8. Detox | The 3 Phases

Take the guesswork out of your chronic illness and improve your life dramatically. With your unique genetically-determined nutrition, supplement, environment and lifestyle adjustments, you’ll soon feel empowered and in control of your health from your DNA up!

Whether you want to optimise your well-being, prevent chronic illness, delay ageing or up your game in sports, the 3X4 DNA test provides the clues you’ve been missing and empowers you to take care of your health in a way that is personalised and precise.

• 3X4 Genetics makes complex science simple.
• The test reads your genetic data and translates it into an easy-to-understand personlised action plan.
• It looks at gene relationships and metabolic pathways which is more medically accurate than just looking at gene variations separately. 
• The 3X4 DNA test is an industry leader. Based on 20+ years of scientific research and clinical practice, it looks at over 160 genes in 36 metabolic pathways to help you understand your body’s unique needs, so that you can personalize your diet and lifestyle decisions for a longer, healthier and better life.

IT'S NOT ABOUT JUST PATCHING SYMPTOMS - IT'S ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE ROOT CAUSE

More and more research is showing that your genes interact with each other, and with your nutrition, environment and lifestyle choices.

How and what you eat, your exposures to environmental toxins, how you move and sleep, your stress levels, your mental, emotional and spiritual experiences, your traumas, all affect how our genes behave.

Your genes, which carry the instructions that tell your body how to build, regulate and maintain itself, also tell your body how to respond to the food, toxins, exercise, stress, sleep, and anything else that your body is exposed to. 

It's a two-way relationship. Understanding more about your genes helps you personalise your health choices to keep yourself as healthy as possible.

We now know from research, that the body functions as a whole and that the body systems talk to each other. For example, your gut health can affect your brain health; and your brain health, your gut.

The cells in your gut lining produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin that make you feel happy; and stressful thoughts can make your gut tight or churn. 

Because of this, 3X4 genetics believes it's very useful to look at the body at the level of cells, pathways and systems.

CELLS, PATHWAYS AND SYSTEMS

Your body is made up of complex, interconnected cells, pathways and systems so the 3X4 Genetic test groups your genes into these headings.

CELLS

We are the sum of our cells, and we're only as healthy as they are. Imagine your body as Pleasantville and every cell in your body as a house. All the houses in the town function independently. 

Each household needs to takes care of its own day-to-day maintenance and business, but ultimately contributes to the overall success and functioning of the town. 

Similarly, every cell in your body has its own mechanisms to function, clean and protect itself. Your cells know what to do because your genes tell them what to do. If your genes have a misspelling, its instructions will be slightly less effective.

Knowing your genetic variations and then compensating for and supporting them with personalised healthy choices, can help prevent, delay and/or reverse chronic disease, at a cellular level.

PATHWAYS 

GOING 'UPSTREAM'

3X4 Genetics believes in going 'upstream', like a detective, to better understand the root cause of symptoms.

To explain this, imagine a river. Certain streams feed into this river. The health of the river depends on the health of the streams further up the hill. All the streams need to be healthy and functioning properly for the river to function properly.

If just one river is not functioning optimally, it will affect the quality of the river's water and the symptoms will be seen as sick plants, animals and households along the river.

Certain genes function in specific pathways like a cascade. If you don't find a variation in one gene in one pathway, keep looking further up the pathway, or in related pathways, for genetic variations that you need to help with more personlised health choices to function better. This will improve the functioning of the whole pathway.

ENERGY | ACTIVITY | NUTRIENTS

Additional sections this test looks at are Energy, Activity and Nutrients. These categories provide useful information about how you gain and lose weight, your resting metabolism, your appetite, a possible predisposition to wanting to snack because you never feel full, whether exercise or dieting will be more useful for weight loss, how your circadian rhythms may affect your appetite, and more.

In her role as Chief Science Officer, Dr Yael Joffe brings over 20 years of experience in nutrition, genetics, sound research, clinical practice and scientific integrity to 3X4.

In the rapidly-evolving discipline of nutrigenomics, Yael is globally acknowledged as a leading expert in the field. She is a highly sought-after speaker, has co-authored two books, ‘It’s Not Just Your Genes’ and ‘Genes To Plate’, and has been published in multiple peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Yael is at the forefront of nutrigenomic education and has helped develop and supervise nutrigenomics courses around the world, including her own Manuka courses, which have trained hundreds of healthcare practitioners globally.

She is currently an Adjunct Professor, teaching Nutrigenomics at Rutgers University and MUIH.

• The report is a practical, action plan of clear, summarised recommendations
• Offers personalised nutrition, environment, lifestyle and behaviour recommendations
• Helps you make both big and small health choice changes 
• 82 gene variants are analysed and grouped into 25 metabolic pathways under 5 main biological headings 
• This pathway-based analysis of related genes in their metabolic pathways is more medically correct and useful than looking at single genes not show in their pathways which is used by many other genetic tests
• Uses colours and pictures so both you and your healthcare practitioner can easily understand your results
• The colours help you quickly see where you need to prioritise and focus your health efforts
• Contains a glossary where all 25 pathways are defined and explained in simple, easy-to-understand language

SAMPLE REPORT

Click here to see what you'll get in your 3X4 Report:

