The Results Are In!

Written by Sherri Damlo; published September 23, 2013

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail notifying me that my data had been tabulated and my results were now up on 23andMe. Admittedly, I was a smidgen nervous about what would come out of all of this. But, I'm also a curious creature and wanted to know. What did my genes say about me? My data were broken into ancestry and health overviews. At the time of the initial e-mail notification, only my health results were ready, but they were quickly followed 1 week later by an interesting look into my genetic roots. In the health overview, 23andMe listed my health risks, drug response, inherited conditions, and traits. I was scared, somewhat hesitant, but I did expect to see something mind blowing—I was realistic, of course, but I looked into the data to see pieces of a puzzle that made up who I was. Continue reading...

Personal Genomic Testing for the Consumer

Written by Sherri Damlo; published August 12, 2013

Last June I read a provocative book by cardiologist Eric Topol, MD, titled The Creative Destruction of Medicine, which had a profound effect on the way I view medicine and health care. I work on a number of continuing medical education projects, so it's refreshing to see that some of the topics presented in Dr. Topol's book, such as personalized medicine and point of care, are beginning to show up in the literature. Continue reading...