DNA – Playing the Hand you are Dealt

by Deborah Maragopoulos FNP | Mar 22, 2018 | Blog, Mind/Body | 0 comments

Nicholas was not progressing. Still using sign language to communicate at the age of three. So, his mother was concerned. I helped deliver Nicholas. His mother was one of my OB patients who followed me to my Intuitive Integrative Medical practice. She hoped I could help. Nicholas’ mother did everything possible for her son. She gave him special vitamins designed for children like him. Nicholas has Down Syndrome.

His doctors thought that his mother’s expectations were too high. But, I believed in her maternal intuition. There was more that could be done to help her son.

“Was he tested for lead?”

His mother shook her head, “No. The pediatrician didn’t think it was necessary since we live in a brand new house.”

So, my medical intuition told me that Nicholas’ delay was more than his chromosomal anomaly. Something was blocking his cell receptors. I suspected heavy metals. Plus, Nicholas’ family lived in an area where food is grown around the freeway. The soil is impregnated by the residue of leaded gasoline. So, we tested him for heavy metals.

And his lead levels were off the charts. I treated Nicholas. Meanwhile, just after the first round, he began to talk. By the time we were done, Nicholas’ speech had surpassed his mother’s expectations.

To be safe, I also tested Nicholas’ older brother and his parents for lead. Although they lived in the same house, ate the same food, drank the same water, only Nicholas had lead poisoning. Why?

Because the chromosomal anomaly which makes up Down Syndrome affects the detoxification pathways.

Nicholas was born with one too many chromosomes. Chromosomes are our genetic material. Our DNA. When DNA is damaged, it affects our body’s function. Therefore, Nicholas could not get the lead out of his system and the lead affected the speech center in his brain.

Once we treated Nicholas, I started him on Genesis Gold®. All to help him detoxify heavy metals and other toxins he might be exposed to.

Your DNA is not set in stone.

Were you taught that you are stuck with the genes you were born with? That’s not true. Your DNA transforms throughout your life. Most of us were born with one-third of our DNA turned on. One-third expresses itself in you. The color of your eyes, the freckles on your skin, your bone structure, your keen hearing, and your poor eyesight. Therefore, almost everything about your physical being is expressed by just one-third of your DNA.

Your genotype is your genetic potential. Your phenotype is what your DNA is actively expressing. For instance, you can have the genotype for either blue eyes or brown eyes. You have genes for blue eyes from your mother and brown eyes from your father. But, your eyes are green. The color of your eyes is your phenotype. Blue eye genes and brown eye genes are your Genotype. Your genetic potential.

So, if only one-third of your DNA is on, what about the other two-thirds? When the human genome was first opened, genetic scientists called the unexpressed two-thirds of our DNA “junk DNA”.

There is no junk. Every single gene has a purpose. We just don’t understand it all. But it’s not junk. Research has shown that when scientists remove the junk DNA from the fertilized ovum of animals and let the genes known for creating fruit flies, frogs, cats, nothing developed. No larvae, no tadpoles, no kittens. Apparently, the unexpressed DNA is not junk. Therefore, it’s needed for life.

So what is it? Well, some of the unexpressed DNA is what was. Your unexpressed DNA is what served your ancestors in the past. Like a really long time ago.

Think of DNA like a deck of cards.

You are dealt a certain hand. It may be a good hand. It may be a bad hand. It’s all how you play your hand that determines if you win the game. Meaning nature, the DNA you’re born with, is influenced by nurture, how you’re raised. And how you choose what you can do with it.

Now, some of the unexpressed DNA is what will be. What you might need in the future.

For instance, humans have DNA that is the same as what lizards use to regrow their tails. Wow! What if that got expressed? People who lost limbs might be able to regrow them.

In conclusion, your DNA is not set in stone. There is so much potential for healing in your DNA. It is always changing.

Excerpt from Award Winning Book Hormones in Harmony®.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can your hypothalamus cause weight gain?

Yes. The hypothalamus is the master regulator of metabolism, controlling how your body stores and burns energy through its signaling to the thyroid, adrenals, and pancreas. When the hypothalamus becomes dysregulated by chronic stress, poor sleep, inflammation, or blood sugar instability, it defends a higher weight "set point" — causing the body to hold onto fat regardless of diet or exercise. This makes hypothalamic dysfunction an upstream root cause of stubborn weight gain.

What is a weight set point and why won't mine move?

A weight set point is the body weight your hypothalamus works to defend, calibrated over time by stress, sleep, hormones, and inflammation. When you diet, the hypothalamus perceives scarcity and responds by slowing metabolism, increasing hunger hormones, and suppressing satiety signals to return you to that set point. This is why most people regain lost weight within two to five years of conventional dieting — the set point itself was never recalibrated, only temporarily overridden.

Why do I gain weight under stress even when I'm not eating more?

Chronic stress raises cortisol, which disrupts blood sugar regulation, promotes abdominal fat storage, and signals the hypothalamus that the body is under threat. In survival mode, the hypothalamus defends fat stores and slows metabolism — so weight can increase even without any change in calorie intake. The stress chemistry, not the food, is driving the weight gain, which is why stress reduction is essential to any lasting metabolic reset.

Why do I regain weight after stopping GLP-1 medications?

GLP-1 medications work peripherally on appetite and gastric signaling, but they do not address the underlying hypothalamic dysregulation that sets your defended weight. Because the hypothalamic set point is never recalibrated, the body resumes defending its original weight once the medication stops — leading to significant regain. Long-term success requires restoring hypothalamic regulation so the set point itself lowers, rather than relying on appetite suppression alone.

How long does it take to reset your metabolism?

Genuine metabolic recalibration takes a minimum of 90 days, because the hypothalamus needs consistent signals of safety and sufficiency before it will lower its defended set point. This differs from a diet, which produces temporary suppression the body quickly corrects. A 90-day reset typically moves through three phases: stabilizing stress chemistry (days 1–30), rebuilding metabolic efficiency (days 31–60), and lowering the weight set point (days 61–90).

Why does my thyroid feel slow even though my labs are "normal"?

Under chronic stress, the body converts thyroid hormone into reverse T3, which blocks active thyroid receptors and slows metabolism at the cellular level — even when standard lab values appear normal. This means you can experience genuine symptoms of slow metabolism, such as fatigue, cold intolerance, and brain fog, while your thyroid panel looks unremarkable. Addressing the upstream hypothalamic and stress signaling often improves thyroid conversion and symptoms.

Is stubborn weight gain a willpower problem?

No. Stubborn weight gain is a signaling problem, not a willpower problem. The hypothalamus governs weight through survival mechanisms that operate below conscious control — defending its set point by slowing metabolism and increasing hunger when it perceives threat. No amount of discipline can override this system; lasting change comes from restoring hypothalamic regulation through reduced stress, balanced blood sugar, restorative sleep, and targeted nutritional support.

About the Author - Deborah Maragopoulos FNP

Known as the Hormone Queen®️, I’ve made it my mission to help everyone - no matter their age - balance their hormones, and live the energy and joy their DNA and true destiny desires. See more about me my story here...

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Last Updated: April 7, 2022