Dr. Daiga Mūrmane is a doctor of medical sciences and a geneticist. Her clinical practice is more than 20 years at BKUS and currently at RAKUS. The doctor has been a lecturer at RSU and for a long time the head of the study program "Medical Genetics" of the Faculty of Residency. She has two specialties - geneticist and child psychiatrist. In 2014, she defended her thesis on the genetic aspects of autism spectrum disorders and obtained the degree of doctor of medical sciences. On a daily basis, the doctor advises patients with suspected inherited cancer. We created this conversation with the doctor to reduce the damage caused to people by misconceptions and ignorance about what genes determine and what not. The doctor said that genetic diseases are rare and we tend to replace our ignorance, incompetence, laziness with genetics - "I have such genes". She thinks this is wrong and says: “A gene is just a gene, it's a possibility - not a destiny. It is not the gene that affects my life, but my choices that affect how the gene works. This means that our lifestyle, daily choices in food and movement, stress management, neglecting ourselves, postponing our needs can provoke the development of the disease. It is very important to talk about prevention, which in the long term can help a person maintain health and a clear mind. The population is aging, but the quality of life, thanks to modern technologies and opportunities, must be at such a level that I do not think about the disease, but being healthy, I can enjoy the opportunities provided by life in the long term. Here, a lot depends on my own choice, how I behave or take care of myself, my health and what is my priority." TALK POINTS: 0:00 Introduction 3:44 What our genes do and don't determine 6:33 How genetics differs from epigenetics 7:36 What diseases can be said to be 100% genetic 8:31 Things that accepted to be hereditary, but which is not really true 12:03 "It is my responsibility, how I choose to live" 20:47 Doctor's personal experience with burnout in autistic spectrum genetics and professional "rebirth" in the field of oncogenetics 28:06 "At the moment, when you start dying with the patient, something has to be done" 33:50 How important it is for everyone to know their "pedigrees" or family medical history 35:37 "Cancer is not a runny nose or a cough. It doesn't happen in two weeks" - what are the basic health screenings for men and women 37:25 What can a person have an oncological disease 42:13 "Silent cancers" or oncological diseases that make themselves known only at a late stage 45:43 What are the main causes of oncological diseases 48:49 How the doctor herself changed her life and everyday life after an oncological diagnosis 51:39 What cancer tastes like 57:53 Tricks for sticking to a healthy menu even when there are no longer any direct threats to health 59:46 "We have to move . Stagnant water glooms. And we are water" 1:02:25 "We are currently eating too much and moving too little. We should do the opposite" 1:06:50 How a doctor trains her discipline 1:12:17 The role of psychotherapy for a person facing serious health challenges 1:13:59 What does the stomach have to do with what happens in the brain 1:16:41 " Excess weight is a chronic inflammation" - the effect of excess weight on happiness and health 1:20:00 Recommendations of a doctor-geneticist on the genetic analyzes that should be carried out and in which cases 1:27:22 The paradox between the fear of death and the fear of doctors 1: 28:24 Doctor's personal experience with clinical death after a tragic accident at a young age 1:37:47 Advice not to do anything that could harm your genes