Human Genome Project Results Supports Holistic Health Care Doctrines and Practices

The Human Genome Project (HGP) completed in 2003, was a 13-year project coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. During the early years of the HGP, the Wellcome Trust (U.K.) became a major partner; additional contributions came from Japan, France, Germany, China, and others.

Project goals were to:

• identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA,

• determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA,

• store this information in databases,

• improve tools for data analysis,

• transfer related technologies to the private sector,

• address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the project.

The results confirmed what Shamans, Holistic and Naturopathic practitioners have known since the beginning of time—health and behavior are dynamically linked to the environment and as importantly, our perception of the environment.