Medicine and Genetics
Researchers have discovered that we are not the same and do not respond to the same treatment for the same disease as formerly thought.
For the last decade doctors have had less and less to say about how to treat their patients. Health Insurance companies have demanded that right and have prescribed what treatment a patient is allowed to receive. Luckily for us a new wave in medicine is around the corner called “personal medicine.’ Researchers have discovered that indeed, all people are not the same. We do not all fit the same mold as was formerly thought.
Some physicians have been surprised at just how different we are. Science magazine stated human genetic variation as the number one breakthrough in 2007. One small misstep in DNA can effect your chance of getting a disease and also the treatment that will be effective. Each patient will not respond in the same way to standard treatment.
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Researchers have already found genetic differences connected to some diseases including, restless leg syndrome, diabetes, heart disease, autism, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis, In the future doctors will take into account a patient’s DNA when prescribing treatment. Doctors are just on the verge of understanding why the same treatment will not always work on patients with the same illness. Ralph Snyderman, former chancellor at Duke University Medical Center says, “Physicians have not yet grasped this as the new wave in the practice of medicine.” A few medical schools including Duke have developed personalized medicine programs , but these schools are few and far between.
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New ways of doing things always comes with the younger generation. With new students going into medical school and research, We can expect the next generation to use genetic guidelines in the practice of medicine. We will see new treatments for the same diseases according to the patients genetic makeup. It will lead to great opportunities for drug companies and it follows that more workable treatments will be available at less cost.
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clay hurtubise | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
It stuns me that doctors would say this. We learned these very principals in pharmacy school 30 years ago! No two people will react to the same medicine in exactly the same way: taken a bit further, there is a good likelyhood that you may respond to your own previous medicine differently than before. The human body is massively complex: there are differences between male, female,race,region,…. Your diet, cigarrette smoking, physical activity level all affect drug drug absorption, distribution and effect.
Thanks for bringing it up.
Clay
Debra. | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
That was a very informative piece and well worth the read! Thank you, Ruby!
Christine Ramsay | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
This is a very interesting and informative article, Ruby.
Christine
papaleng | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
another well-researched article worth reading.
Glynis Smy | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
Interesting article.
Darla Smith | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
Very interesting and informative article. Thanks for sharing.
QuinMonty86 | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
As an RN, we are well aware that no two people react the same way to the same medicine and I’m sure the docs are aware of that fact, too. There are just not enough good nurses and doctors to go around!! That is a big part of the health care problem right now in our country. The docs coming out of training don’t want to go into the relatively low paying fields of family practice and internal medicine when more money can be made in the specialties such as plastic surgery, gastroenterology, etc. And the problems in nursing are well documented. Where we need to focus our attention is on prevention!! Changing our lifestyles so we don’t get heart disease, diabetes, lung cancer and other cancers. Eating healthy, exercising, doing all the good things that have been preached at us for years will do more to help change the health system than anything else ever could. It is in our own hands and we do nothing but sit in front of the television and eat our selves sick, smoking and drinking ourselves to death!!
Daisy Peasblossom | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
/blush I might resemble Quin’s description–only it’s sitting in front of the computer snacking on chocolate. Summer helps me not “eat myself to death”. It seems like it takes formal medicine practice about 100 years to catch up with the real world…remember hand washing?
PR Mace | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
As a nurse I see this all the time. It is amazing to me to see one treatment work on one patient and not the next. Well written, well research article, Ruby. Thank you for sharing.
Phill Senters | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
Some swear by Tylenol, a hand full will do absolutely nothing for my headache. Whereas two aspirin usually works great.
Strange!
Good job,Ruby
Jo Oliver | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
Great job, Ruby. Medicine is advancing everyday. Hopefully these advances will lower cost and provide more opportunity for treatment and prevention.
Allana Calhoun | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
Nice article and topic. It seems rather strange that it took us this long to come to such a conclusion. After all, if everyone’s DNA is different, why wouldn’t be different in so many other ways?
Ruby Hawk | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
thank you my friends for your interest and your input. As clay says medications that I have used before sometimes don’t work the second time around.That’s one of the reasons I like my doctor. He will try new things.
Quin and Clay are absolutely right that we are in control of our own health for the most part. If we did what we know we should do our health would be the better for it. And the more our doctor knows about our lives and habits the better he is able to help us.
Let’s hope the better doctors and nurses will begin to turn to general medicine and improve our health care. Thanks again to everyone.
NA Staffieri | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
I continue to be amazed at medical progression. I also agree that our lifestyles have dictated a necessity for increasing medical attention.
Sheila | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
A very informative article. Its what I love about this site…information and educated opinions too!
Betty Carew | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
An excellent article Ruby and very informative. yes our health is in our own hands for sure.
OhSugar | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
Thank you Ruby, for this absolutely critial information. The topic is great for discussion. Great presentation.
Joe Dorish | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
Great subject Ruby, very interesting topic.
Shirley Shuler | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
A very interesting and informative article Ruby
Eunice Tan | Apr 14, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for the informations you have given Ruby. It is worthy.
Yovita Siswati | Apr 15, 2009 | Reply
Very interesting topic!
Inna Tysoe | Apr 15, 2009 | Reply
I agree that new and more personalized treatments will be available. I am not convinced that they will cost less though. After all part of what is making today’s pharmaceuticals (for example) even marginally affordable is that they are produced in bulk. If drugs are individualized–one-off deals–it follows that they will not be produced in bulk and may thus be far more expensive. I think it is thus at least as likely that we may be headed for an era where the rich get effective, personalized and very expensive treatments while the rest of us get .. the rest.
Regards,
Inna
Resounding Glass | Apr 15, 2009 | Reply
Interesting article. I would have thought they would have already known this as in general no two people are alike and certain medicines don’t work on certain people.
Thanks for sharing,
-Resounding Glass
Kate Smedley | Apr 15, 2009 | Reply
Very interesting article raising some interesting points. Inna’s comment is also interesting. It’s different in the UK fortunately.
Ruby Hawk | Apr 15, 2009 | Reply
Inna, you might be right but I certainly hope not, as high as medicine is now we just can not pay much more.I for one wish we had national medicine like Canada or England.
MMV Abad | Apr 19, 2009 | Reply
Well I guess… that’s why we have doctors, correct? They are the experts with these matter. Interesting. Thanks Ruby.
Melody Arcamo Lagrimas | Apr 22, 2009 | Reply
Very interesting…and you have presented great points and insights.
CutestPrincess | Apr 23, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for posting this article. It is awesome.