Healthcare is in serious crisis, despite all the advanced science, dedicated talent and financial resources.

• Quality varies from superb to sloppy;
• Access is inadequate – long wait-times in Canada, millions uninsured in the US;
• Costs, already unaffordable, are about to explode as baby boomers move into their 60’s;
• Our population is unhealthy, despite our enormous wealth as a society – witness the obesity epidemic, now even among pre-teens;
• Science focuses on keeping us alive at almost any cost, but with poor quality of life, rather than on keeping us well BEFORE disease symptoms appear;
• We have “organ care” – nobody’s focused on “patient care”;
• “Service” as a concept hardly exists – the “customer” has been forgotten!

We, the consumers, are frustrated and feel helpless and angry.

How did this happen and what needs to change?

Today, what we have is deeply entrenched, very expensive “disease care”!

• Physicians are trained to treat disease - they do it well, but that’s too late!
• We live in a world of “reimbursement medicine” – those who pay the bills (insurers, government) only fund absolutely “medically necessary” procedures, as too often evidenced by advanced symptoms.
• For consumers, who typically wait too long between check-up’s, medicine has been a “black box” – we rely on experts and often get conflicting opinions. Too many of us fail to take responsibility for our health until we face a scare – a friend, a family member or even our own health failure.
• It’s complex and politicized – the debate tends to be over-simplified and focuses on the wrong issues, such as “private versus public”.
• And, the huge, profitable pharmaceutical industry has a deep vested interest in preserving the “disease care” model!

What is the new paradigm? It has to focus on true health management, not wait for disease care. It should apply science now available to create individualized approaches. Underpinnings of this new model are:

• A strong emphasis on health optimization – achieving and sustaining peak health throughout life (living healthier, not necessarily living longer – that’s already happening!);
• Prevention, risk reduction, before early onset. We have the screening tools but they are not utilized effectively. It doesn’t help to simply get a full-body MRI scan once a year;
• Individualized medicine – “no single size fits all”. Genomic analysis has equipped us with the information to provide each individual with exactly what works best for their unique needs and inherited risk profile;
• Multi-disciplinary, integrative delivery – complementary health sciences are essential, but should work from the same unique, individualized assessment the physician utilizes. Even the leading “executive health” clinics that offer complementary health services fail to integrate them;
• Personal responsibility – we need to OWN our health … nobody else will. And to the extent that good health is at the core of productive human capital, employers in our knowledge-based economy have a key role in influencing us to take personal responsibility for our health.

Since 2004 we have been working at turning this new model into reality. We deeply appreciate the incredibly valuable feedback we have received from our clients and our health industry partners. We look forward to continuing to “push the edges” and bring you the very latest in what true health management should be.

Peter Cooper President & CEO

This new era of medicine was made possible by the mapping of the human genome - identifying approximately 25,000 genes that represent the blueprint to life.

Until now we have been limited to generalized diagnoses and therapies – what I refer to as the practice of “population health”. The advent of Genomic Medicine is enabling us to dramatically improve identification of individual risk of disease, sharpen diagnostic accuracy and provide truly personalized health recommendations and therapies. We can now each take a fully proactive approach to our personal health. With information on how genetic make-up can be influenced by personal behavior (diet, lifestyle) and environmental factors, we can predict risk and alter genetic expression.

Let me give you just a few very simple but important examples of how we are applying genomics:

• We can identify whether you have the gene that enables you to reduce your LDL (“bad” cholesterol) through increased physical exercise,
• Or, the gene that will allow you to increase your HDL (“good” cholesterol) through increased intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids;
• We can identify those women at increased risk of stroke or breast cancer should they undergo estrogen replacement therapy;
• We can determine the correct drug and dosage for control of high blood pressure – each person reacts differently to every drug;
• We can predict if you would be at risk of a heart attack from drinking more than 3 cups of coffee a day.

Many physicians still argue that we are not yet ready for genetic testing. The say that the complex relationships between multiple genes and the many environmental variables are not yet sufficiently understood. Genomic Medicine specialists refute this. They assert that this view is equivalent to arguing that, “since X-rays are not very good at detecting certain types of tumors, we should wait until the next perfect technology comes along before we begin using imaging to detect cancer”. Support for genomics lies in evidence of the thousands of lives already saved through early detection via “not yet perfect” imaging techniques.

We at Scienta are firm believers in Genomic Medicine. We agree that we should use what science has given us to date and continue to evolve the state of the art and of our knowledge as we apply it.

