You Can’t Trust the Patient With Their Own Results?

While researching for a presentation that I got roped into, at a local mental health organization, I was reading about “neuropsychiatric pharmacogenomics.”

Which is a splendidly gobbledygook-ish term for using analysis of a persons genes/DNA to help select the best medicine for them (which is what pharmacogenomics is).

“Neuropsychiatric” just refers to the type of med’s used to straiten out a persons contorted, distorted, mental state when needed - antidepressants, antipsychotics, tranquilizers (which we should call anxiolytics as we’re not talking about wild animals). All that stuff.

Using a scientific analysis, instead of that pig-in-a-poke business of trying one medicine, then another, in the hope of happening across the right one.

http://managingyourdoctor.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/dna.jpg?w=1462Various companies have come up with pharmacogenomics tests that your doctor can order. But the company Kailos (which one report says means “well being” in Greek, but Google translates as “sexual excitement”) has come up with the Praxis test that will tell a person how they will respond to certain medicines – like proton pump inhibitors, antidepressants, oral contraceptives and more.

The benefit of this over many others is that the patient can order this test for themselves. But – and, as an advocate of people being in control of their own healthcare, this is a big but – you have to get your doctors OK to get the results.

“Consumers can order testing without a doctor's prescription” notes the information about Praxis. But “in order to view and interpret their test results, they will need their doctor's permission.”

Their justification? " Your test could uncover a serious medical risk, and your doctor is the best person to discuss your options with you."

You presumably cannot be trusted to seek out your doctor’s input if you want help interpreting or to know if there is a serious health risk?

 

1 Response

  1. This is not surprising. Even tho I have a Masters Degree and am a licensed professional women I have been talked down to by doctors that seemed to believe I was incapable of any intelligent thoughts or knowledge.

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