By: Dr. Ramesh Hariharan, Director and CEO, Strand Life Sciences
For years, wellness has been defined by what we can measure: 10,000 steps a day, calories burned, hours of sleep or time spent exercising. But as healthcare becomes more personalised, the meaning of being proactive about health is also changing.
The next wellness goal may not be another number on a smartwatch. It could be understanding your health risks early enough to make informed decisions.
Here are five ways in which preventative healthcare is changing:
1. Knowing your family history has value, but not the whole story
A family history can provide valuable context to an individual’s health needs, however this may only tell part of the story. An individual may not have had previous blood tests, or know the health history of extended family members going back generations.
Genomic information builds upon this by providing additional information about a person’s genetic risks and predispositions, and can assist in supporting discussions around screening, prevention and management of health issues. It’s important to note that having a genetic predisposition does not guarantee an individual will experience health problems, but can provide valuable context to discussion about a person’s health with medical professionals.
2. Feeling healthy is one thing, but risk can lurk below the surface
Staying physically active, as well as eating well and living a relatively healthy lifestyle are important, but there are additional health risks lurking beneath the surface. A focus on preventative healthcare means looking at ways to understand a person’s risk prior to symptoms even presenting themselves. This can allow people and their medical professionals to have more informed discussions about screening, prevention and management of potential health concerns.
While having a family history can help to understand potential risks, the ability to include additional risk factors based on genetic information, where relevant, can provide additional insight that may not have otherwise been apparent.
3. Personalised healthcare is about more than just a one size fits all approach
A similar diet or lifestyle may affect two people in completely different ways. Genes play a role in how our bodies respond to the world around us, including potential health concerns, medications, and even exercise. The rise of genomics in healthcare means looking at preventative healthcare in a more personal way to understand individual risks and concerns. With regards to consumer healthcare, this means a shift from “what affects everybody”, to thinking about “what might affect me”.
4. Medication can affect everybody differently
Not only can genomics help to understand why an individual may be at a higher risk of certain health concerns, but also why two people may react differently to a medication. Pharmacogenomics looks at the relationship between an individual’s genetic information and their response to prescription drugs. This information can be useful in making recommendations with regards to screening, prevention, and even medication, where relevant and appropriate. An individual’s genetic information should never be used to make medication decisions, however it can help to inform those decisions alongside a medical professional.
5. Understanding the value of the information, and knowing what to do with it
Knowing you may be at a higher genetic risk for something is only valuable to a point – the important part is being able to use this information to make informed decisions about your health and wellbeing
This might involve making more informed choices about conversations to have with medical professionals, understanding what preventative screening and testing might be right for you, or even using this information to make decisions about family planning.
There is a shift towards being more proactive about our health, rather than waiting for something to go wrong. Genomic screening is not a replacement for an active lifestyle or healthy diet, or regular medical checkups and screenings, as a tool for making decisions about managing our health and wellbeing. However, it can provide additional information that may help to inform those choices, where appropriate. The next version of a wellness program may be less about hitting 10,000 steps a day, and more about understanding your genetic risks and being more proactive about making informed healthcare decisions.