A hallmark of naturopathic medicine is individualized care. It’s how we’re trained as NDs, and it’s integrated into everything we do.

We can think about genetics (your actual genes) and epigenetics (how your genes are influenced by your external environment), and then we can use genomics (how your genes interact with each other and are influenced by external factors) to allow us to take personalization to another level.

We’re not only looking at you as a whole person; we’re also analyzing your health at the most fundamental level—your DNA. This is precision medicine at its finest.

During a genomics consult, you as the patient are always front and center. Your genes can tell us so many things about what could happen, but by knowing what is actually happening with your health - your health context - we’re able to pinpoint how your genes can be playing into things.

As you probably already know, your genes are like your body’s instruction manual. They’re encoded in your cells, and they’re necessary for life as a human.

While you can’t change your genes, you can change the expression of your genes - this field of study is called epigenetics, and it’s part of how we work with genomics.

For example, if you have a certain genetic variant that puts you at higher risk for colon cancer, you can’t change the genetic code itself. But you can signal that your colon cells’ DNA should stay more tightly bound up to inhibit unnecessary replication, which can reduce the possibility that cancerous overgrowth happens.

Pretty cool, right?

Here’s how it works:

Genomics consults start by using the raw data from an at-home genetic test, such as 23andme, and feeding that into special software that allows in-depth analysis.

We look at not just one or two or ten genes, we look at several thousand of the most-studied genes and their variants. We can see where you have genetic variations and how these affect the various systems in your body as well as play into your health as a whole.

By analyzing genetic variations in a network context, we can modulate not just expression of the gene itself, but upstream and downstream targets as well, which can be much more powerful than playing with one gene in isolation.

For established patients at Dr. Katie Wellness Insights, your genomics consult looks like this:

Upload your raw genetic data
Complete short questionnaire
Schedule brief check-in call to discuss priorities
Dr. KC completes in-depth genomic analysis
Have genomics consult to discuss findings and recommendations

From there, you would continue with follow ups as needed.

For new patients, you would schedule an initial appointment followed by the above.

To learn more about how a genomics consult can support you, schedule a complimentary 10-minute exploratory call with Dr. KC.

schedule with dr. kc

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