Too Much Genetics and Health Knowledge
If you have fear of some pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it. If you can, there is no need to worry about it; if you cannot do anything, then there is also no need to worry.
With all the biotech advances that have been made, we now know much more about our personal health and potential causes of disease in our environment than ever before. Today’s world is knowledge based but sometimes that knowledge makes us a little less innocent and brings us a little more sorrow.
In the late 1970’s, the home pregnancy test became widely available to consumers. The tests are now so sensitive that pregnancies can be detected as early as 14 days from conception. Whereas women might not have been aware of being pregnant until the first signs of morning/pregnancy sickness around week six, now women are more aware than ever if they’ve suffered a miscarriage. The perceived increase in the rate of miscarriages is partially due to earlier pregnancy detection. (KITV, February 24, 2005) In an attempt to avoid such sadness, I personally do not consider using a home pregnancy test until I’ve gone two months without a period and have started experiencing other symptoms.
Then there’s avian influenza H5N1. Sitting here in Vietnam aka bird flu central, I am aware that public health officials are watching the evolution of a virus that has the potential to cause a worldwide influenza pandemic with a mortality rate exceeding anything we’ve seen before. On the other hand, how many other such viruses have we missed before we were able to conduct molecularly analyses? While it’s always good to be prepared for emergencies, the more uncertainty I read in the news, the more stressed out I feel even though I can do nothing about it.
Genetic testing is no different. Once our unique genetic susceptibilities to disease can be delineated, I imagine that we’re in for a lot of guilt. Knowing that I carry the gene for elevated blood pressure, I may no longer be able to eat my barbecue ribs with enjoyment. And maybe people won’t have much sympathy for me if I fall ill because I didn’t pay heed to what my genes told me I needed to do to maximize my health. I almost don’t want to know any more because it would be easier to plead ignorance.
As reader mdmhvonpa said, “Even if you were to do the wrong thing, it would have been so much less angsty since you wouldn’t know any better.”
Related Stories
POSTED IN: General Genetics and Health
.gif)
3 opinions for Too Much Genetics and Health Knowledge
Donna
May 26, 2005 at 10:41 pm
Interesting on the pregnancy tests. I have had two 6 weekish miscarriages, the first time I suspected I was pregnant, the second time I knew I was and was very upset to lose the baby–or was it even a baby? Blighted ovum are often miscarrried so that a woman who thinks she is late with her period may breathe a sigh of relief when it finally arrives two weeks later.
With my second daughter, I found out about her birth defect much later than most parents do, so I didn’t have the same decisions they did with regards to genetic testing and continuing the pregnancy. I was already 33 weeks so I just had to wait and see. And I think I preferred that. My daughter’s birth defect did initially carry the chance of genetic anomoly’s so severe it would result in a child who might not survive birth. I would really have a hard time carrying a pregnancy knowing the baby would die at birth.But I never had to make such a decision, I was forced to wait and see. And I when I see parents struggle with such decisions, I think I was better off.
Lei
May 27, 2005 at 12:23 am
Donna - I’m sorry you had to go through all that. One of the problems with having all these tests available now is that people think if someone decides NOT to be tested, s/he is being negligent. I think that’s why a lot of pregnant women get pressured into prenatal testing even though they’re not high risk.
Genetics and Health » Dr. Keith Grimaldi of Sciona Speaks Out on Nutrigenomics
Dec 19, 2006 at 11:05 am
[…] You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your ownsite. […]
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: