Genetics Load The Gun
Lifestyle Pulls the Trigger: Your DNA as the Roadmap to Optimal Health
There’s a saying in functional medicine that perfectly captures the dynamic between our DNA and our daily choices:
“Genetics load the gun, but lifestyle pulls the trigger.”
In other words, your genes may set the stage, but how the story unfolds depends largely on you. It is estimated that 20%-30% of your health is based on genetics, that means that 70% of your health and wellness is primarily the result of lifestyle, mindset, and behavior. This hopefully is incredibly encouraging as it points to our ability to change, grow, and always become better.
At The Wellness Lounge, we believe that understanding your genetic blueprint is one of the most powerful steps you can take toward optimal health. Why? Because it gives you a personalized map—and when you know the terrain, you can navigate smarter, not harder.
What Does It Mean for Genetics to “Load the Gun”?
Your genes are like a set of blueprints that influence everything from how well your body processes nutrients to how efficiently it detoxifies, handles stress, or repairs cellular damage. Some of the most commonly discussed gene variants include:
MTHFR: Affects how you metabolize folate and methylate (crucial for detox and mood)
COMT: Involved in estrogen breakdown and how quickly you clear stress hormones
PEMT: Influences your ability to make phosphatidylcholine for liver and brain health
CYP1A2: Determines how you metabolize caffeine and certain medications
APOE: A key gene related to brain health and Alzheimer’s risk
Carrying a variant in one of these genes doesn’t mean you’re destined for disease. But it does mean you may need more support—or a different approach—than someone without the variant.
Lifestyle: The Trigger That Determines the Outcome
Here’s the empowering part: epigenetics—how your environment and lifestyle influence gene expression—means you’re not stuck with your genetic “fate.”
What you eat, how you move, your exposure to toxins, your stress levels, your sleep quality, your gut microbiome... all of these either activate or silence genes.
For example:
A person with an MTHFR mutation may thrive by increasing methylated B vitamins and reducing synthetic folic acid.
Someone with a COMT slow variant might do best limiting caffeine and using adaptogens to manage stress.
A woman with poor estrogen clearance (via COMT or CYP1B1 variants) might benefit from cruciferous vegetables, DIM, or targeted IV therapy.
In short, you can’t change your genes, but you can change how they express themselves.
Genetics as a Roadmap, Not a Sentence
Too often, people see genetic testing as a fortune-telling exercise—something that defines or limits them. But at The Wellness Lounge, we flip that script:
Your genetics are a roadmap, showing you the routes that might have more potholes, detours, or shortcuts. When you know those paths, you can optimize them with nutrition, supplementation, movement, and lifestyle choices designed specifically for your body.
This approach takes you from reactive medicine to proactive health. It means catching dysfunction early, supporting weak pathways before symptoms appear, and unlocking your body’s true potential.
How We Use Genetics at The Wellness Lounge
We offer:
Genetic testing & interpretation with a functional lens
Personalized IV therapy tailored to your gene pathways (e.g., methylation, detox, inflammation)
Targeted supplement protocols based on your unique needs
Lifestyle optimization to shift from risk management to peak performance
Nutrition guidance to make planning your meals enjoyable and nourishing
Whether you’re dealing with fatigue, fertility struggles, hormone imbalances, or simply want to future-proof your health, your genes hold important clues. And we help you decode them.
Knowledge Is Power
The power of genetic testing isn’t in predicting doom—it’s in unlocking the most personalized, effective health plan possible. Because when you understand how your body is wired, you stop guessing and start healing.
You are not your genes. But you are your choices. And those choices can change everything.
Ready to use your DNA as a blueprint for vibrant health? Book a genetics consultation with The Wellness Lounge and let’s design a plan built uniquely for you.