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Genetic Testing
You're better off weathering an actual doctor's office.
As the population dwindles, so does their support, according to a new campaign.
With the help of citizen scientists, genetic testing can offer a powerful approach to righting environmental wrongs. Combining crowd-sourced scientific data, public policy reform and consumer activism is already showing positive results. The same approach could work in areas such as testing for antibiotics, pesticide and mercury residues and more.
In 2017, no Canadian would accept discrimination based on such genetically determined factors as sex or skin colour. As a matter of principle and common sense, MPs from all parties should unite to pass Bill S-201, which will make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of one's genes.
I may not have the mutated gene, and I may not be in the high risk group, but I am a woman who is looking to avoid a silent killer. While medicine today may not share my thoughts, something tells me that in 20 years from now, removing your ovaries will become a common procedure among women over 40.
There's one thing in common between the eating habits of our ancestors: no one counted carbs or fat. They simply ate the foods that were natural to their environment and experienced remarkable health. Living under these conditions for thousands of years led to genetic changes in each group that were then passed on to you and I.
The genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 (aka the breast cancer genes) have made headlines over the past few years with the help of some major celebrities. All of that attention has doubled the number of referrals to cancer genetics in Canadian hospitals such as Sunnybrook.
As a genetics counsellor, one of the most frequently asked questions I hear is, "Can I have a genetic test to see if I am predisposed to cancer?" The short answer: maybe.
"When I saw with my own eyes... her sweet face on that ugly banner, it broke my heart."
