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No science background? Don’t worry. There’s probably a summer DNA camp near you, or an educational experience in learning about DNA now available to the average consumer and nutritionists interested in finding out how scientists tailor diets, medicines, and lifestyles to someone's genetic expression.
It's best to have your entire genome tested, when it becomes affordable, before you know for sure how your genetic signature reacts to foods, supplements, skin-care products, anesthesia, and medicines. Summer DNA camps can do wonders not only for students, but for entire families participating together in learning in plain language the basic facts for beginners about nutrigenomics, pharmacogenomics, and how to tailor your meals to your body at the molecular as well as metabolic levels.
Additionally, you can learn something about nutrition and how it connects to DNA-driven genealogy and family medical histories from generation to generation by making genograms (family medical histories) and nutritional, traditional food customs journals. You also learn a bit about genetic testing techniques and what genetic counselors actually do on the job, including how they work with nutritionists.
But in the meantime, rather than just test snippets of DNA and try to match them to diets, educators, scientists, and multimedia producers have teamed up to teach you the wonders of DNA, your genes and your lifestyle. How do you know the person responding is giving you a responsible answer?Should you attend scientific conventions or DNA camps as a way of getting your questions answered? How would you like to start a science camp for families?
Who has the time and willingness to answer your questions? And is the person really an expert in the branch of science you need? You can turn to medical journals, science news, or, if you're a student meeting qualifications, summer DNA camps.
How about an entire family participating in activities to learn about what testing your entire genome, when it becomes affordable, can do to help you tailor your food, medicines, and lifestyle to your genetic expression/genetic signature?
Here are some activities to consider:
• Discoveries are published monthly in recognized scientific journals found in local medical school libraries open to the public. Only a few consumers ever look at them, and still fewer physicians. Doctors are busy with so many patients and paperwork or bureaucracy. Consumers may not know information is accessible to them. And few can keep up with the proliferation of material in science publications.
• For information, resources, the research network, and references on pharmacogenetics (education) see the Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics Knowledge Base. As far as education, the Web site features links and articles on the following subjects: What is Pharmacogenetics? Asthma Case Study, CYP2D6 Case Study, The National Institutes of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), Medicines For You, Minority Pharmacogenomics, The Importance of Genetic Variation in Drug Development, Publications, and News Clippings.
• View the Dolan DNA Learning Center. The Dolan DNA Learning Center at Cold Spring Harbor is entirely devoted to public genetics education. The gene almanac is an online resource that provides timely information about genes in education. The Dolan DNA Learning Center is the world's first science museum and educational facility promoting DNA literacy.
• Dolan’s Saturday DNA program is designed to offer children, teens and adults the opportunity to perform hands-on DNA experiments and learn about the latest developments in the biological sciences.
• See how to participate in student “DNA Camps." Student summer day camps have fun with DNA and enzymes and study DNA science or genetic biology. Students and high-school teachers can participate.
Become involved in learning more on these topics. There also is a need to start life-long learning intergenerational DNA day camps that would include senior citizens or any-age retirees with time free to work or volunteer, participate, or enjoy life-long learning.
Summer camps for studying these subjects could also incluce familes, facilitators, and teachers. People could participate in groups to learn together how our genes respond to food and how to tailor food and medicines to our genomes. All this will become possible when entire genome testing becomes affordable.
The student summer day camp workshops feature such wonderful learning experiences as the genomic biology and PCR workshop. This new workshop is based on lab and computer technology developed at the DNA Learning Center.
The workshop focuses on the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to analyze the genetic complement (genome) of humans and plants. DNA educational centers bridge gaps between scientists and communicators. Such educational centers also are of interest to nutritionists and medical journalists studying or observing how people respond to food and medicines on the molecular level.
Everyone else will go online to find numerous companies marketing various DNA tests or kits. Some of these genetic tests are to find out how your body reacts to various dosages of drugs or even foods and skin products. How do you tailor your medicines, foods, exercise, activities, cosmetics, anesthetics, dosages, or lifestyles to your genetic signature?
You really need to test a person's entire genome to find out how many inherited risks some may have. It's a matter of time before the entire genome tests become affordable. But how much time?
Meanwhile, can you find out by genetic tests which type of dental anesthesia you can tolerate and which you’re type makes you feel jittery or convulsive? What about tests to find out how your hair tint affects your heart beat? What kinds of tests are out there? You’ll need a consumer’s guide to genetic testing kits.
Research the various companies online and the studies that include side effects of whatever product or medicine you think you might have to use. Your goal is to safely tailor your environment and lifestyle to your genetic expression or signature. Ask questions of experts on the specific issue you want to understand.
