Health Care

When you receive the Seal, you are "imprinted" by God. Scientists have recently found that certain genes inherited from parents are silenced by what is called "imprinting" of the genes.

Genetic mapping is revealing how some genes are switched off instead of on in the child. It happens with all creatures that reproduce by live birth--some genes are turned off in the young.

Normally the young will inherit one of each gene from each parent. Both of these genes are fully functional. So if something happens and one of the two genes gets altered, then the one from the other parent can fill in for the lost one.

But in genetic imprinting, only one of the genes from one of the parents remains active. So if something happens to the sole gene inherited from only one parent, there is no gene from the other parent to act in its place.

In these genes, molecules silence the imprinted gene by "imprinting" it so that it is no longer functioning. And when the gene no longer functions it can not do what it was meant to do, which is sometimes preventing disease.

Some genes cause a susceptibility to disease and some genes work to prevent disease. So if a gene which normally prevents obesity or cancer is imprinted, it will no longer be a weapon in the fight against obesity or cancer in that person.

Without a genetic resistance to disease, environmental factors play a much bigger role. If the person eats too much food they could easily become obese. If the person does not get proper nutrition it could lead to cancer.

And yet environment plays an even more important role in imprinting. Environment can affect how certain genes operate, speeding up or slowing down their function. If environment speeds up genes which protect your health, you will stay healthy.

But if environment slows down those genes or speeds up genes which can cause disease, then you are more likely to get that disease. So environment determines how healthy you remain along with genetic composition.

The sequence of your genes is important in determining how healthy you will be or remain. But environment is important too because it turns that gene sequence on and off.

Along with behavior is a factor in preserving your health. When you change your behavior you change your environment. And some changes in environment could alter your genetic make-up so you completely avoid disease.

These findings are the results of a recent Duke University study. In the study 196 human imprinted genes were mapped. They were published online Friday November 30 2007 in the journal Genome Research.

Genetics are what you receive from your parents. But you are not stuck with what you have. Scientists are working on ways of altering the genetics so disease can be avoided, and one way is by changing environmental factors.

God is also concerned with your environment, and more specifically with your behavior. When you receive the Seal you receive an imprint from God that shuts off certain behaviors so they do not happen.

And God will turn on other behaviors for you, so you have joy doing them and want to do more of them. God is concerned about your health because He enjoys giving Life, not taking it away. And He will give Life to those who receive the Seal.