Season 2, Episode 10: When Your Relationships Live Inside Your Cells

In this episode, I talk about the biological power of relationships.

I look at loneliness, social isolation, belonging, marital conflict, community, and the way our social environment can reach the immune system, inflammatory pathways, wound healing, stress physiology, gene expression, and mortality risk.

This is not an episode with easy answers. Relationships are not like buying a water filter or going to bed earlier. But if we are going to talk honestly about epigenetics, we cannot leave out one of the strongest inputs shaping human biology: whether a person feels connected, safe, seen, and supported.

If you are interested in becoming an Epigenetics Coach yourself, learn about my program here: The Certified Epigenetics Coach Training

Sources

Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. - Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316

Office of the U.S. Surgeon General - Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf

Cole, S. W. et al. - Social Regulation of Human Gene Expression https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3020789/

Cole, S. W. - Social Regulation of Human Gene Expression https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3786751/

Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. et al. - Hostile Marital Interactions, Proinflammatory Cytokine Production, and Wound Healing https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16330726/

Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. et al. - Hostile Marital Interactions, Proinflammatory Cytokine Production, and Wound Healing https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/209153

Imprint

Dr. Nicola Schmitz Epigenetics Coach Alter Health Instagram: @alter._health Website: www.dr-nicolaschmitz.com Contact: support@reply.dr-nicola-schmitz.com