Personalized Genetic Medicine
“I didn’t know it, but for most of my practice I had been waiting for the moment I was introduced to genetic science and testing.”
Dr. Sima Aidun, NMD
Something was Missing
For many years as a naturopathic doctor, I was keenly aware that there was something lacking in the medical field’s ability to accurately diagnose and treat our patients as unique individuals with differing health concerns and varying responses to treatment.
Before genetic testing was available to physicians like myself, most of what we could offer our patients were “educated guesses” and to some extent one-size-fits-all remedies, hoping something would be effective.
Now that we have incorporated personalized medicine through genetic testing into our practice, it feels antiquated to manage patients’ care without this genetic information.
My True Passion
Genetic testing has created an exciting movement with my patients who are active participants in understanding their own body’s strengths and weaknesses at the cell level and working together to figure out how to overcome them.
The genetic informations gives us the 3 important components that have always been the hallmark of my approach: Solution, Education and Empowerment.
Now, this is my true passion: the diagnosis and treatment of patients based on information that is unique to them and will never change. This information allows us to create a precise road map of diagnosis, lifestyle recommendations, clinical supplementation or replacement therapy by combining information from the genetic health of each cell with the patient’s medical history and lab results.
This is now my true calling.
Dr. Sima Aidun, N.M.D.
Pro 7 Comprehensive Panel
The Pro 7 Comprehensive Panel analyzes close to 60 genes in the following areas of health, hand selected by our experts, and provides you with nutritional recommendations and health information based on scientific validation of your specific needs in these key areas:
- Inflammation
- Neurotransmitters
- Detoxification
- Mitochondria
- Methylation
When I met Dr. Aidun I was very sick. No matter which doctor I saw I couldn’t find answers or clarification on how to improve my situation.
With Dr. Aidun it was amazing to have somebody who cared that much about explaining to me what my lab and genetic test results meant.
I am now relatively healthy and would have never known how to resolve my issues without genetic testing. It’s amazing what we’ve been able to accomplish!
Sally’s Story in Her Own Words
The Pro 7 Panel Analyzes These Areas of Your Health
Inflammation
For as long as I have been practicing medicine, inflammation has consistently frustrated and confused patients, and been a topic of great interest in the scientific community.
Medical researchers and scientists knew inflammation was not only the underlying cause of many chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, aging brain, and cancer, but also a reason for us not feeling and functioning our best even when we had no apparent “identifiable disease.”
Additionally, the medical community did not know the exact cause of inflammation nor why it caused wildly different reactions in each of us.
Some patients would have a highly unpleasant reaction to the virus or bacteria for a few weeks, while others would recover in 24 hours.
Neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters are chemicals produced in the brain that insure proper mood, movement, and senses. These chemicals include serotonin, dopamine, gaba, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.
Through our genetic testing profile, we will discover your body’s ability to make these various neurotransmitters. If there is a genetic mutation in an enzyme producing any of those chemicals, any mood changes, sleep disorder, focus and attention issues, and movement you might be experiencing could be due to that mutation.
Detoxification
We hear a lot these days about the toxins in our body and how important it is to detoxify ourselves. Multiple products promising to “cleanse” our system of toxins claim to do the job for us.
But the truth is much more complex.
Mitochondria
Mitochondria are often called the powerhouse of the cell – and for good reason!
Found in the cells of every complex organisms, mitochondria turn the sugars, fats and proteins we eat into forms of chemical energy that the body uses to carry on living.
Since they produce about 90% of the chemical energy cells need to survive, you can see just how important they are. No energy; no life!
Methylation
As individuals who desire to live a long, healthy and vibrant life, my patients are always eager to educate themselves about new health topics such as methylation and autophagy among others.
Methylation is one of those key biochemical processes that is only recently becoming known among the general population.
Whether aware of it or not, methylation is happening in your body right now and is crucial to every functioning cell.
Why Pro 7?
Because all areas of genetic testing are interconnected with one another, a weakness or strength in any one area can positively or negatively affect other areas. This is why we take a holistic approach to genetic testing with the Pro 7 Panel, rather than testing just one area of concern.
Let's Talk
To discover your path to wellness and schedule a health assessment, give us a call at (480) 451-1602.
A Complicated Case
Approximately five years ago, I was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, (PSP).
PSP is a very rare, but terminal condition and unfortunately with no known causes and no known treatment. PSP causes serious problems with memory-dementia, forgetfulness, walking/balance difficulty and problems with falling, eye movement and vision issues, severe sleep disturbance, depression and anxiety, lack of motivation and, later on, problems with swallowing. I have all of these conditions except difficulty swallowing. Unfortunately, I was forced to quit my professional work because of these issues. The life expectancy with PSP is reduced to six to nine years, and the average is seven years.
Fortunately, just about the same time as my diagnosis, I was referred to Dr Sima Aidun. She recommended genetic and other testing. The results were astounding and very important to me. I feel blessed.
We discovered I have a severe homozygous defect of autophagy. Autophagy is the natural ability of the cell, especially brain cells, to remove accumulated cellular debris. I also have a severe homozygous inability to absorb vitamin D into my cells. Previously I didn’t know that vitamin D is important for brain function–I thought vit. D was just good for bones! My testosterone and vitamin B12 levels were very low.
Dr Aidun recommended important changes for me. I now take mega doses of vitamins D and B12 and youthful doses of testosterone. Because of my defect in autophagy, Dr Aidun recommended fasting at least 12 hours per day as well as several supplements including glutathione suppositories to improve autophagy and detoxification. Dr Aidun also recommended ways to decrease my overall inflammation. She recommended avoiding inflammatory foods and additives while increasing my organic intake. Dr Aidun has my blood glucose under control; my HgbA1c dropped from 5.9 to 5.4 further reducing my inflammation. Dr Aidun also reduced my inflammation using pro-biotics.
