Knowing one’s family health history can be a magical window in to optimizing health and increasing longevity. While familial health does not determine one’s fate, it does contain vital information. Epigenetics, a rather new western science looks at the changes of how genes are expressed, rather than the code itself. In Traditional Asian Medicine there is a similar but longstanding concept called prenatal qi. Prenatal qi includes the energy and factors that we are born with that can affect health. Another Traditional Asian Medicine concept, postnatal qi, is made from the sources we are able to acquire throughout life. This includes air, water, food, etc. It is this interaction between postnatal qi and prenatal qi that can positively or negatively affect health. This is why good quality air, food, water, and exercises like Qi Gong are so important.
How do Traditional Asian Medicine use family health history information to improve health?
In Traditional Asian Medicine, having an understanding of one’s family health history/prenatal qi, provides practitioners with key knowledge that can help to gear health in a way that prevents potential familial illness. Additionally, because of its subtle yet powerful diagnostics abilities, Traditional Asian Medicine practitioners are able to detect potential illnesses in advance. This is accomplished through a variety of methods, including inquiry of signs and symptoms that may point to energetic imbalances, which may not seem significant to a western medicine practitioner. Based on the energetic imbalance/s, i.e. Traditional Asian Medical diagnosis, certain foods, exercises, herbs, etc. may be recommended to help optimize your health. Over time this balancing of health can potentially lessen or end cycles of illness in your family and improve health outcomes not only for you, but for future generations to come.
If you don’t know your family health history, next time you speak with family members gather as much information as you can. If you are adopted or are unable to access your family health history and feel comfortable, ancestral DNA testing may be helpful in gaining further insight into your lineage. Take an important step towards better long term wellness by utilizing your family health history and keep potential family illnesses at bay. Schedule a visit and get a customized plan here.
Take good care and love being a woman,
Dr. Danett
