epigenetics

so, i'm taking this really cool intro to psych class over the summer, and part of our last homework assignment was to watch this video on epigenetics (which you can view here). well, i watched it, and let me tell you, epigenetics is really cool! here's a basic explanation:
epigenome translates into something like "above the gene" and that's basically what it is. little tags in our cells block or coil our dna in different ways for different outcomes. these tags can be controlled by food or environment, either the ones you've been exposed to or the ones your parents or grandparents have been exposed to. this explains why one identical twin can get a life threatening disease or cancer and the other might not. how you take care of your body really does have an effect.
so while i don't like to state the obvious, take care of your body! eat organic foods and try not to drink from plastic water bottles that leach chemicals. i was born near a place in louisiana called "cancer alley". there was a factory nearby that probably leached a lot of chemicals. this might have altered everyones epigenomes, which might be why people "caught cancer like the cold". try not to live in a place like that either. and really, you already know this, but don't smoke. harmful alteration to your epigenome is not the first way we know cigarettes can kill.
epigenetics can also be beneficial though. it's a lot easier to alter your epigenome than your genes, so we can use this in a lot of circumstances in medicine. it could probably kill a lot of hereditary diseases that keep getting passed on. i believe epigenetics is the first step toward gene therapy. but what do you think we could do with it?