problem.

With GENEWAY, you are able to adjust your lifestyle, medically, and, with the guidance of trained professions get the right treatment or put the right measures into place, to prevent these genetic risks from being expressed.

Do note, however, should you consider undergoing the GENEWAY test, it needs to be done via a registered healthcare provider, who will be able to guide you through the results and best explain how you can use this information to manage your health and diet to your best advantage.

After all, your health is as important as the role you play in the life of your family!

What you can test for:

• Exercise responsiveness: If you have been working out frequently while also sticking to a diet plan but you are still not anywhere near your weight loss goal, it might be linked to slow metabolism. 

• Hypertension (or high blood pressure): This can lead to strokes, heart attacks, heart failure or kidney disease. Genes such as ACE, AGT and ADD1 are involved in blood pressure regulation. Once the deficient gene is identified, you will know if you are salt-sensitive or if in fact other factors will cause these genes to express.

• Inflammation: There are two types of inflammation, acute and chronic. Acute inflammation starts quickly and generally disappears in a few days, chronic inflammation can last for months or years as a result of failure to eliminate the cause and minor, repeated exposure to the agent. With chronic inflammation, your body is on high alert all the time. This prolonged state of emergency can cause lasting damage to your heart, brain and other organs. If you know you are at risk, you will be able to adopt a proactive approach to your lifestyle. 

• Oxidative Stress: Oxidation is a normal and necessary process that takes place in your body. Oxidative stress, on the other hand, occurs when there’s an imbalance between free radical activity and antioxidant activity. When functioning properly, antioxidants neutralise free radicals, protecting the body against cellular damage, the common pathway for cancer, aging, and a variety of diseases.

• Overweight and obesity risk: 40-70% of obesity is hereditary. Key genes have been identified which have a strong genetic link to obesity, these genes put you at an increased risk of developing obesity, due to physiological dysfunctions these genes may cause. Other contributing factors to obesity, is the way your body stores and breaks down fats and carbohydrates. Knowing your dietary fat and carbohydrate sensitivity and metabolism is important, when determining which diet should be followed. During exercise, does your body use fat stores for energy or not? Knowing these factors can prevent overweight and obesity, and help in weight loss and weight management.

• Circadian rhythms (sleep disorders): When your circadian rhythms are properly regulated, you sleep well and your energy is constant throughout the day… and it reduces your risk of chronic disease. Sleep is the most important aspect of the daily circadian cycle. Circadian rhythm allows your body to assign functions based on the time of day. In order to have healthy circadian rhythms, your genetic circadian clock needs to be set to the right time. How to do that, will be explained by your GENEWAY health care practitioner based on your DNA results.

• Vitamin B metabolism: Your metabolism helps your body to process nutrients and turn calories into energy, rather than fat. B vitamins, such as B6 and B12, play an important role in the body's metabolic processes, such as DNA repair and methylation, but are excreted regularly and thus must be replaced regularly as well. Depending on your genes, you could suffer from a natural Vitamin B deficiency, in which event you will require additional vitamin B above the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) either through your diet or through supplementation.

• Cholesterol- and lipid metabolism: Cholesterol metabolism in humans is complex. Cholesterol is either supplied from the diet or synthesized by the body. The major factors in the diet that may increase the blood cholesterol level are high intakes of cholesterol itself, or of saturated fats and excessive calories. The liver is one of the major sites of cholesterol synthesis. The concentration of cholesterol in the blood in fasting normal humans is the result of the metabolism of cholesterol from exogenous and endogenous sources. Environmental factors such as dietary fatty acids, and metabolic perturbations such as

diabetes and obesity as well as genetic factors also influence the level of cholesterol in blood.

The list of genes tested also includes dementia, detoxification, sport potential, response to certain medications, bone health, dietary fat sensitivity, heart disease and homocysteine metabolism. 

Knowledge in this instance is not just empowering, it promotes a longer, healthier and happy life. That kind of wellness liberation is priceless in the long run. 

* For more information, or to find a healthcare practitioner that can assist, visit www.GENEWAY.co.za.

** GENEWAY is offering a Mothers Day special – 10% off the GENEWAY test (T&C apply). Contact info@GENEWAY.co.za  for more information.