I was actually really excited when this was approved by the FDA because I think it allows for better and more accurate preventative medicine. Though there is no doctor or genetic counselor involved, I think its important to note that any positive results will lead to seeking medical advice because treatments or preventatives for these diseases are not just readily available to the public. It makes sense that the logical next step in the case of a positive test would be to seek medical advice, which is also what they are recommending. I also just like the idea of knowing more about my own personal genetic makeup.
One of my family friends who is a physician was actually telling me about this over winter break. She was very supportive of the test and liked the idea of the patients being able to identify their health risks and taking preventative measures to improve their health. Although I agree with the article's comparison of this technology to pregnancy tests and how we can assume that they might become similarly available. But, the whole idea of marketing this type of medical technology that could have serious implications for future medical care directly to people worries me because of the problems that we see with direct to consumer pharmaceutical marketing. Often times the drug information is very misleading and may cause people to demand treatment from their doctors just because of what they saw on tv. I think genetics are super cool and knowing about my genes is very attractive to me, but I don't think it would be bad to keep this somewhat regulated.
I was actually really excited when this was approved by the FDA because I think it allows for better and more accurate preventative medicine. Though there is no doctor or genetic counselor involved, I think its important to note that any positive results will lead to seeking medical advice because treatments or preventatives for these diseases are not just readily available to the public. It makes sense that the logical next step in the case of a positive test would be to seek medical advice, which is also what they are recommending. I also just like the idea of knowing more about my own personal genetic makeup.
ReplyDeleteOne of my family friends who is a physician was actually telling me about this over winter break. She was very supportive of the test and liked the idea of the patients being able to identify their health risks and taking preventative measures to improve their health. Although I agree with the article's comparison of this technology to pregnancy tests and how we can assume that they might become similarly available. But, the whole idea of marketing this type of medical technology that could have serious implications for future medical care directly to people worries me because of the problems that we see with direct to consumer pharmaceutical marketing. Often times the drug information is very misleading and may cause people to demand treatment from their doctors just because of what they saw on tv. I think genetics are super cool and knowing about my genes is very attractive to me, but I don't think it would be bad to keep this somewhat regulated.
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