ACTUALLY PROVE THAT IT'S 
POSSIBLE.
HE JOINS ME LIVE FROM NEW YORK 
WITH MORE.
SO DEEPAK, YOU'RE TELLING US 
THAT EVEN IF WE HAVE CANCER OR 
HEART DISEASE OR OBESITY IN OUR 
FAMILIES THAT WE CAN CHANGE OUR 
DESTINY AND THE DESTINY OF OUR 
CHILDREN.
>> SO KYRA, WE HAVE TO BE VERY 
CAREFUL HOW WE WORD THIS.
THE DOCTOR WHO'S THE DIRECTOR 
FOR RESEARCH AND GENETICS AT 
MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL AND 
PROFESSOR OF NEUROLOGY AT 
HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL, HE AND I
HAVE WRITTEN A BOOK CALLED 
"SUPER BRAIN."
AND WHAT WE MAINTAIN BASED ON 
CURRENT EVIDENCE IS THAT YOU CAN
CHANGE THE ACTIVITY OF YOUR 
GENES.
YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE ACTUAL 
STRUCTURE OF YOUR GENES OR THE 
SEQUENCE OF DNA.
BUT YOU CAN CHANGE THE ACTIVITY.
SO YOU CAN DIAL THEM UP IN A WAY
THAT'S GOOD FOR YOU.
500 GENES THAT CODE FOR THINGS 
LIKE INFLAMMATION, MANY TYPES OF
CANCER, HEART DISEASE, MANY 
TYPES OF DISORDERS ASSOCIATED 
WITH INFLAMMATION SUCH AS 
BRONCHIAL ASTHMA.
THESE GENES CAN BE TURNED UP IN 
A WAY THAT YOU TURN ON THE GOOD 
GENES AND TURN OFF THE BAD 
GENES.
YOU CAN DO THAT PRETTY RAPIDLY, 
IN LESS THAN THREE TO FOUR 
MONTHS, THROUGH CHOICES THAT YOU
MAKE IN HOW YOU THINK, HOW YOU 
FEEL, HOW YOU SPEAK, HOW YOU 
BEHAVE, YOUR PERSONAL 
RELATIONSHIPS, SOCIAL 
INTERACTIONS, YOGA, BREATHING, 
MEDITATION, SLEEP, AND EXERCISE.
ALL INFLUENCE THE ACTIVITY OF 
YOUR GENES, NOT THE STRUCTURE OF
YOUR GENES.
BUT THAT'S WHAT MATTERS.
AS FAR AS FUTURE GENERATIONS ARE
CONCERNED, YES, HOW YOU 
EXPERIENCE LIFE AND THE CHOICES 
YOU MAKE AND HOW YOU EVEN 
INTERPRET YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCES 
WILL INFLUENCE THE BEHAVIOR AND 
EVEN THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FUTURE 
GENERATIONS.
BUT THAT PART OF THE RESEARCH IS
VERY PRELIMINARY.
AND IT'S PART OF THE SCIENCE 
THAT WE NOW CALL EPIGENETICS.
>> AND NEUROPLASTICITY, WHICH 
YOU'VE BEEN TEACHING ME A LOT 
ABOUT.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THAT REALLY
MEANS?
YOU DID THERE, BUT MAIN MAYBE 
MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE SIMPLE FOR
FOLKS.
AND CAN IT REALLY REVERSE 
ILLNESSES?
I THINK THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE WANT 
TO KNOW.
>> OKAY.
SO LET'S TALK ABOUT WHICH 
ILLNESSES.
SO ONE OF THE MOST COMMON 
ILLNESSES TODAY IS HEART 
DISEASE, CORONARY ARTERY 
DISEASE, FOR WHICH PEOPLE GET 
BYPASS SURGERY.
NOW, IT'S A FACT THAT ONLY 2% OF
PEOPLE WITH THAT BENEFIT FROM 
ANG
ANGIOPLASTY OR BYPASS SURGERY.
YOU CAN REVERSE CORONARY ARTERY 
DISEASE.
THE ANSWER IS YES.
YOU CAN REVERSE MANY TYPES OF 
DISORDERS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED, 
AS I SAID, WITH INFLAMMATION, 
INCLUDING SOME TYPES OF 
ARTHRITIS, BRONCHIAL ASTHMA, 
CERTAIN TYPES OF AUTOIMMUNE 
ILLNESSES CAN GO BACK INTO 
REMISSION.
THE ANSWER IS YES.
AGAIN, ACCORDING TO MY 
COLLABORATIVE DOCTOR, WHO'S A 
GENETICS EXPERT, ONLY 5% OF 
DISEASE-RELATED MUTATIONS ARE 
FULLY PEN TRANT, ONLY 5%.
WHICH MEANS 95% OF DISEASE 
RELATED MUTATIONS ARE INFLUENCED
ONCE AGAIN BY HOW WE EXPERIENCE 
LIFE.
>> AND FOR THOSE THAT ARE 
SITTING BACK HOME GOING, OH, MY 
GOSH, WHAT THE HECK DID HE JUST 
SAY?
IN SIMPLE TERMS, HOW WE LIVE OUR
LIFE COULD NOW, BECAUSE OF 
INTERESTING THINGS THAT ARE 
HAPPENING IN SCIENCE, IMPACT OUR
BIOLOGY AND HOW LONG WE LIVE.
>> YES, YOU CAN TRANSFORM YOUR 
BIOLOGY IF YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE IN
A WAY THAT IS CONNECTED WITH 
OTHER PEOPLE.
IF YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE, IF YOU 
MAKE CHOICES THAT ENHANCE IN YOU
THE EXPERIENCE OF LOVE, 
COMPASSION, JOY, EMPATHY, PEACE,
EK WE ANYMORETY.
IF THOSE CHOICES INFLUENCE YOUR 
LIFE, WHATEVER THE CHOICES YOU 
MAKE, IF THOSE FEELINGS BECAUSE 
THEY CONNECT YOU TO THE
