Epigenetics and alternative medicine

So far we have written about epigenetics on our website mainly in relation to the physical body – i.e. which nutrient or herb can help us with a particular health problem. But this young scientific discipline also offers surprising connections to our mental and spiritual lives.

A number of factors that affect us throughout our lives influence chemical reactions that can turn some genes completely off or on, and thus, for example, fundamentally affect our resistance to many diseases.

The missing piece in the mosaic of knowledge

In our series, we have already written about a number of herbs and nutrients that can alter the activity of important genes in our DNA – for example, EGCG, curcumin, pomegranate, resveratrol, OPCs, rosemary, bayberry, astaxanthin and omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids. Due to their epigenetic potential, these herbs and nutrients have the ability to reduce the risk of many diseases and support their treatment. This is true even for the most serious ones, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.

All this has been proven many times by science. However, there are also studies that confirm the epigenetic effects of alternative medicine methods that do not use any “material” substances (i.e. nothing that the patient consumes), but work with energy, for example.

Add to this the fact that science has already shown the effect of many psychological conditions on the activity of certain genes, and you have a whole handful of missing pieces to the picture of what all affects our health. And above all, it puts the methods of alternative medicine in a whole new light.

Chinese medicine

Research by Chinese scientists in 2013 (Hsieh H.-Y. et al.) showed that more than a third of the substances used in traditional Chinese medicine react with enzymes in the body that perform one of the three basic epigenetic reactions – histone modification. However, several studies have also shown that acupuncture, a method that until recently was explained as being effective only by influencing energy flows (which has never been proven effective, skeptics would say), can also influence epigenetic mechanisms in the body.

Scientific studies have confirmed, for example, that stimulation of certain points triggers a cascade of epigenetic reactions in the body that affect genes controlling angioneogenesis (i.e. the formation of new blood vessels) in the heart muscle. As a result, this reduces the risk of heart attack, mitigates the consequences if a heart attack has already taken place (research by He S.-Y., 2014), or improves symptoms in angina (Wang J., 2015). Another study (Park J., 2015) then showed that this method can affect the activity of the p53 gene, which plays an important role in the development of Parkinson’s disease.

Massage

Massages are part of many alternative medicine practices and virtually no one doubts their positive effect on relieving musculoskeletal pain. Very often they also have an anti-inflammatory effect. Their direct epigenetic effect has not yet been demonstrated, but there is speculation that they may have the ability to influence the activity of genes involved in the nervous system. This is suggested by studies investigating the effect of massage on premature babies, where it has led to accelerated brain maturation.

In any case, massage reduces stress levels, which has a demonstrable negative epigenetic effect.

Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis treatment works well not only for psychological problems, but also for pain management, for example. For example, a study on patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome showed an improvement in symptoms and an 80% reduction in dependence on medication. An anti-inflammatory effect, a reduction in cellular oxidative stress and an effect on stem cell growth have also been described. Studies focusing on epigenetic changes during hypnotherapy have then described, for example, changes in DNA methylation patterns that subsequently affect brain function and mental health (Serapinas D., 2012). It has also been speculated that not only hypnosis but also, for example, methods using positive imagery have an effect on the activity of genes related to pain sensitivity (Dobson C. E., 2014).

Aromatherapy

Inhaling fragrant essences is a great way to reduce stress and improve your mood. This is because it affects the production of neurotransmitters (i.e. substances necessary for the transmission of nerve impulses), especially dopamine. Meanwhile, research (e.g., Lv X. N. and Liu Z. J., 2013) suggests that epigenetic mechanisms might be responsible for this very thing.

The research comparing the effect of traditional and aromatherapy massages on reducing the unpleasant symptoms of menopause was also interesting. Aromamasages came out significantly better, which scientists attribute to their ability to epigenetically regulate certain genes (Kanherkar R. R., 2014).

Homeopathy

This method is also likely to have epigenetic effects – for example, research from 2013 (Samadder A. et al.) showed that Lycopodium clavatum affects the function of a gene that controls apoptosis, or cell death. This is important in cancer prevention – because normal cells have it coded into them that if they are seriously damaged, they will destroy themselves. Cancer cells, however, have their ability to undergo apoptosis disrupted and therefore continue to multiply uncontrollably.

Further research (Khuda-Bukhsh A. R., 2013) then confirmed that the drugs Condurango and Hydrastis Canadensis can alter the function of up to hundreds of genes in our DNA, mainly by affecting a reaction called gene methylation.

More weapons, more effect

There are only a handful of studies proving the epigenetic effect of alternative medicine methods. However, epigenetics is a very young science, so we can expect to see more and more of it, and perhaps even see its methods finally gain acceptance even among die-hard skeptics.

There are, of course, conditions that cannot be managed without medical help, but especially for chronic conditions, the best effects are achieved by adjusting our epigenetic patterns. And the more remedies we combine, the better the chances of success. It is the combination of epigenetic supplements and alternative medicine methods that has a really strong potential, especially if we add lifestyle modification.

If, for example, a doctor diagnoses us with atherosclerosis and high cholesterol, it is completely unnecessary to start taking statins with their many side effects right away. If, for example, we put on a combination of pomegranate or resveratrol with vitamin K2 and supplement this with acupuncture, diet modification and regular exercise, the effect can be far greater than with chemical drugs. Similarly, for Parkinson’s disease, for example, a combination of acupuncture or energy therapy and EGCG or curcumin can work great. And so we could go on for most chronic diseases.