(Name withheld).
Is it genetic, or is it hereditary? In my opinion, while there may be a genetic component, which is part of "heredity", the main driver behind the mix of ailments your mother-in-law and wife are dealing with are all mostly of the controllable inherited kind.
When your wife was first conceived all her nutrients and hormones came from her mother. When she was born, she would have had all the biochemical deficiencies and excesses of her mother. Then she was presumably breastfed by her mother and then ate the same food as the family for the following 20 years and shared any family stresses and strains. So, it is hardly surprising that a Mother's health trends are passed onto her children. By contrast, there is a weaker association between father and children.
Even if a health problem has a strong genetic component, the question must be asked as to why a particular gene is switched on or off in one sibling but not in the others? There maybe a controllable factor such as a nutrient imbalance or environmental toxin. Having said this, once a gene is switched, such as the one that turns hair grey, it may be impossible to switch it the other way.
In your wife's case, she displays many of the characteristics of a woman with thyroid and adrenal issues with associated nutrient imbalances, such as those portrayed in the Hair Analysis Chart above.
When a copper deficiency is present, iron may build up in the soft tissues, including the cartilages. This contributes to inflammation and degradation of the joints. A chronic bacterial infection can contribute to this process. This is why rheumatoid arthritis can develop following an infectious disease.
Elements such as mercury, cadmium, zinc and lead are antagonists to copper. Some of these are found in tobacco smoke, amalagum fillings, fish such as tuna and from industrial pollution.
Low levels of zinc in the tissues will predispose a person to recurring viral, yeast (candida) and fungal infections.
When low and/or in imbalance with copper, there is an association with collagen disorders, most commonly seen as stretch marks of the skin. The same disorder is associated with ligament, tendon and cartilage injuries - often spontaneous and without violence.
Copper and zinc regulate oestrogen and progesterone. When copper rises, so does oestrogen. When zinc rises, so does progesterone. Therefore, imbalances between copper and zinc are closely associated with menstrual and conception disorders.
The role of zinc and copper and the production of the female hormones explains why conditions like collagen disorders, joint injury, stretch marks, viral, yeast and fungal infections and rheumatoid arthritis are far more common in women than in men. When collagen is weak there will be easy bruising and susceptibility to gum disease. Gum disease, when combined with smoking may be all that is required to set of rheumatic pains.
Oestrogen and progesterone contraceptives, especially the long term implants and IUDs may be especially damaging to a woman's health due to their messing up of a woman's copper and zinc balance.
With regards to your wife, I can appreciate your deep concern for her immediate and long term health. However; I am reluctant to offer specific advice without her first doing a
Hair Tissue Analysis. This is because there could be a number of things going on. For example; she may have exceptionally high copper which can give the same symptoms as a deficiency. We need to know if this is, or isn't the case before we start pumping her full of copper.
So, my advice is to get a
Hair Tissue Analysis done asap and then we will act according to the finding.
In finishing, thank you for raising this issue. It is a pressing one that I am encountering almost daily. Merely drugging these women with anti-inflammatories and steroids is not the solution. While such therapies may give relief, it is only temporary and the consequences can be huge such as drugs dependency, chronic arthritis, osteoporosis, chronic fatigue and depression. The solution lies in identifying the underlying causes and then setting about correcting these by lifestyle and nutrition.
