About YOU! DNA Testing

Testing – How Valuable Is It?

VERY Valuable!

There are some types of Testing, which I believe to be very valuable – both in IBD disease management, and in IBD disease diagnosis, and I will go over those types of tests here, and will share with you which tests I’ve done and why.

These tests are:

1) Genetic Risk, Carrier Risk, Drug Response Testing

This type of Testing, which is cutting-edge, may even be labelled “designer testing”, and heretofore was so expensive that it made it out of reach for most of us, but now has become “within reach”, is affordable, and I believe important since it can yield such important information. This Testing is done through 23andMe

(see below).

Unfortunately, having IBD, UC, Crohn’s – these Auto-Immune Diseases puts you at risk for getting other types of Auto-Immune Diseases.

I can tell you that from my own personal experience, about 6 years ago I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidsm (an AutoImmune Disorder) which I believe I had been suffering from and had gone undiagnosed for nearly a decade.

Within several years of getting that diagnosis, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (another AutoImmune Disorder), and looking back now, I realize that the pattern of pains – finally diagnosed as Fibromyalgia (which I consider an AutoImmune Disease, although it’s not been recognized as such) I had been suffering from also for more than a decade prior to the UC diagnosis – well, it’s the typical AutoImmune Disease “cluster” that we addressed in an earlier Update ( # 26), and perhaps if this Testing by 23andMe had been available back a decade ago, I would have been more prepared for the UC diagnosis.

Unfortunately, most doctors are not trained to recognize and anticipate these types of “cluster AutoImmune Diseases” because they only address one symptom and don’t look at “the whole of you”. Please don’t wait in silence, suffer with your symptoms, and certainly, don’t allow a doctor to tell you that “it’s just all in your head”. Become proactive by becoming informed.

As we’ve discussed in earlier updates, it’s important to understand “The Common Thread”, as explained herewith:

The Common Thread, by Noel R. Rose, M.D., Ph.D

Noel R. Rose, M.D., Ph.D. Chairman Emeritus, AARDA National Scientific Advisory Board; Professor of Pathology and of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology; Director, Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Bloomberg School of Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD “… if you have a genetic predisposition to autoimmunity, you may have twice or five times as much chance of developing autoimmunity as someone else–not 100 times, but not zero. So genetics plays an important role…”

So, what if you could get tested for diseases and conditions?

23andMe has made it easy to get tested for a complement of Autoimmune Diseases, your genetic risk, your carrier risk, and your drug response.

And there’s no blood involved, 23andMe will send you a spit kit.

This 23andMe testing package used to be available at $399., now it’s being made available at a price of $199.

Click on the link here to find out more.

*Please NOTE this Disclaimer:

“23andMe no longer offers health-related genetic reports to new customers in the US”.

So here’s what you get:

Health Reports: Complete List*

The 23andMe service includes genetic analysis on all of the following diseases and conditions. This list grows every month as new research is published.

Knowing your health risks will help you and your doctor figure out health areas to keep an eye on. about disease risks.

Why should you know your genetic risk?

Make better lifestyle choices.

On average, one person in five develops diabetes by age 79. Variations in your DNA tested for by 23andMe might raise your risk to one in three, making your lifestyle choices on factors like exercise and weight control even more critical.

Be on the lookout for common conditions.

Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss in the Western world among people over 60. By learning if your genes put you at increased risk for this condition, you can choose to go in for more frequent eye exams and take other measures to protect your sight.

Prepare for serious diseases.

Some inherited mutations greatly increase your likelihood of developing certain diseases later in life. For example, one rare mutation tested by 23andMe is associated with a nearly 60% lifetime risk of Parkinson’s disease.

See 23andMe health reports on 246 diseases and conditions.

Your disease risk is impacted by your genetics.

Learning your genetic risk for various diseases and conditions will allow you and your doctor to focus on the lifestyle changes and preventative steps that matter most for you.

State-of-the-art science at your fingertips.

23andMe scientists pore through the scientific and medical literature, gathering relevant information into one easy to read report.

* Established Research Reports

Established Research reports give you information about conditions and traits for which there are genetic associations supported by multiple, large, peer-reviewed studies. Because these associations are widely regarded as reliable, we use them to develop quantitative estimates and explanations of what they mean for you.

Preliminary Research Reports

Preliminary Research reports are based on peer-reviewed, published research where the findings still need to be confirmed by the scientific community. They also include topics where there may be contradictory evidence. Topics may move from Preliminary Research to Established Research when and if sufficient follow-up studies are performed. New discoveries in genetics are being published all the time and we strive to keep our customers updated with the latest information on genetics and health.

Learn if you carry inheritable disease markers.

You could be passing on more than you know.

Find out if your child will be at risk for 48 inherited conditions and learn about steps you can take. about carrier status.

23andMe can alert you to mutations in your DNA that could cause disease in your children. If you find that your children are at risk for an inherited condition, you can talk to a doctor or healthcare professional about what you can do.

Arm yourself with knowledge.

View reports by ethnicity

Carrier Status (48)

ARSACS *

Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum with Peripheral Neuropathy (ACCPN) *

Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency *

Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease *

BRCA Cancer Mutations (Selected) *

Beta Thalassemia *

Bloom’s Syndrome *

Canavan Disease *

Congenital Disorder of Glycosylation Type 1a (PMM2-CDG) *

Cystic Fibrosis *

D-Bifunctional Protein Deficiency *

DPD Deficiency *

Dihydrolipoamide Dehydrogenase Deficiency *

Factor XI Deficiency *

Familial Dysautonomia *

Familial Hypercholesterolemia Type B *

Familial Hyperinsulinism (ABCC8-related) *

Familial Mediterranean Fever *

Fanconi Anemia (FANCC-related) *

G6PD Deficiency *

GRACILE Syndrome *

Gaucher Disease *

Glycogen Storage Disease Type 1a *

Glycogen Storage Disease Type 1b *

Hemochromatosis (HFE-related) *

Hereditary Fructose Intolerance *

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (MYBPC3 25bp-deletion) *

Leigh Syndrome,

French Canadian Type (LSFC) *

Limb-girdle Muscular Dystrophy *

Maple Syrup Urine Disease Type 1B *

Medium-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase (MCAD) Deficiency *

Mucolipidosis IV *

Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (CLN5-related) *

Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (PPT1-related) *

Niemann-Pick Disease Type A *

Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome *

Pendred Syndrome *

Phenylketonuria *

Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 2 (PH2) *

Rhizomelic Chondrodysplasia Punctata Type 1 (RCDP1) * Salla Disease *

Sickle Cell Anemia & Malaria Resistance *

Tay-Sachs Disease *

Torsion Dystonia *

Tyrosinemia Type I *

Zellweger Syndrome Spectrum *

Personalize your healthcare by knowing in advance how you will respond to certain medications like Warfarin, and other drugs.

*Please NOTE this Disclaimer:

“23andMe no longer offers health-related genetic reports to new customers in the US”.

The genotyping services of 23andMe are performed in LabCorp’s CLIA-certified laboratory. The tests have not been cleared or approved by the FDA but have been analytically validated according to CLIA standards. The information on this page is intended for research and educational purposes only, and is not for diagnostic use.

How can you get tested through 23andMe?

There’s no blood involved, 23andMe will send you a spit kit. This 23andMe testing package used to be available at $399., now it’s being made available at a price of $199.

DNA Testing