Family history has a bearing on your health and will enable your practitioner to identify potential areas for concern. You may be more susceptible to certain diseases and it is helpful to identify the risks. However, although you may inherit a risk for, say, heart disease, diabetes, or some other disorder, this is not to say it is an inevitable outcome. Your genetic inheritance (your genotype) is relevant, but it is not the whole story. Of equal importance is the way your genes are expressed (your phenotype). The way you live, i.e. the way you treat your genes, determines your phenotype. Factors such as diet, lifestyle, exposure to toxic substances, stress, injury, all work together in modifying phenotype - they alter the expression of your genes and therefore play a big part in the state of your health.

You can use family medical history to your advantage by modifying your inherited traits. With the help of nutritional therapy, you can help prevent ill health and live a longer, healthier life.