Pictures Of Health Genetic Platforms (1979)

[Music] [Applause] [Applause] Looking at old family pictures is fun. They tell us what our grandparents and their grandparents looked like at an instant in time a long time ago. That's what the Franklin family is doing tonight. This is George Franklin and this is his wife Nora. David, their son, and Sally, their daughter. George is sharing with his family a picture of great great grandfather Franklin. [Applause] This is great great grandmother Lindner. [Applause] [Music] Now, at this point in time, David and his sister Sally look like they have a long life ahead of them. However, three influences will shape the quality of that life. the genetic background inherited from their parents, their environment, and how they manage and direct their own lives. [Music] One generation creates the next. In the fertilized egg, one half of the chromosomes come from each parent. So, the result is truly a mix of the mothers and father's characteristics. [Music] These chromosomes link each of us with our past. They influence our present. They program our future. Sally and David each began life with a specific genetic blueprint, a unique platform upon which their entire lives will be built. David and Sally's parents, grandparents, even great-grandparents were all slender, of average height with fair skin and light hair and eyes. All reached a level of achievement indicating a shared ability and attitude toward success. physical characteristics. Some intellectual capacities were passed on from one generation to the next. But what about disease? What about the susceptibility to certain diseases that seem to run in families like diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, ulcers? Did David and Sally necessarily inherit these also? The susceptibilities are here in the chromosomes, in the genetic platform. These threads contain the information that will direct and guide the way we grow. But in almost every case, we have an effect on the outcome. A genetic platform is operational in each and every human being regardless of economic, racial or ethnic background. Each pair of chromosomes carries genes that determine physical characteristics like body size and shape, eye color, hair texture and color. The chromosomes and genes also determine a predisposition to certain types of diseases. Each of us can find out what our own predispositions are by looking back through our families. We can identify certain traits and characteristics that have been transmitted from generation to generation. Not with rigid precision, but with high probability and predictability, height, baldness, the shape and size of our faces and bodies and many other things. we can discover that certain members of our family had the same or similar types of illnesses. [Applause] Well, if that's the case, is there anything we can do about what we've inherited? Or must our lives be a repeat of our parents and their parents' lives? Although we each operate with a specific genetic pattern, the single most important influence on our health and well-being is how we live [Applause] and where we live. To the extent that we can control where and how we live, we can affect our own well-being. In that way we can sometimes overcome the weaknesses or susceptibilities that we have inherited. There are certain diseases and conditions which are entirely transmitted from one generation to another like t-ax disease, cickle cell anemia and phenyl kitenora. Diseases over which we have no control. But that's not true of all diseases. In fact, with very few exceptions, illness is the result of combinations of many different factors. [Music] >> Attention, please. A white super. >> It's easier to catch a cold when you're run down. >> If you constantly eat too much, you'll get fat. And if you're genetically predisposed, more likely to develop heart disease. When you're exposed to chickenpox, you're more likely to catch it. >> There is no single determining element, genetic or environmental. But as medical knowledge and understanding increase on an almost daily basis, we are learning more and more about disease and causitive factors. >> Dr. Brown, call. Today, many states require that each newborn baby be tested shortly after birth for the rare disease phenylonoria, PKU, a disease that is transmitted genetically. If undetected, the infant will become mentally and in some cases the disease is fatal. Since most hospitals now are equipped for these tests, the chances of early diagnosis and initiation of suitable treatment means that the progress of the disease may be stopped before metal retardation begins. Formerly, the urine of babies was examined routinely for the presence of PKU, but recently it has been found that examination of the blood is more reliable. This is an especially good example of knowledge and understanding providing a healthy start for life despite an inherited weakness. We also have inherited strengths, the pluses that we have received from our parents. [Music] We all come into the world the same way. We all come complete with a fully detailed program dictated by our genes and chromosomes. It's like building a house. The blueprint is a flat plan on paper full of details regarding size and shape and specifications. But with good materials and careful construction, a well-built, comfortable home will emerge. Each of us is born with a blueprint. And what we do and how we build on that plan is largely our own responsibility. If we're heavy, we can lose weight. If we're weak, we can get stronger. There are ways and means to take care of ourselves. It's up to us to make ourselves healthy, to reach for vitality, to build on our strengths. [Music] When it comes to health, it's up to us to be a go-getter, to start a ball rolling. >> Others can only help or support. >> It is important to understand that no one thing is going to provide the magical key to health, happiness, and well-being. There is no magic, no secret word that will open the door. Life and health, like disease and illness, are qualities that are influenced by many different things. [Music] One of the best ways to learn about ourselves is to learn more about what went before. [Music] If your father and his father had diabetes or heart trouble or cancer, chances are that you are more likely to develop those diseases than a person whose family had no history of those illnesses. By knowing your family's history, you can prepare yourself for the possibilities of genetic predisposition to certain diseases and traits. What you do and how you choose to live your life play a more significant role in determining the quality of your life than any other factor. If your history shows trends toward certain illnesses, know and understand them and then take measures to avoid problems before they begin. Our genetic program is one which is created when life is created and provides the base for living. But it is only that an indication of strengths and weaknesses, predispositions and trends. It's up to us to do the best we can with the blueprint to build a life that diminishes our weaknesses and enhances our strengths. It is up to us to choose how we live that life. Understanding our genetic platform helps us live the fullest life possible. [Music] [Applause]