Genetic Testing - How It Can Predict Your Future Health

Getting genetic testing, can unlock what your future health conditions may be, but before you decide to decode your genomes it is important that you consider the benefits and risks. In the following article we will discuss the benefits and cons of genetic testing, and how you can safeguard your privacy rights as a patient.

Researchers also are concerned that people who are found to have genetic alterations that increase disease risk may face job and insurance discrimination. Testing positive could also lead to unnecessary radical treatment. As well, a seemingly hopeless diagnosis could result in depression or withdrawal from life when a cure is out of reach.

In the final analysis, would you rather know if you were at risk for a specific disease that a genetic test could point out? If so, ask your physician about the possibility and wisdom of testing you for the genetically linked diseases in your family tree. In this way, you can identify and avoid the controllable risk factors that would contribute to development of genetically linked diseases present in your family.

Genetic testing for disease susceptibility will be more common in the future as the genes that increase risk for various diseases are isolated and deciphered. Sometimes organs within a system can serve another system. For example, the basic function of the digestive system is to convert the food we eat into absorb able nutrients. At the same time, the digestive system serves the immune system by preventing dangerous pathogens from invading the body and causing illness. As you study nutrition, you will note the multiple roles played by many organs.

So naturally the question is would it be more beneficial to get genetically tested and find out your risk factors or avoid genetic testing due to health insurance reasons or negative repercussions over being tested. The obvious answer would be that if you can have an insight into your healths, than the benefits far outweigh the risks, and in the United States there are plenty of laws that protect patient's rights. Additionally, there are now do it yourself kits available at your local pharmacy that you can send of your sample to get genetically decoded and viewable online anonymously. So, if you are afraid that your data might be leaked to your insurance company, or you do not want to have any record of getting genetic testing this is also a very viable option.

Whatever your choice, the benefits today with genetic testing are highly beneficial to anyone's health, however you should remember that they only serve as genetic markers, meaning that just because you have a high likelihood of suffering a disease it doesn't mean you will. One of the biggest obstacles many doctors face today comes from patients treating themselves- i.e. they go online and try to diagnose their illnesses and can do more harm than good. The opportunity for a patient to have access to such vast genetic testing information, can actually be not good for your health, if you do not discuss those results with a medical professional, and instead try to self diagnose or worse cure your ailments, that you may never get. For these reasons, it is highly suggested that even if you opt to get a do it yourself genetic testing done, that you consult with your doctor about the testing results and do not take your health into your own hands.