Super Genes: Unlock the Astonishing Power of Your DNA for Optimum Health and Well-Being

by Deepak Chopra, Rudolph E. Tanzi Ph.D.

Overview

The authors of the New York Times bestseller Super Brain present a bold new understanding of our genes and how simple changes in lifestyle can boost genetic activity. The leap into "radical well-being" is a promise waiting to be fulfilled.  
    
 "You are not simply the sum total of the genes you were born with," writes Deepak Chopra and Rudy Tanzi. "You are the user and controller of your genes, the author of your biological story. No prospect in self-care is more exciting."
 
Learning how to shape your gene activity is at the heart of this exciting and eagerly-anticipated book from the bestselling duo behind Super Brain, which became a nationwide hit on public television.  

For decades medical science has believed that genes determined our biological destiny. Now the new genetics has changed that assumption forever. You will always have the genes you were born with, but genes are dynamic, responding to everything we think, say, and do. Suddenly they've become our strongest allies for personal transformation. When you make lifestyle choices that optimize how your genes behave, you can reach for a state of health and fulfillment undreamed of even a decade ago.  The impact on prevention, immunity, diet, aging, and chronic disorders is unparalleled.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780804140140
Publisher:	Harmony/Rodale
Publication date:	11/10/2015
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

DEEPAK CHOPRA MD, FACP, member of Oprah's SuperSoul 100, founder of The Chopra Foundation, and co-founder of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation.  He is the author of more than 80 books translated into over 43 languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers.  Two of his books, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind  (1993) and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success (1995) have been recognized on The Books of The Century Bestsellers List. He serves as an Adjunct Professor at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, Columbia University, Assistant Clinical Professor, in the Family and Preventive Medicine Department at the University of California, San Diego, Health Sciences, Faculty at Walt Disney Imagineering and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization.  TIME magazine has described Dr. Chopra as "one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century” and credits him as "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine." ​ ​The WorldPost and The Huffington Post global internet survey ranked Dr. Chopra #40 influential thinker in the world and #1 in Medicine.

DR. RUDOLPH E. TANZI, Ph.D. is Professor of Neurology and holder of the Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Endowed Chair in Neurology at Harvard University. He serves as the Vice-Chair of Neurology and Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Tanzi is a pioneer in studies aimed at identifying genes for neurological disease. He co-discovered all three genes that cause early-onset familial Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), including the first AD gene, and currently spearheads the Alzheimer’s Genome Project. He is also developing new therapies for treating and preventing AD based on his genetic discoveries. Dr. Tanzi was named to TIME magazine’s TIME 100 Most Influential People” for 2015, and to the list of Harvard 100 Most Influential Alumni. He has also received the highly prestigious Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for his pioneering studies of Alzheimer’s disease. He is the co-author of the New York Times best seller Super Brain with Dr. Deepak Chopra, has professionally played keyboards with Joe Perry and Aerosmith, and is the host of Super Brain on public television.

Hometown:

La Jolla, California

Date of Birth:

October 22, 1946

Place of Birth:

New Delhi, India

Education:

All India Institute of Medical Sciences

Table of Contents

Preface: Good Genes, Bad Genes, and Super Genes 1

Why Super Genes? An Urgent Answer 7

Part 1 The Science of Transformation

How to Change Your Future: The Arrival of Epigenetics 28

Making Better Memories 45

From Adaptation to Transformation 53

A New Power Player: The Microbiome 75

Part 2 Lifestyle Choices for Radical Well-Being

Diet: Getting Rid of Inflammation 119

Stress: An Enemy in Hiding 145

Exercise: Turning Good Intentions into Action 159

Meditation: The Centerpiece of Your Well-Being? 171

Sleep: Still a Mystery, but Totally Necessary 186

Emotions: How to Find Deeper Fulfillment 201

Part 3 Guiding Your Own Evolution

The Wisdom of the Body 229

Making Evolution Mindful 251

Epilogue: The Real You 277

Appendixes

Genetic Clues for Complex Diseases 282

The Great Paradox of DNA 295

Epigenetics and Cancer 306

Acknowledgments 318

Index 320

Editorial Reviews

In Super Genes, Drs. Deepak Chopra and Rudolph Tanzi illustrate the interplay of nature and nurture using cutting edge genetic science and argue persuasively that adapting one’s lifestyle can maximize the potential to transcend the inherited susceptibilities handed down to us from our parents."
–James Gusella, Ph.D., Director, Center for Human Genetic Research Harvard Medical School

