A gene chip to test how people will react to drugs for illnesses such as depression and cardiovascular disease is on its way. The gene chip will look for variations in genes that play a role in metabolizing about one-quarter of drugs on the market.
It is hoped that the test will allow drug use to become more targeted, therefore reducing the number of adverse drug reactions as well as health care costs. Currently, a drug may produce a negative reaction in one person while having no effect on another. By studying a person’s genetic makeup it may be possible to determine whether a person would benefit from a drug or have a negative reaction.
There are decades of exploration ahead to understand the genetic landscape and its potential for new modes of disease therapy. Early benefits will be designer drugs that fight disease based on interrupting genetic-controlled metabolic pathways.
Although a test to determine whether you will have an adverse drug reaction--these cause about 100,000 deaths in the United States each year--could save some lives, the important message here is how to keep yourself healthy and avoid drugs in the first place. Drugs often do more harm than good, and as the article points out, whether a prescription helps you or harms you is often hit or miss.
To find out the basic health principles that will optimize your health check out my new book The No-Grain Diet. It is packed with advice on how to use nutrition to promote your health, rather than harm it, as well as how to deal with emotional stress. My nutrition plan is also a great place to look for some valuable health guidelines.
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