Genes only cause a very few long-term genetic disorders and almost all disease is not caused by a gene, but by Risk Factors Psychological, Behavioral, and Lifestyle choices and actions long term. Many such behaviors result in the “throwing of gene switches”! For instance, an athlete is well documented with practice, nutrition, and instruction to throw gene switches that cause the body and mind to mutate in a positive direction over time for their sport. Likewise, an Obese person is making behavioral, lifestyle, psychological, and nutritional choices that throw gene switches and their body and mind noticeably change for the negative. A third grade teacher, with 9 months and 6 hours a day of repetition and instruction throws gene switches and 30 years later the fostered/taught neuron growth (neuroplasticity) results in the person having a morphed brain/growth that makes them still know that 3X5-15!
These are examples of environmental (inner and outer) risk and growth factors that throw gene switches at the cell nucleus, but they don’t represent the “Myth of Genetic Determinism”!
Educated Medical Psychologists and Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse professionals must understand this and educate the patient and public in clear and understandable ways.