Environmental Medicine and Epigenomics

Environmental medicine refers to discovering and treating a myriad of environmental insults including infections, mold, mycotoxins, toxic foods, EMF, chemical poisoning, etc… that may cause symptoms. Each of these environmental insults can cause significant alterations in individual genetic expression. In other words, you are born with genetic potential, but disease-causing genes may only be turned “on” in response to exposure to significant environmental stressors. These stressors alter the genome by adhering to cell walls or entering the nucleus of a cell, causing severe inflammation (CIRS – chronic inflammatory response syndrome coined by Dr. Shoemaker) and disrupting normal cellular functions such detoxification, autophagy (self-cleaning), methylation, sulfation, glucuronidation, and acetylation. These are necessary biochemical processes for the health of cells, tissues, organs, and whole bodies, and when they become disrupted, disease ensues.

The science of “epigenomics” is an emerging science resulting from the genomic era, where we are now able to examine the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that predispose patients to be particularly vulnerable to the effects of histamine, pesticides, certain foods, pollution, EMFs, mycotoxins, molds, vaccines, etc… causing serious illness such as autoimmune diseases, autism, IBS, eczema, headaches, neuropathy, neuralgia, CFS, arthralgia, night sweats, and a myriad of other symptoms. In other words, epigenomics is the study of the way in which environmental exposures alter individual genetic expression to cause disease. Dr. Marra is able to help you identify where you may have genetic weaknesses or SNPs that predispose you to certain diseases.