For all people, our DNA is 99.9% the same.(1) However, that 0.1% can make a big difference in how our bodies respond to medications. Traditional prescribing practices use a once size fits all approach most of the time. What if you could have a more precise approach?

With precision medicine and pharmacogenomics, you get just that. I can help you understand your DNA and how it affects your body's response to different medications. I can help you and your physician know which medications are likely to not work for you or cause unwanted side effects. Then after we have reviewed your DNA, I can help you manage all your medications. Together, we can determine if you're having side effects from your drug combinations, explore if there are some medications we can discuss with your physician about discontinuing, and much more.

Take control of your health and learn about your DNA today!

Contact me to find out more. Available to patients located in Kentucky and Indiana.

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK20363/

What is pharmacogenomics? 

Pharmacogenomics (sometimes called pharmacogenetics) is a field of research that studies how a person’s genes affect how he or she responds to medications. Its long-term goal is to help doctors select the drugs and doses best suited for each person. It is part of the field of precision medicine, which aims to treat each patient individually. 

What role do genes play in how medicines work? 

Just as our genes determine our hair and eye color, they partly affect how our bodies respond to medicine. Genes are instructions, written in DNA, for building protein molecules. Different people can have different versions of the same gene. Each version has a slightly different DNA sequence. Some of these variants are common, and some are rare. And some affect health, such as those gene variants linked to certain diseases. Scientists know that certain proteins affect how drugs work. Pharmacogenomics looks at variations in genes for these proteins. Such proteins include liver enzymes that chemically change drugs. Sometimes chemical changes can make the drugs more—or less—active in the body. Even small differences in the genes for these liver enzymes can have a big impact on a drug’s safety or effectiveness. 

https://nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/pharmacogenomics.aspx

What is precision medicine?

According to the Precision Medicine Initiative, precision medicine is "an emerging approach for disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle for each person." This approach will allow doctors and researchers to predict more accurately which treatment and prevention strategies for a particular disease will work in which groups of people. It is in contrast to a one-size-fits-all approach, in which disease treatment and prevention strategies are developed for the average person, with less consideration for the differences between individuals.

Although the term "precision medicine" is relatively new, the concept has been a part of healthcare for many years. For example, a person who needs a blood transfusion is not given blood from a randomly selected donor; instead, the donor’s blood type is matched to the recipient to reduce the risk of complications. Although examples can be found in several areas of medicine, the role of precision medicine in day-to-day healthcare is relatively limited. Researchers hope that this approach will expand to many areas of health and healthcare in coming years.

https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/precisionmedicine/definition/