We all believe we know where we come from. Grandparents and family member tell stories of the past. We trace our family trees back as far as we can. We analyze the ailments and illnesses down our family lines and recite them from memory for our doctors. We believe we know our own gene makeup. However, what if there was a way to tell even more about ourselves, what lies under the skin? And what if we could see what might be in store for our future? Genetic testing is unlocking answers in our health and wellbeing like never before. Here are the hidden benefits of having your genetics tested.
Imagine you could look into your future and know what your genes were susceptible to? What if you could use this information to prevent diseases and health problems to come? An article in the New York Times states that genetic testing can help you see where health problems lie in your own genetic makeup and where preventative measures may be taken. People who undergo genetic testing are able to know where problem areas lie and check or screen those areas more often. They are able to take action more quickly if they know where they’re more likely to contract cancer, or need to have something removed. It is a way to get ahead of problem areas in the body and be better prepared to take action when the time comes.
If a simple lifestyle change could add years onto your personal life, would you want to know about it? According to an article in the Huffington Post, genetic testing is allowing people all over to create small, simple lifestyle changes in order to not “activate” certain problematic genes. “It was in bound to happen because it was in my genes” is now no longer something that has to bind people to a future of poor health. Doctors are stating that we no longer live in an era where our genes have to determine our future. Simple shifts in the ways we eat, exercise, and live can keep us from “turning on” problematic genes. Genetic testing is allowing doctors to find those problem areas quickly, and reverse behaviors that will cause health problems later in life.
Genetic testing is changing family’s lives when done with newborns that are facing life-threatening illnesses. A total genome sequencing test can provide quick answers for what a terminally ill newborn may be facing and could indicate an option to add years onto their lives. A study published on CNN states that a mere fifty hours after a total genome sequencing, doctors are overwhelmed with information about what may be threatening the newborn’s life and take action to provide a remedy. Testing the newborn’s genes may also reveal information to the parents about themselves and how they can prevent further illness in the family line. The study states that one gene mutation can cause upward of 3,500 different diseases, and what was once an absolutely heartbreaking puzzle for doctors to try to figure out is now much quicker and easier in saving the newborn’s life.
Genetic testing is now more affordable than ever before and is providing people with a quick wealth of information about what is going on below the surface. In previous years, genetic testing was slow and expensive. It was impractical for people to undergo. Now, genetic testing is accessible and providing people with the important answers they need in order to become and stay healthy. A hidden benefit of genetic testing is that it is so affordable in this day and age with the Human Genome Project being completed and shared. People everywhere are unlocking answers to their bodies and their histories.
