Friday the 13th!

   Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. Several theories have been proposed about the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition. One theory states that it is a modern amalgamation of two older superstitions: that thirteen is an unlucky number and that Friday is an unlucky day. In numerology, the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve hours of the clock, twelve gods of Olympus, twelve tribes of Israel, twelve Apostles of Jesus, twelve signs of the Zodiac, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper or a Norse myth, that having thirteen people seated at a table results in the death of one of the diners. Friday is also the day when Jesus Christ was crucified making it through folklore and adding to its unpopularity.
   I don't believe in luck. I believe you make your own luck, by preparation, dedication, and hard work. Sometimes things unfold very nicely for ourselves, but I believe that is because we were actively pursuing and open to the outcome. I talk to so many people that feel their health problems have been just unlucky, or it was their fate. They think it was just the hand that they have been dealt. The most common one I hear is it's in my genes, or it runs in my family. We can no longer blame our genes for our health problems, science won't let us anymore.
   Stanford University is putting out groundbreaking research in the field of epigenetics. They are proving that predisposition does not equal predetermined. They have shown that yes you get certain DNA markers from your parents but to be expressed they have to be turned on by lifestyle choices. They compare them to a loaded gun, that it can be loaded (predisposed) but you still have to pull the trigger with lifestyle choices. 
   One hundred percent of heart disease is avoidable by lifestyle choices. Heart disease is the number one killer in America, killing over 850k people every year. So what's the number two killer, cancer. According to Dr. Samuel Epstein, a leading oncologist, he says less than 2 percent of cancers have a hereditary component. That means 98 percent is avoidable by lifestyle choices! 
   So you see you can no longer blame your genes for your situation, can't blame your bad luck. Start today on changing your luck, start today by choosing to take back your health. YOU are in control.

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