What we know today about genetic functioning is very precise and convincingly predictive. Individualized health recommendations are made more powerful and accurate by integrating genetic knowledge with other diagnostic or screening test results (blood, urine, diagnostic imaging), along with dietary and fitness assessments and lifestyle evaluation.

Genomic Medicine is here. It is time to embrace its power and enable every individual to own and manage their personal health with the insights now available to us, of course, with guidance from informed and knowledgeable health specialists.

Elaine Chin, M.D., M.B.A. Chief Medical Officer & Co-Founder

Since Scienta was founded we have tracked health metrics of typically healthy, active, affluent and well-informed individuals. Despite their belief that they “eat well”, we have found that everyone has various nutrient deficiencies. (We also all have toxin levels that are troubling, but that is for a future article.) Most notable deficiencies are vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, antioxidants, essential fatty acids (Omega 3 & 6) and amino acids. So, what’s happening here?

The nutritional value of the apples we eat today compares sadly with those our grandparents ate. Over-used crop soils have depleted nutrient levels. Fruits and vegetables are picked before they ripen, leaving little chance to acquire a greater concentration of vitamins and minerals usually gained through ripening. Then, commercial processing strips out more of the nutrients. Long-haul transportation and storage of produce, especially if imported, further depletes much of what remains. Add to that the fact that we live in a cold climate where reduced sun exposure over many months exacerbates deficiencies.

How serious are the consequences of these nutrient deficiencies? While we don’t see conditions such as scurvy, look out for impaired energy, poor sleep, reduced immune functioning and even premature signs of aging. Let’s relate the specific nutrient deficiencies we see most commonly to potential negative tendencies:

NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY	ADVERSE EFFECTS
Vitamin B	Increased cardiac risk Impaired neurological function
Vitamin D	Impaired osteoporosis risk Poor bone health Reduced protection against cancer risk
Antioxidants (Vitamins A,C,E)	Increased free radical loads resulting in premature aging Increased cardiac and cancer risk
Essential Fatty Acids (Omega 3 and 6)	Results in increased inflammation Increased cardiac and arthritis risk
Amino Acids (Protein)	Impaired hormone production (low growth hormone, serotonin) Reduced energy, insomnia, weight gain

The appropriate combination and dosage of supplementation differs according to diet, lifestyle and, of course, genetic profile. For example, individuals with a vitamin D receptor gene are able to absorb the D in food and from sunlight more efficiently, requiring less supplementation. Those without this gene may require substantial supplementation, especially in winter months.

Use of nutritional supplements is increasing rapidly. Unfortunately, most are sold without essential information. Even health stores do a poor job of informing. Popular inexpensive brands are close to ineffectual. They have cheap, impure ingredients and low bio-availability (i.e. for absorption into the bloodstream). We recommend a few quality brands (such as AOR, Genestra or Douglas Labs). However, we have identified a few gaps in their ingredients when compared with the typical deficiencies revealed by our research. This has led to Scienta’s proprietary formulations. An example is our foundation supplement, the Scienta Healthy Living Pack (for formulation details go to www.scientahealth.com/shop/HLP).

The high-quality, fully personalized supplement is not far off – stay tuned!

Shelley Burns, N.D. Health Services Director

Benefits supported by research

• Bone health and strength – protects against fractures, osteopenia, osteoporosis
• Cancer protection – prostate, breast, colon
• Catalyst – Vitamin D is critical to process of calcium absorption; without adequate Vitamin D you can consume copious quantities of Calcium only to secrete them (Magnesium is also a key agent in Calcium absorption)

Theories not yet evidenced

• Does the higher incidence of MS (Multiple Sclerosis) in northern climes have any connection with Vitamin D deficiency? Some speculate a clear correlation but we await the studies!

Sources

• Sun – the best-known natural source – we need approximately 20 minutes of direct exposure every day (think about that!)
• Foods – egg yolks, milk and dairy products fortified with Vitamin D, fortified cereals, tuna
• Supplements - Vitamin D in the form of D3 – cholecalciferol

Supplement dosage levels
The subject of great debate today …

• “Official” guidelines (e.g. U.S. Government) are 200 IU’s (international units) per day, but studies are showing significant benefits at levels of 800 IU’s and more. Progressive prevention experts – physicians – argue for as much as 2000 IU’s daily, especially in winter months.
• The best solution – test your Vitamin D levels! We are seeing vigorous debate about optimum levels (perhaps they should be much higher than previously thought) but at least we can quickly tell if they are seriously deficient.