Regarding my current state of PSP, I believe overall, the disease progress has slowed. The depression has improved dramatically. My memory problem seems not to be progressing. My eye problems seem about the same. Other issues seem to be worsening: the walking and balance and my insomnia is steady with increasing, but requiring doses of medications and supplements. I do not yet have problems with swallowing.
Again, the cause and treatment of PSP is unknown. But earlier cases of this rare disorder didn’t have the benefit of genetic testing or newer understanding of autophagy (a Nobel Prize winning discovery). My case may be an exception, serendipity perhaps? Maybe Dr. Aidun has stumbled on at least a diagnosis/treatment regimen for PSP? Maybe my peculiar defects are the cause of PSP? Maybe an opportunity to publish a case study?
All told, I believe Dr Aidun has extended my life expectancy! Thank you, Dr A.
Questions You May Have About Personalized Genetic Medicine
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How did personalized genetic medicine get started?
Between 1990 to 2003 the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the US Department of Energy conducted the Human Genome Project, an extensive study focused on the total genetic makeup of human beings. As a result of this valuable study, genetic testing became more accessible to both healthcare providers and their patients. When it comes to identifying health risks in humans, what was once unthinkable is now eminently possible.
Later, from 2008 to 2015, the 1000 Genomes Project was conducted which focused on genes having a direct relationship with diseases at the cellular level.
You can learn more about the Human Genome Project here and the 1000 Genomes Project here.
How are medical scientists using DNA?
When it comes to all living things if individual cells aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do, the cumulative effect will be a body which is not functioning properly. This shows up for us as both disease and dis-ease.
Now, knowing that the root cause of the development of diseases is at the cellular level, genetic testing is the tool which allows us to practice, highly individualized, precision medicine. Already, scientists are creating personalized medicines tailored to work with an individual’s exact gene combination.
How relevant is DNA to my healthcare?
Genetic testing enables Precision Medicine, a new approach whereby physicians take into account, unique factors relevant to a patient’s genetic makeup, environment and lifestyle in order to design a customized disease treatment and prevention plan tailored to the patient.
Not only does this approach create the opportunity for more accurate diagnosis by physicians, it also delivers greater efficiencies in terms of time and cost for both patient and physician.
This is an exciting evolution of traditional healthcare that until recently has been a one-size-fits-all approach, where treatment and prevention strategies are developed for the average person, with less focus on the differences between individuals.
This is a one time test, meaning there is no need to repeat in the future. Your genetics for most part doesn’t change and if it dose due to environmental factors, it takes decades.
What is the process for having a genetic testing done?
If you are a new patient to my practice, we need to have a comprehensive consultation. Per your concerns and medical history I will order appropriate blood tests and imaging if indicated. At the same time, a simple cheek swab will be taken and sent to the lab for the genetic testing.
The follow up visit will be arranged to review the lab results and implement any immediate treatment and corrections needed.
Your medical history, lab results, and follow ups are the cornerstone for my analysis and interpretation of your genetic testing.
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What should I expect from my visits during genetic testing consults?
The analysis of your genetic testing is rather complicated process which I work on outside my working hours and I truly enjoy. Having said that, part of the work is toward translating and explaining your results in a way that is understandable and clear to you.
I do have an assigned room in my practice with a TV screen and comfortable settings. I highly recommend you turn on your voice memo on your cell phone to record each session due to highly specific and educational nature. I have prepared a PowerPoint presentation projected onto the TV screen for discussion. Each visit is 90 min. Pro-7 package includes four sessions. At the end, the print out of your results will be given to you.
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What does genetic testing test for?
It checks to see if genes responsible for a certain function e.g control inflammation, detoxification, methylation, mitochondria, autophagy, and neurotransmitters are given to you from each parents functional (no mutation or _) or nonfunctional ( mutated +/+) and in between (+/_). * can have link to each one
What is the practical part of this test for me?
You learn your genetic weaknesses in each area and it’s effect on your current health issues and their future impact on your health and wellbeing status as you get older and less resilience (without having this knowledge). Then you learn how to overcome the weaknesses by combination of awareness through education, lifestyle changes, replacement therapy, and supplementation all pertinent to YOU. I always tell my patients you learn “how to raise yourself based on who you are genetically not another person.
Here is the simple illustration of how genetic mutations at the cell level could be chaallanged by triggering factors and with weaknesses in each area, we are losing our ability to pull ourselves away from domino effects that will lead to disease or lack of self being or early aging internally.
Note: all the different areas in genetic testing are connected to each other, weakness or strength in each area can affect other areas positively or negatively.
FROM THE BLOG
Read More About Personalized Genetic Medicine
Breast Cancer
On average, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, in the United States, every 2 minutes. Furthermore, nearly 85% of breast cancers occur in women who do not have family history of the disease. In fact, genetic mutations caused by the aging process and everyday life are a major contributing factor to breast cancers.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
PCOS is a hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age. Diagnosis of PCOS, done by a licensed provider, can be made when an individual experiences 2 of the 3 common symptoms, those being irregular periods, polycystic ovaries, and excess androgen. Other symptoms include . . .
Mental Health
According to the National Alliance on Mental Health – suicide is the 10th largest cause of death in the US, and the 2nd largest cause of death among those aged 10-34. Further – nearly 46% of individuals who commit suicide had previously been diagnosed with a mental health condition. Genetic factors that play a role in the imbalance of inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters can lead to issues with mood, focus, sleep, and anxiety.
Read More