Environmental
and Genetic Factors in EDS and Related Connective Tissue Disorders
Welcome
to my site on health, logic and hereditary connective tissue disorders.
I started the research for this web site after I was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos
syndrome, a genetic disorder with no known cure. In researching
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and related disorders, I found that much of the
hereditary connective tissue disorder research is based on the premise
that the various disorders are each caused by single genes unrelated to
each other and unrelated to environmental factors.
After spending a lot of time researching
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, related disorders, and the field of genetics in
general, I disagree with this premise. I found lots of links
between EDS and environmental factors, especially nutrition. I used
much of this research to improve my own condition and that of my children,
and I think there is every reason to think that environmental factors
may be considerations for others with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and similar
connective tissue disorders.
The concept that inherited disorders are
caused by a single defective gene is no longer widely accepted in most
genetic research and literature. The $60 million Environmental
Genome Project is based on the concept that few disorders are caused
by a single genetic or environmental event. The premise of the Environmental
Genome Project, an outgrowth of the Human Genome Project, is that most
disorders are in reality caused by complex sets of interactions between
genetic and environmental factors.
One line of thinking in science that is
currently gaining in popularity is that some diseases occur because our
ancestral
genes may not be the best suited for our new, modern day environments.
Perhaps instead of trying to make our genes fit our environments with
gene therapy, we just need to change our environment, including our diets,
to fit our genes. We know from experience in disorders such as cancer,
that genetic factors may increase a person's susceptibility
to contracting a disorder, but that this susceptibility can be greatly
reduced through appropriate dietary and other environmental modifications.
Heredity is nothing but
stored environment. Luther
Burbank
Curiously, there has been little, if any, environmental
research on most inherited connective tissue disorders. However, there
is no reason to think that environmental influences would not be important
factors, especially since many of the individual features of connective
tissue disorders, such as mitral valve prolapse, blue sclerae, pectus excavatum,
dislocated lenses, aortic aneurysms and osteopenia, have each been clearly
linked to nutritional deficiencies. In any case, most of the
considerations in this Web site, such as reading well written nutrition
books and working with your doctor to determine if you have any food allergies
and/or nutritional deficiencies, are generally all healthy things to do
anyway, and some may end up helping your genetic disorder symptoms, too.
My goals in putting up this Web site are:
To share the environmental
links I uncovered with others who may have some of the same conditions
To distribute my theories
for discussion
To encourage more research
into controllable environmental factors, especially nutrition, and hereditary
connective tissue disorders.
Scoliosis
Poor wound healing
Blue sclera
TMJ
Hypermobility
Bowed limbs
Joint instability
Heavy menstrual periods
Keratoconus
Migraine Headaches
Fibromyalgia
Anxiety
and Depression
Which raises these interesting questions
-
Why do these
genetic disorders have so many overlapping features?
Why do some
people have more than one rare genetic disorder, or have multiple occurrences
of rare genetic disorders, in their families?
Why do features
like mitral valve prolapse, scoliosis and pectus deformities frequently
occur together, whether they are features of genetic disorders, or as
"isolated" occurrences?
Why
do many cases of genetic disorders like Ehlers-Danlos and Marfan syndrome
occur in people with no family history of the disorders?
If we consider
the possibility that these disorders are likely to be caused by a complex
set of both genetic and environmental factors, then there are quite logical
answers to all of these questions.
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information only and should not be used to diagnose or treat any health
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you may have, and before implementing any diet, supplement, exercise or
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