3X4 Sample Report | Female

3X4 Sample Report | Male

1. Cellular
2. Systems
3. Energy
4. Activity
5. Nutrients

1. CELLULAR

• Detoxification
• DNA damage
• Inflammation
• Methylation
• Oxidative stress

2. SYSTEMS

• Blood clotting
• Bone/Collagen/Joints
• Brain health
• Glucose and Insulin
• Sex hormone balance
• Vascular health 

3. ENERGY

• Adipogenesis
• Appetite/Satiety/Intake
• Energy expenditure
• Exercise Response
• Pro-inflammatory fat
• Weight gain & loss of resistance

4. ACTIVITY

• Endurance
• Injury
• Power
• Recovery

5. NUTRIENTS

• Caffeine
• Salt
• Vitamin D

• 1 x Test kit
  
• Delivery of the kit to and from your house
  
• Processing of your DNA sample
• Your DNA report
• 1 hour feedback consult with Dr Heidi

• Email me your first name, surname, cell, and delivery address.
• I will place your test order with the 3X4 lab.
• You will receive an email from the lab containing a payment link.
• Once you've made payment, your DNA test kit will then be couriered to your door.
• Read the instructions 'How do I do the test?' below.
• Please call/WhatsApp/email me at any stage of this process if you have questions: 083 382 1300 | liveheidi@liveheidi.com 

KIT

• The easy-to-use 3X4 Genetics test kit comes with step-by-step instructions so you can easily do the test yourself. 
• No spitting, no needles and no blood.
• Collecting your genetic sample is as easy as swabbing each cheek for 60 seconds.

STEP 1: REGISTER

Registering your test kit ensures that the lab correctly connects your genetic data to you.

1. Complete this step carefully. A complete and accurate sample registration is part of keeping your data safe. If you send your kit back without registering it, your sample will be delayed and possibly discarded.
2. There's a QR code on the top of your test kit. Open your camera and aim it at the QR code - no need to press the camera button to take a photo. 
3. A yellow link will appear on your camera screen. Click on the link. 
4. You'll be taken to a simple registration page. Enter all your details and collection address.
5. Alternately go to www.3x4genetics.com/register and enter your sample ID (it starts with KZA___)

STPE 2: PREPARE

Now for the exciting part! Once you have registered, it’s time to collect your sample.

Genetic testing is a complex process. A great quality sample and proper kit registration are the foundations of a quick and easy testing process. If your sample is contaminated, or you don't get enough cells onto the swab, the lab will not be able to process your sample. They'll need to send you another kit and you'll have to resubmit your sample. All this extends the time before you can get your report.

Here’s how to ensure the best sample possible.

1. The best time to collect your sample is first thing in the morning, immediately after you wake up and before brushing your teeth.
2. Do not eat, drink, chew gum, brush your teeth, or smoke 60 minutes before collecting. 
3. Avoid wearing lip balm or lip stick before or during sample collection. 

1. Clearly write your date of birth on the vial. Place the vial standing up, on a flat surface. Unscrew the vial cap.

2. Pull the swab stick out slowly, being careful not to touch the swab tip with anything other than your inner cheek. Don't let the swab touch your fingers or lips. If the swab tip touches anything other than your inner cheek, please request another kit and repeat the test. Rub the swab tip firmly against the inside of your cheek for 60 seconds on each side. Do not rub so hard that you draw blood, but firmly enough to ensure some inner cheek cells rub off onto the swab. Some samples need to be redone because the person didn't rub hard enough to ensure enough cheek cells get onto the swab. Rotate the swab tip so you can make sure to cover the entire swab with cheek cells. Avoid touching your teeth with the swab tip. 

3. Pick up the vial and hold it steady in one hand. Slowly insert and twist your swab into the vial. Apply pressure using a corkscrew motion. Push all the way to the bottom of the vial.

4. Hold the vial steady and move the swab up and down rapidly inside the tube 10-15 times without moving the swab out of the liquid.

5. Hold the vial firmly and remove the swab by slowly twisting it out with a corkscrew motion. Dispose of the swab.

6. Replace the vial cap tightly and seal it in the included ziplock bag. Place it back into the 3X4 packaging tube.

7.  Your sample is stable at room temperature.

8.Store your sample out of direct sunlight.

STEP 3: SEND

Now the final step!Time to send your sample back to the lab.

1. After you have successfully registered your sample, 3X4 will book a courier collection within 24 hours.
2. The courier will usually collect in the afternoons within 1-3 days, and will supply a bag and waybill.
3. Ensure that your sample is ready for collection, and that someone is available to give the parcel to the courier.
4. Ensure the person who will be answering the door is aware that the collection is taking place.

QUESTIONS?

Please contact Dr Heidi or the 3X4 Genetics Lab

HOW LONG WILL MY RESULTS TAKE?

• Your 3X4 Genetics report will take about 3 weeks from the date your DNA sample was collected.

FEEDBACK SESSION

• When your 3X4 Genetics report is ready, I'll contact you to setup up a time for your feedback session.

QUALITY CONTROL

• The 3X4 Genetics Lab ensures that the highest standards are maintained when processing your DNA.
• Their lab is ISO 17025:2005 and ISO 15189:2012 accredited, ensuring that your DNA is managed under rigorous control throughout the whole process.

DATA SECURITY

• From the time your sample is collected, your DNA and data are kept securely and anonymously in the secure Amazon Web cloud environment.
• 3X4 ensures that they meet the exacting requirements of POPI, GDPR and HIPAA.