Inherited traits are defined by their ability to be passed from one generation to the next in a predictable manner. Each human cell with a nucleus contains all the genetic information necessary to build a human being. Inside the cell nucleus are 23 pairs of chromosomes (one chromosome in each pair coming from each parent). Each of the 46 human chromosomes contains the DNA for hundreds or thousands of individual genes. A gene is a sequence of DNA that denotes a unit of heredity. You have two copies of each gene. One inherited from your father, one inherited from your mother. Some inherited traits are highly complex and involve many genes; other traits, such as the ability to curl your tongue, are determined by only one gene. If you have the gene - you have the trait.

WHAT'S HEALTHY
Traits are either dominant or recessive.
. Dominant: a trait that is apparent with one copy of the gene in the pair-it can be inherited from only one parent.
. Recessive: a trait that is apparent with copies of the gene pair-one from the mother, one from the father.

As we enter the 21st century, Americans often think about health in terms of science and medicine. To some people, being healthy means having a physical body that works and is free of disease. For over 3,000 years, many people in China have said that health depends on chi, a vital energy that flows through the body, mind and spirit. Good health means keeping the flow of chi in balance. In India , a system called the Ayurvedas (knowledge of life) teaches that health depends on a balance between the individual and the universe. Balance is achieved with herbs, minerals, operations, and ritual chants and offerings. In many Native American cultures, people are seen as a part of the whole environment. When all the elements of the world are in balance and harmony, then the people will also be healthy. Cultural Paradigms is the soul, the community and the environment. Looking across cultures , we can see the many ways people understand the idea of "health." Ideas about health are shaped by the way people view not only the body, but also the mind.