San Francisco Chiropractor and Herniated Disc Doctor Comments:
I am asked frequently by patients, if back pain, or even obesity is hereditary? My personal opinion, which comes from many years of clinical observation and research is "I don't think so."
I'm just being honest...because really, I don't know for sure. But, from what I have learned from being a chiropractor, father, son, grandson, and friend...is we tend to take on the habits and lifestyle...both good and bad...from our parents.
I know my 3 year old daughter eats what her parents do...the words that come out of her mouth she hears from her parents...and her overall disposition seems to be a combination of both parents.
So, do bad backs and diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease get passed along to us in our genes. I don't know...maybe the tendency for the disease to manifest under certain conditions increases. But, if these same people, who have family histories of cancer, spine disease, and other health issues adopt a healthy lifestyle (in my opinion), I think the family history matters a lot less.
They have done studies of identical twins that were raised by different families and found what matters most is lifestyle...not genetics. I have had patients tell me that they could not lose weight because of a hereditary problem with their glands.
Then, when we sit down and look at what they eat day in and day out...we discover it's the glands all right...the salivary glands (taste buds). They have a poor diet that they think is OK, because it's the diet they were raised on...and for the most part, it's the diet everyone else eats. The typical American diet is loaded with sugar and fat...and almost 75% of our population is overweight, which means they weigh between 10-30 lbs. more than they should.
San Francisco Chiropractor and Herniated Disc Doctor Comments:
I'm just being honest...because really, I don't know for sure. But, from what I have learned from being a chiropractor, father, son, grandson, and friend...is we tend to take on the habits and lifestyle...both good and bad...from our parents.
I know my 3 year old daughter eats what her parents do...the words that come out of her mouth she hears from her parents...and her overall disposition seems to be a combination of both parents.
So, do bad backs and diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease get passed along to us in our genes. I don't know...maybe the tendency for the disease to manifest under certain conditions increases. But, if these same people, who have family histories of cancer, spine disease, and other health issues adopt a healthy lifestyle (in my opinion), I think the family history matters a lot less.
They have done studies of identical twins that were raised by different families and found what matters most is lifestyle...not genetics. I have had patients tell me that they could not lose weight because of a hereditary problem with their glands.
Then, when we sit down and look at what they eat day in and day out...we discover it's the glands all right...the salivary glands (taste buds). They have a poor diet that they think is OK, because it's the diet they were raised on...and for the most part, it's the diet everyone else eats. The typical American diet is loaded with sugar and fat...and almost 75% of our population is overweight, which means they weigh between 10-30 lbs. more than they should.