Why not gift yourself with gene test this Christmas?

A Genetic test is a medical procedure that looks at a person’s genetic material and may be used to help a person know if he or she has genetic diseases or is at increased risk for some medical problems.

While this concept of gene testing is often met with fear and apprehension, a number of experts believe it should be welcomed with the kind of fervor and enthusiasm from anybody who wants to understand his/her health’s predisposition.

“Why wait for a health issue to strike when you can prevent it so you can enjoy life better? Your gene test should be able to guide you on how to live your life so those health issues that you are likely to have will not manifest and [so you can] preempt them with proper health maintenance courtesy of a specifically tailored health program that suits your body,” said Dr. Ben Valdecañas, medical director of LifeScience Center for Wellness and Preventive Medicine.

A pioneer in preventive care and customized health management in the country, LifeScience Center for Wellness and Preventive Medicine believes that gene testing is one of the steps that one can take to become fully equipped with information about one’s self.

More accessible

LifeScience Center for Wellness and Preventive Medicine announced that it has made gene testing more accessible by making it available in its center at Bonifacio Global City (8th floor of AccraLaw Tower at the corner 2nd Avenue and 30th Street).

Valdecañas said: “We are encouraging Filipinos to start thinking of wellness from the perspective of prevention. Our goal here is not to make you live to a hundred but to ensure that you are able to live quality life, one that you are able to enjoy even as the years are starting to add up.” He added that gene testing will give one a glimpse of what could strike even before it does.

The process of gene testing is painless and simple. Valdecañas explained:  “All it takes is a painless buccal swab that scrapes tissues from inside the cheeks. From there, these samples are sent to LifeScience’s partner laboratory in Germany with a return date of six to eight weeks complete with charts of measured health risks.”

Any age

According to Valdecañas, the test is available as well as suitable for everyone of every age. He explained that young ones can make good use of gene testing so that they can move on with their formative years understanding the benefits of a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

He said: “Likewise, adults in their 20s to their 40s can be made aware of potential health risks looming in their futures through gene testing so they can make the proper adjustments that will benefit their health and outlook in life. Its only objective is to provide you with the proper blueprint to ensure that you understand your health at the kind of level you normally wouldn’t be able to understand under different circumstances.”

However, although genetic testing can provide important information for diagnosing, treating and preventing illness, other experts reminded that there are limitations. If you are a healthy person, a positive result from genetic testing doesn’t always mean you will develop a disease.

On the other hand, in some situations, a negative result doesn’t guarantee that you won’t have a certain disorder.