Consumer’s Guide to Genetic Testing for Food or Medicines
Your DNA, including your ancient ancestry and ethnicity has a lot to do with how your body responds to food, medicine, illness, exercise, and lifestyle, but just how much? And how do you know which DNA kits and gene testing are reliable and recognized?
Learning about DNA to understand and improve your health is now interactive. It's available to the average consumer. You really need to have your entire genome tested to find out what diseases you might be at risk for, and then again, lifestyle and diet often can override certain gene variations that predispose you to chronic diseases.
DNA research information is no longer limited to students and teachers, but to anyone else. In the last few years genealogy buffs, parents, and anyone interested in DNA without a science background took an interest in DNA tests rests that reveal deep maternal and paternal ancestry. That field is called DNA-driven genealogy.
Nutrigenomics deals with how the human genome (or any other species) responds to nutrition. Pharmacogenomics studies the way your genes respond to medicines. For example, some people respond in different ways to dental anasthesia.
Currently consumers with little or no science background are interested in learning about drug metabolism which is known as pharmacogenetics. Referring to the whole human genome that science related to linking pharmacy with genetics is called pharmacogenomics.
How your body metabolizes medicine is as important as how your body metabolizes food. Nutrigenomics is about how your genes respond to food and how to tailor what you eat to your DNA. Consumer DNA interest ranges from forensics and anthropology to nutrition, caregiving, family scrapbooking and healthcare knowledge.
Nurses are becoming more interested in DNA.The DNA consumer revolution began when media broadcasts revealed to the public that fast computers had revealed the human gene code. Once more TV opened doors. Suddenly, a gap between science and consumers had to be bridged by available interactive education.
A proliferation of products relating to DNA emerged. The internet shows DNA summer day camps for students and teachers. DNA testing companies and books emerged geared to the average consumer.
Genealogists tried to interpret DNA for ancestry. People left other non-science-related businesses to open up DNA testing companies for ancestry research, contracting out to university research laboratories to do the DNA testing. Again, opportunities opened doors to the public.
Nutrigenomics product marketers sought those who wanted a diet tailored to their genetic signature. Pharmacogenetics reports customized medicines in order to prevent adverse drug reactions.
Pharmacogenomics studies the entire genome in relation to chemicals and drugs, whereas pharmacogenetics researches specific genes and markers to look for adverse drug reactions for individual clients or patients. DNA testing products emerged offering to tailor skin care products such as creams and cosmetics to your individual genetic signature.
If you’ve had an interest in learning about how to interpret your DNA test results for ancestry, you now can see the links to understanding how to tailor your food, lifestyle, exercise, medicines, supplements, and skin care products—in fact numerous environmental chemicals--to your genetic expression.
It’s not only about food anymore or ancestry alone, or medicine. DNA testing also is about kits sent to you directly or to your physician. It’s about tailoring to your DNA skin products, cosmetics and anything you put into or on your body that gets absorbed. It’s about what chemicals are in your water and home-grown vegetables.
What’s left? Physicians and genetic research scientists need to talk more to each other because most family doctors don’t have time to read the proliferation of publications reporting new advances in genetics or other areas of science that directly affect consumers.
It looks like it’s the consumer’s job to bring people together through the media and through consumer’s watchdog organizations, professional associations, and support groups. Key words: action and public education about DNA through multimedia and consumer involvement. Look for activities in which to become involved. And also see the DNA Interactive site.
You need to know that it's better to test your entire genome, when testing becomes affordable. With the big picture in front of you, it's easier to tailor your foods, medicines and lifestyles to your individual genetic expression and signature. Numerous companies test snippets of genes.
Some DNA testing companies that are online test for reactions to medicines or foods, such as the speed at which your body metabolizes anesthetic. Can you trust what you read online when so many unscreened and diverse opinions are there? How do you find an expert willing to answer specific questions?
Find out how reliable tests are compared to testing the entire genome where you see how your body actually works--if the test is interpreted to you in plain language with suggestions on how to override any gene variants you want to override with diet and lifestyle.
For more info: browse my books, How Nutrigenomics Fights Childhood Type 2 Diabetes & Weight Issues (2009) or Predictive Medicine for Rookies (2005). Or see my books, How to Safely Tailor Your Foods, Medicines, & Cosmetics to Your Genes (2003) or How to Interpret Family History & Ancestry DNA Test Results for Beginners (2004) or How to Open DNA-driven Genealogy Reporting & Interpreting Businesses. (2007). Check out my free audio lecture on Internet Archive, How nutrigenomics fights childhood type 2 diabetes & weight issues.
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