Outsmart Your Genes

Book excerpt: Predictive medicine is the most exciting—and potentially groundbreaking—medical development in decades. Written by Brandon Colby, MD, a leader in the fields of predictive medicine and genetic testing, Outsmart Your Genes will empower you, the reader, with a clear understanding of exactly what predictive medicine entails and how it can be used today to protect your health as well as the health of those you love. Written in straightforward, nontechnical language, Outsmart Your Genes enables everyone, even those without any background in genetics or medicine, to understand the benefits of predictive medicine. Separating myth from fact and answering all the tough questions, Outsmart Your Genes clearly explains: How the revolutionary new medical specialty called predictive medicine analyzes your genes and provides you with clear solutions to protect your health and wellbeing. What the process will entail and how simple it is. For example, the process doesn’t even require blood or use needles – instead, all that’s needed in order to run the analysis is a small amount of your saliva. What your genes can reveal about your overall health and how we can use that information to provide you with a genetically tailored plan for preventing cancer, Alzheimer's, heart disease, obesity, and many other conditions. As opposed to just generalities, specific examples are given so that you’ll know exactly how medicine will improve your life. The many ways in-which learning about your genes can help you formulate a genetically tailored nutrition and athletic plan that may help you shed those extra pounds and stay trim and fit. How predictive medicine can help both prospective and current parents protect their children against SIDS and also help minimize the impact of and most effectively treat many other childhood diseases such as autism, asthma, dyslexia, obesity, and diabetes. Why analyzing your children’s genes may provide the best chance they have to fight against diseases that may not affect them until later in life, including Alzheimer’s, many forms of cancer (such as breast cancer and skin cancer), multiple sclerosis, and even hearing loss. How groundbreaking advancements in the fields of genetic analysis, including predictive medicine panels and disease matrix technology, allow you and your physician to avoid information overload and focus only on the information most relevant to you. The important concepts you need to understand before speaking with a doctor. The top five questions you need to ask in order to assess: The credibility of the laboratory doing the testing. The types of diseases included in the test. How thoroughly the test actually evaluates your risk for each of the diseases. Whether the information is provided in a way that makes it actionable. Whether the results will be delivered in a format that is straightforward and easy to understand.