Gene Test: A glimpse of the true state of your well-being

MANILA, Philippines - Gene testing. The phrase, on its own, is chilling and foreboding on so many levels, striking a fearful chord in anybody who has to take it.

But that thought, like so many other misconceptions about gene testing, couldn’t be farther from the truth.

If pseudo mathematical equations can be used to describe gene testing, the simple mathematical equation should go like this: “gene + testing = good for you.”

As a once-in-a-lifetime test that reads your DNA and reveals your inherited health traits, gene testing also shows you the exact levels of risk that you have for certain diseases so you can prevent them from happening even before they take hold of you. The concept of gene testing is nothing to be feared. On the contrary, it should be welcomed by anyone who wants to understand his/her health predisposition.

Eschewing its relevancy is equally misplaced because at its core, gene testing allows a person to understand his/her health and carefully map out his/her health lifestyle in order to prevent health issues from arising.

Why wait for a health issue to strike when you can prevent it so you can enjoy life better?

That’s a question LifeScience is asking and, in its simplest sense, it’s one that highlights the tenet “prevention is better than cure.” Gene testing is one of the steps that one can take to become fully equipped with information about himself.

“Your gene test should be able to guide you on how to live your life so those health issues that you are likely to have will not manifest and you will be able to preempt them with proper health and maintenance courtesy of a specifically-tailored health-program that suits your body,” says Dr. Ben Valdecanas, medical director of LifeScience Center for Wellness and Preventive Medicine. “One of its most important characteristics is its capability to accurately reveal all the actual diseases that your genes carry, as well as the genetic mutations that your predecessors have passed on to you.”

LifeScience has made gene testing more accessible by making it available at its Center for those actively pursuing a healthy lifestyle that is backed by medical evidence. It’s one thing to be diagnosed by a doctor with a certain illness when it’s already inside the body. It’s another thing to know what could strike even before it does. Gene testing does not only give you a glimpse of the health issues that you are most likely to catch but also how well your body will respond to medication as well as how you can modify your lifestyle that is best suited for you.

“We are encouraging Filipinos to start thinking of wellness from the perspective of prevention. Our goal at LifeScience is not to make you live to a hundred but to ensure that you are able to live quality life, one that you are able to enjoy even as the years are starting to add up,” adds Valdecanas.

The process is as painless as it is simple to do. All it takes is a painless buccal swab that scrapes tissues from inside the cheeks. From there, these samples are sent to LifeScience’s partner laboratory in Germany with a return date of six to eight weeks, complete with charts of measured health risks.

Whether you’re young and just beginning your life or you’re late into your age enjoying the spoils of your hard-earned life, gene testing is available — and more importantly, suitable — for everyone of every age. Young ones can make good use of gene testing so that they can move on with their formative years, understanding the benefits of a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. Likewise, adults in their 20s to their 40s can be made aware of potential health risks looming ahead through gene testing so they can make the proper adjustments that will benefit their health and outlook in life.

More information on Gene Test and LifeScience Center for Wellness and Preventive Medicine is available at lifescience.ph. LifeScience is located at the 8th floor, AccraLaw Tower, corner 2nd Avenue and 30th Street, Bonifacio Global City with telephone number 828-5433 and mobile number 09175735433.