Innate Intelligence: Your Amazing Superpower Part 4 Epigenetics

Your body is incredibly intelligent. It knows how to heal cuts, fight off infections, and keep you balanced without you even thinking about it. This built-in wisdom is called Innate Intelligence—your body’s natural ability to regulate and heal itself. Innate Intelligence works through different systems in your body to keep you healthy, including homeostasis, the autonomic nervous system, neuroplasticity, epigenetics, and more.

In this 10-part series, we’re exploring how Innate Intelligence works through these different functions to help you adapt, heal, and thrive.

Part 4 – Epigenetics: How Your Environment Affects Your Genes

What is Epigenetics?

Have you ever heard someone say, “It runs in the family” when talking about a certain health condition? While genes do play a role in your health, they aren’t the only factor. Epigenetics is the study of how your environment, lifestyle, and experiences influence the way your genes are expressed—without changing the actual DNA itself.

Think of your DNA like a piano. The keys (your genes) stay the same, but epigenetics determines which notes are played and at what volume. This means that while you may have inherited certain genes, your choices and surroundings influence whether those genes are turned on or off.

How Your Choices Affect Gene Expression

Your body is constantly responding to the world around you, adjusting which genes are active based on factors like:

• Diet and nutrition – The foods you eat provide the building blocks for your body’s functions, directly influencing which genes are activated or suppressed. Nutrient-dense foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants support healthy gene expression, while processed foods, excessive sugar, and unhealthy fats can trigger inflammation and disease-related genes. Eating a balanced diet with whole foods, lean proteins, healthy fats, and plenty of fruits and vegetables helps Innate Intelligence regulate gene activity in a way that promotes healing, energy, and overall wellness.

• Physical activity and movement – Regular movement signals your body to activate genes that support energy production, muscle growth, and cellular repair while reducing the expression of genes linked to inflammation and disease. Exercise improves circulation, delivering oxygen and nutrients to cells, and helps regulate stress hormones that can negatively impact gene expression. Whether it’s strength training, yoga, walking, or stretching, staying active allows your Innate Intelligence to optimize gene function for resilience, healing, and overall well-being.

• Stress and Emotional Well-Being - Your emotional state and stress levels have a powerful impact on gene expression. Chronic stress triggers the release of cortisol and other stress hormones, which can activate genes linked to inflammation, weakened immunity, and disease. On the other hand, practices that promote relaxation—such as meditation, deep breathing, and positive social connections—help turn on genes that support healing, resilience, and emotional balance. By managing stress and prioritizing emotional well-being, you create an internal environment where your Innate Intelligence can function optimally, promoting overall health.

• Sleep quality and circadian rhythms – Your body follows a natural internal clock, known as the circadian rhythm, which regulates sleep, energy levels, hormone production, and even gene expression. Poor sleep or an irregular sleep schedule can disrupt this rhythm, leading to the activation of genes linked to stress, inflammation, and disease. High-quality sleep, on the other hand, allows your Innate Intelligence to repair cells, regulate metabolism, and support brain function. Prioritizing consistent sleep patterns, minimizing blue light exposure before bed, and creating a restful environment help ensure that your genes are working in alignment with your body’s natural healing processes.

• Exposure to toxins and pollutants – The chemicals and pollutants you encounter in your environment can directly influence gene expression, either supporting health or contributing to disease. Exposure to toxins—such as pesticides, heavy metals, air pollution, and processed chemicals—can activate genes linked to inflammation, oxidative stress, and chronic illness. Your Innate Intelligence works to detoxify and protect your body, but excessive exposure can overwhelm these systems. Reducing toxin exposure by choosing organic foods, using natural cleaning products, drinking filtered water, and minimizing contact with environmental pollutants helps support healthy gene regulation and overall well-being.

• Social connections and relationships – The quality of your relationships plays a significant role in gene expression and overall health. Positive social interactions and strong emotional connections can activate genes that support immune function, reduce stress, and promote longevity. On the other hand, chronic loneliness or toxic relationships can trigger genes linked to inflammation, anxiety, and disease. Your Innate Intelligence thrives in a supportive environment, where love, laughter, and meaningful connections help regulate stress hormones and encourage healing. Prioritizing healthy relationships and surrounding yourself with uplifting people allows your genes to express in ways that enhance well-being.

Even if you have a family history of conditions like diabetes or heart disease, your daily habits can influence whether those genes are actually activated.

How Innate Intelligence Works Through Epigenetics

Your body is not simply following a fixed genetic program—Innate Intelligence is in charge, deciding which genes get turned on or off based on what your body needs to survive and thrive.

Think of your genes like a giant control panel with thousands of switches. While your DNA provides the blueprint, it’s Innate Intelligence that determines which switches get flipped. It constantly scans your environment, assessing factors like nutrition, stress, movement, and sleep, then adjusts gene activity to help your body function at its best.

For example, if you experience high stress, Innate Intelligence may activate genes related to inflammation or the “fight or flight” response to help you cope. On the other hand, if you eat nourishing foods and get plenty of sleep, it may turn on genes that promote healing, repair, and longevity.

This process happens through chemical markers that attach to your DNA, telling your cells whether to activate or silence specific genes. These markers are influenced by lifestyle choices, meaning you have the power to create an environment that supports healthy gene expression.

Innate Intelligence is always working behind the scenes, making real-time adjustments to help your body adapt. By supporting it with good choices—like proper nutrition, movement, stress management, and chiropractic care—you can help ensure that the right genes stay active while harmful ones remain switched off.

Why Does Epigenetics Matter?

Understanding epigenetics means realizing that you are not powerless over your health. Just because a disease runs in your family doesn’t mean you are destined to develop it. Your daily choices—what you eat, how you move, how you manage stress—can shift your genetic expression in a positive direction.

But if your body is overwhelmed by stress, poor nutrition, lack of movement, or nervous system interference, harmful genes may become active, leading to chronic illness, slower healing, and faster aging.

How Chiropractic Care Supports Innate Intelligence through Epigenetics

Your nervous system plays a major role in adaptation and healing, constantly sending signals that help regulate your body’s functions. However, if there is interference in nervous system communication, such as from vertebral subluxations, which are misalignments of the spine that disrupt nervous system signaling, your body may struggle to regulate gene expression properly.

Chiropractic adjustments help remove this interference, allowing your nervous system to function optimally. When your nervous system is clear, your body can respond more effectively to environmental changes, supporting healthy gene expression.

By ensuring that your brain and body are communicating properly, chiropractic care allows Innate Intelligence to fully express itself. This means better adaptation, better healing, and better overall health—regardless of your genetic background.

Your genes may set the foundation, but your choices shape the outcome. With the right lifestyle and chiropractic care, you have the power to influence your health at a deep, genetic level.

Final Thought

Epigenetics proves that you are not simply at the mercy of your genes—Innate Intelligence is constantly working to turn the right genes on or off to help your body adapt, heal, and thrive. By making healthy choices, reducing stress, and ensuring your nervous system is functioning optimally, you can support this incredible process and take control of your long-term health. Chiropractic care plays a key role by removing nervous system interference, allowing Innate Intelligence to fully express itself and regulate gene activity as efficiently as possible.

In the next part of this series, we’ll explore another remarkable way Innate Intelligence keeps your body functioning—through cellular regeneration and repair. Every day, your body is breaking down old or damaged cells and replacing them with new ones. This continuous cycle of renewal is essential for healing, longevity, and overall health. Stay tuned to learn how Innate Intelligence ensures your cells regenerate properly, keeping you strong and resilient.