WBUR posts on coumadin and Personalized Medicine!

Despite the heavy Boston accent,

On WBUR Carol's worries regarding Coumadin and Personalized Medicine hit home to millions of patients everywhere. This is an excellent example of the press' coverage of my specialty. Dr Sam Goldhaber a physician at Mass General talks about the promise of pharmacogenomic testing in blood thinning and avoidance of its horrible side effects.

Lastly they interview the Pope of Personalized Medicine

Francis says "Is this the scenario we want personalized medicine to enter?"
"The public thinks that this is snake oil (i.e. Direct to consumer testing and nutrigenomics)"

In addition Dr Collins talks again about the 2 Betty's and the potential to miss diagnose and have horrific outcomes.

The Sherpa Says: "Save Betty!!!" We must take the time to educate everyone about the promise and pitfalls of personalized medicine. In My Humble Opinion, the only thing to move physcians will be the slew of lawsuits that happen after we publicize our great outcomes at Helix Health of Connecticut.

Gene Doping in Athletes

This week in EMBO reports (European Molecular Biology Organization) the dreaded issue of gene doping rears its ugly head. Normally I only report on genetics pertinent to your health. However this raises special interest for me. I was a college athlete and am fascinated by the extremes to which we would go to shave off that 0.5 second. This article raises significant questions about using gene therapy to enhance performance. Where will we stop, what line will be drawn? Gene therapy to cure disease....Why isn't weakness a disease? What about poor vision? We allow athletes to have LASIK, why not gene therapy? The danger is gene overdose. Once introduced into the body we have very poor mechanisms to control expression. But for that extra 0.5 seconds is it worth it? What about for those extra 200 points on the SAT?

The natural extension for these test yourself companies is now treat yourself. Are you a 100lb weakling? What about being predisposed to obesity? Treat yourself. Would you?