The common idea that DNA determines so much of who we are—not only our eye or hair color, for example, but also our addictions, disorders, or susceptibility to cancer—is a misconception, said stem-cell biologist Bruce Lipton, Ph.D.
“You find yourself to be more or less a victim of your heredity,” Lipton said in the documentary “Biology of Belief.” “The problem with that belief system is that it extends to another level. … You become irresponsible. [You say,] ‘I can’t do anything about it, so why try?’”
This concept “says you are less powerful than your genes,” Lipton explained.
He said a person’s perception, not genetic programming, is what spurs all action in the body: “It’s actually our beliefs that select our genes, that select our behavior.”
To explain how this works, he started at the level of the 50 to 65 trillion cells that comprise the human body. He showed how a cell functions independent of DNA and how its perceptions of environmental stimuli affect DNA. He then applied the same principles to the human body as a whole, showing the power our perceptions, our beliefs, have over DNA.
The following is a simplistic summary of Lipton’s understanding. For more details, you can watch his documentary below.
5-Step Explanation
1. The cell is like a human body and it functions without DNA
The cell is like a human body. It is capable of respiration, digestion, reproduction, and other life functions. The nucleus, which contains the genes, has traditionally been viewed as the control center—the brain of the cell.
Yet, when the nucleus is removed, the cell continues with its life functions for a month or more and it can still recognize toxins and nutrients. It appears the nucleus—and the DNA it contains—does not control the cell.
Scientists assumed some 50 years ago that genes control biology. “It just seemed so correct, we bought the story,” Lipton said. “We don’t have the right assumptions.”