“Once thought to be the domain of genes, the control of health and behavior is now dynamically linked to the environment, and more importantly, our perception of the environment. Super Genes, by Deepak Chopra and Rudy Tanzi, is a paradigm-shattering synthesis of epigenetic science that offers an easy-to-understand explanation of the mechanisms by which consciousness and environment control our genetic activity. Drs. Chopra and Tanzi’s contribution is a valuable resource that empowers us to become the masters of our fate rather than the ‘victims’ of our heredity.”
–Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D., Epigenetic scientist and bestselling author of The Biology of Belief, Spontaneous Evolution and The Honeymoon Effect

"The concept that biology is destiny is one of the most pathological and toxic exaggerations to emerge during the entire scientific era. This hard-core materialistic view has been a kind of psychological enslavement that has pushed many people into nihilism and despair. In Super Genes, Drs. Deepak Chopra and Rudolph E. Tanzi discuss new evidence that our genes are not our masters, but they respond in large measure to our choices and behaviors.  The resulting view honors not just the body but mind and spirit as well—a vision that is as bright and hopeful as the old view was morbid and depressing.  Super Genes is an important book.  It will empower anyone who reads it, because it expands our view of what it means to be human."
–Larry Dossey, MD, author of One Mind: How Our Individual Mind Is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why It Matters

"Super Genes demolishes the myth that our genes determine our fate. Deepak Chopra and Rudy Tanzi explain in breathtaking detail the magic of how our diet, lifestyle, our thoughts and even our gut bacteria or microbiome "talk" to our genes, regulating which genes get turned on or off, or turned up or down influencing every aspect of our health. This is essential reading for anyone interested in turning on their health, weight loss, happiness and longevity genes!"
–Mark Hyman, MD, Director, Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller, The Blood Sugar Solution.

“We used to think everything about us was either our genetics or our environment. But in Super Genes, Deepak Chopra and Rudi Tanzi adeptly teach us that it’s all about both—how tightly they are intertwined. And what we can do about it.”
–Eric Topol, MD, author The Patient Will See You Now, Professor of Genomics, The Scripps Research Institute

“Flawlessly weaving together the complicated science of genetics with the touching stories of very real people, my friends Deepak and Rudolph have written a book that you won’t put down. You will find yourself scribbling furious notes, and sharing your new wisdom with the people you love. First they gave us all the ability to have Super Brains, and now they have done the same with our Super Genes.”
–Sanjay Gupta, MD, Neurosurgeon and author of Chasing Life, Cheating Death and Monday Mornings

"A ground breaking and eye-opening account of recent discoveries in two new fields - epigenetics and microbiomics - weaved with practical insights to optimize our own wellness and longevity.  Rudy Tanzi and Deepak Chopra, renowned pioneers in their respective fields, have written one of the most important health books of the year."
–Murali Doraiswamy MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine, Duke University

“Super Genes will take you on an exciting journey of discovery about the ways genetic expression can be modified by simple lifestyle changes and even by how you use your mind.  The essential message of this important book is that your genes alone do not determine your destiny. You can learn how to influence them to enjoy better health and optimum well-being. I recommend it.”
–Andrew Weil, MD, author, Healthy Aging and Spontaneous Happiness

“Our genes are a predisposition, but they are not our fate.  The biological mechanisms that affect our health and well-being are often extraordinarily dynamic—for better and for worse.  When we eat well, move more, stress less, and love more, our bodies often have a remarkable ability to transform and heal.  Super Genes is a superb contribution to our growing knowledge that mind, brain, genome, and microbiome can act as a single system.  Drs. Chopra and Tanzi continue to make pioneering contributions that are bringing integrative medicine into the mainstream.  Highly recommended!”
–Dean Ornish, M.D., Founder and President, Preventive Medicine Research Institute Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

“Genetics is a two-way street. Drs. Chopra and Tanzi show how the mind can tell the genes to heal the body .”
–Stuart Hameroff, M.D., Banner-University Medical Center, The University of Arizona

From the Publisher