Dr. Tom Greenfield

A new study to be published in Schizophrenia Research[1] has found that markings on the hand may be a sensitive marker for genetic and environmental factors in schizophrenia.

Anthropologists in Barcelona, Spain studied the hand patterns of patients with schizophrenia, their relatives and healthy 'control' subjects. They looked at A-B ridge count, which is the number of ridges between two points on the palm called A and B (defined by specific areas where patterns converge under the second and third digits). There was no overall difference in A-B ridge count, but A-B ridge count was lower (fewer ridges) in schizophrenic patients with a low birth weight, and also in patients who did not have a family history of schizophrenia.

According to the study, the frequency of ectodermic derivates abnormalities (that is, Ridge Dissociation [RD] and/or Abnormal Palmar Flexion Creases [APFC] - abnormalities originating from the embryonic ectodermal layer of tissue, including the epidermis) appeared to be higher in patients and relatives than in controls. Ridge dissociation refers to short broken segments of lines that cover the patterns of dermatoglyphic areas in a disorganized way. Examples of abnormal palmar flexion creases are the Simian line, the Sydney line, clear broken proximal and distal palmar creases, and very rudimentary creases. Associations of this kind studying RD and APFC have been found in previous studies, one of them[2] concluding that factors affecting early foetal development may increase the risk for psychotic disorder. In this new study males had more of these abnormalities than females, which also shows the potential influence of male hormones in response to stress. Males also had more fluctuating asymmetry of their A-B ridge count (difference between left and right hands).

Overall these studies show the importance of maintaining a peaceful and stress-free environment for the unborn child, as well as highlighting a potentially observable risk factor for schizophrenia.

References:
1: Fatjó-Vilas M, Gourion D, Campanera S, et. al.
"New evidences of gene and environment interactions affecting prenatal neurodevelopment in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: A family dermatoglyphic study."
Schizophr Res. 2008 Jun 24.
PMID: 18583099

2: Rosa A, Fañanas L, Bracha HS, Torrey EF, van Os J.
Am J Psychiatry. 2000 Sep;157(9):1511-3.
Congenital dermatoglyphic malformations and psychosis: a twin study.
PMID: 10964873

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hello- I have been using the blood type diet for approx 4 yrs with great success. My blood type is A, and in Jan. I switched to the geno diet. I must say that the experience has not been good. I would hve considered myself to been in good shape, I eat great healthy and excercise almost 4-5 times a week. Since Jan I have had an eruption in the corner of my mouth that tingles. It is now after 5 months looking better, but the area remains sensitve. Now for the 3rd time since the end of April I have a itchy red rash on my face. It seems to last for 10 days, go away for a couple of days and then its back. Nothing I do seems to help, any suggestions?

The eruption on your mouth sounds like symptoms of the herpes virus. You can get this confirmed by your naturopathic or conventional doctor. As a short term measure the amino acid lysine can often help with the symptoms of active herpes infection. Long-term you should get your naturopath to address the focus of infection, which can be anywhere in the body.

You told us your blood group but did not say whether you are a secretor or non-secretor, and what your GenoType is - Teacher, Explorer or Warrior - all these make a difference to the detoxification process. When starting the GenoType Diet if you avoid the black dot foods for some time this will enhance the body's detoxification process. Sometimes detoxifying can bring on a healing crisis, which can take many forms depending on individual circumstances.

hi tom! i'm writing an article for teenagers, and am giving a very introductory picture of the blood type diet. can you give me a brief description of how, if at all, your rh factor affects your metabolism or food choices? it would really help me (and the readers)!

thanks so much,
adina

In the Rhesus blood group the main antigens are C, D, E, c and e (capital letters and lower case letters are different antigens). The Rhesus antigens come from two adjacent gene loci, the RHD gene which encodes the D antigen and the RHCE gene which encodes both the C and E antigens. There is no d antigen: Rhesus "d" signifies the absence of the D antigen (the RHD gene is usually non-functional or null), and that person is described as Rhesus (D) negative. Similar to non-secretor status, Rhesus negative is traditionally a "recessive" phenotype, which means in practice that if an individual has no functional Rhesus (D) genes, they are classed as Rhesus negative, but inheriting at least one Rhesus (D) gene will give that person the Rhesus (D) positive phenotype. The Rhesus negative phenotype is generally less common than Rhesus positive. Unlike the ABO blood group antigens, the resulting Rhesus blood group antigen is limited to the red blood cells.

Rhesus D incompatibility is best known as the main cause of newborn fatal blood reactions in the children of Rhesus negative women. Lesser known associations with the Rhesus blood group system are Natural Killer Cell (immune system) activity, transport of ammonia in the kidney and susceptibility to urinary tract tumours, myasthenia gravis, ovarian cysts and tumours, and spinal osteochondrosis. Offspring of a Rhesus positive mother may be more prone to hearing loss.

The question of Rhesus blood group significance is often asked in relation to the Blood Group Diet, but the Rhesus factor takes on a new and greater significance with The GenoType Diet: Rhesus negative phenotype can make a difference to individuals in both systems.

In Live Right 4 Your Type, individuals with Rhesus negative phenotype will find that there are specific recommendations for frequency of eating certain food groups: fewer portions of grain (blood groups A, B and O), fruit (blood group A), and more protein (blood groups B and O).

For an individual's GenoType, being Rhesus negative can mean the difference between being one GenoType or another. The GT4 Explorer is often Rhesus negative, which can change the entire diet and lifestyle advice for that individual.

Here are some questions about food status:

Dr. Tom, Hi
I'm a non-secretor O+, MN, Lewis a+ b- which I have recently found out and am still trying to digest (in more ways than one.) My question: what about goji berries (aka ninja berries, wolf berries, lycii berries)? I like to mix these with chocolate nibs for a quick snack. Any thought? Thanks, Jenn

and:

I am type A. I have been drinking Kombucha tea for quite some time. Is this good for my type?
Stacy

Both goji berries and kombucha are unlisted for the blood group diet, which means that they can be treated as neutral until further information is available. If you find out your GenoType and look in the GenoType Diet book or website you will find that your favourite unlisted foods and drinks may be listed there as a superfood or as an avoid!

Loneliness can affect your genes, according to a landmark study in Genome Biology [1] There were differences in the expression of 209 genes in the white blood cells of people experiencing chronic subjective social isolation (loners) compared to those in the blood of people who experience frequent social interaction (party-goers).

Although there is a recognised association between social interaction and health, the paper by professor Stephen Cole of UCLA Medical School shows for the first time the mechanisms behind what makes lonely individuals more prone to the inflammatory response: their genes were affected by particular pathways of transcription factors (which copy DNA to RNA) altering the activity of the genes that are specifically involved in activating the immune system through inflammation; they also have increased numbers of immune cells. Another finding was that even though the lonely individuals were producing slightly higher levels of anti-inflammatory cortisol, the effects of this were down-regulated due to their cortisol receptors not responding properly. Cole describes this as the immune system thinking that the cortisol is "crying wolf".

The adverse health effects of loneliness is not related to the number of friends that a person has, but to how many they think they have. This creates a subjective view of the world that others cannot be trusted, and a perception of the world as relatively more threatening. Now if we could just find the gene that creates the perception of loneliness in a person ...



References

1. Cole SW, Hawkley LC, Arevalo JM, Sung CY, et al. "Social regulation of gene expression in human leukocytes." Genome Biol. 2007 Sep 13;8(9):R189 PMID: 17854483

2. Blog: Genes Get Lonely Too