Although science is always ahead of practice in the medical field, the gap today in the area of personalized medicine is inexcusably large …. ”
Realizing the Promise of Personalized Medicine Harvard Business Review October 2007

Why do we have to wait until we’re in Intensive Care to get the benefits of today’s science – leading-edge drugs, advanced surgical techniques and more?

Why can’t we use precision screening and diagnostic tools to keep us well and out of Intensive Care?

A landmark study - Preventive Health Examinations and Preventive Gynecological Examinations in the United States - published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in September, 2007 found that there’s “real unclear benefit” from standard annual “check-ups”. Reasons – they still rely on outmoded screening techniques and seldom produce any change in our behavior.

Scienta Health set out to revolutionize the way we think about health and annual screening.

Our integrated diagnostic protocols apply the very latest science has to offer to pinpoint your unique risk profile and to accurately diagnose any emerging health problems, often before you notice the symptoms. Click on the relevant disease category below for more information.

The well-known, but increasingly challenged Framingham Study reported a direct correlation between high LDL cholesterol and statistical risk of a heart attack. Nevertheless, a frightening number of heart attacks continue to occur in individuals whose cholesterol measures “normal”. Indeed, the American Heart Association reports that 50% of men and 64% of women dying suddenly of coronary heart disease had no prior symptoms!

Research now shows cholesterol tests (measuring total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides) to be dangerously misleading - they identify only 40% of those at risk. Yet, these tests remain the primary means for healthcare professionals to assess risk of heart disease. Only very recently has it been acknowledged in a major study that an inflammation marker (highly-sensitive C-Reactive Protein) is actually more predictive – something we have asserted for years.

Development of heart disease involves multiple risk factors. For certain individuals, high LDL cholesterol may be one factor. Inflammatory protein levels, predisposition to clotting and other genetic factors all play a role. Diagnostic tests, such as the treadmill Stress Test, usually only register positive when arterial blockage reaches 85-90% - requiring crisis-style intervention.

Heart disease lurks silently within - hidden and unsuspected. Don’t wait for surgery to correct problems – you might not make it that far. Take preventive action.

Now, a number of advanced diagnostic tests and imaging techniques help identify individuals at risk and enable us to more accurately target the most appropriate interventions. Enhanced information means more effective treatment and vastly improved health outcomes:

Testing: LDL and HDL Fingerprinting Cholesterol Drug Selection Assessment CT Calcium Scoring and CT Angiography Plaque Stability Test Risk of Congestive Heart Failure

Worse, even fewer are aware of the multitude of serious complications and related health risks caused by diabetes. These include much higher probability of cardiovascular disease, cancer and also organ damage that leads to blindness and kidney failure.

• Type 1 diabetes - usually diagnosed in children and adolescents, occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce insulin. Accounting for 10% of diabetes cases, life expectancy for Type 1 diabetics may be shortened by as much as 15 years.
• Type 2 diabetes - when the pancreas produces insufficient insulin or when the body cannot effectively use insulin (insulin resistance due to obesity). Type 2 usually develops in adulthood, although increasing numbers of children in high-risk populations are being diagnosed. Life expectancy for Type 2 diabetics may be shortened by 5 to 10 years.

A shocking number of individuals are Type 2 diabetic but unaware of it, simply because they do not have regular health check-ups. Even if they do, the typical health check-up includes a test of blood glucose levels (6 to 7 mmol/L is regarded as “pre-diabetic”. 7 or over is defined as diabetic). But, this is a “lagging indicator” - it tells you after the fact.

How can you find out if you’re heading in the wrong direction? First, we now have access to testing that provides predictive markers (see below). Second, anyone with metabolic syndrome should know that they face a 25% increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, as well as heart disease and other diseases.

Metabolic Syndrome is defined by several conditions:

Abnormal blood sugar - insulin resistance Clotting state (e.g. high fibrinogen or plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in the blood) Inflammatory state (e.g., elevated C-reactive protein in the blood) High LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides and low HDL (“good”) cholesterol High blood pressure (higher than140/90) Abdominal obesity (men >40”/102 cm; women >35”/88 cm)

Testing:

• Insulin Resistance Breath Test

Genetic analysis involves much more than predicting disease. It’s the key to true Personalized Medicine – much more precise risk identification, disease detection and treatment, especially in prescription of medications.

Gone are the days of “one size fits all” (population-based medicine), because we know emphatically – one size does NOT fit all. We are each unique. Soon, too, we will see the end of “trial and error” medicine – the need to experiment with prescription and dosage of powerful medications. Pharmacogenetic analysis already enables precise prescribing.

A sputum sample or a cheek swab tests for presence or absence of genes that identify susceptibility or resistance to specific diseases, reaction to medications, ability to process nutrients and vulnerability to environmental factors.

These insights enable earlier intervention and accurate treatment. One’s genetic predisposition may be a given, but the way in which genes express themselves can be altered - through nutrition, lifestyle modification and medication - to reduce risk, prevent disease and attain greater health.

Application of genetic analysis in everyday healthcare is in its infancy, yet the insights gained by integrating this potent information into overall health screening have already been dramatic.

Scienta Health has been a globally recognized pioneer in this regard. We partner very closely with leading labs in the US and Europe.

Testing:

• General Preventive Genetic Profiling

  By scanning the DNA for risk markers associated with predisposition to common and uncommon health conditions, this test provides knowledge that enables our team to focus on uniquely personalized disease prevention initiatives. Health risks covered include cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, gastrointestinal conditions, arthritis and eye diseases.

• Cardiac Risk Profiling

  Genetic markers for which this scan probes include predisposition to atherosclerosis, hypertension, coronary artery disease and stroke, disorders in cholesterol regulation and metabolism, clotting conditions, and risk of free-radical formation.

• Metabolic Syndrome Risk Profiling

  Here we look for common genetic variants that determine obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, inflammation and abnormalities in lipoprotein and glucose metabolism.

• Pharmacogenetic Profiling

  Genetic variations give rise to differing response to drugs based on each individual’s ability to effectively metabolize the ingredients, allowing prescription and drug dosage with targeted precision and reducing risk of toxicity and unwanted side effects.

Testing:

• Nutrient & Toxicity Metabolomics

Function: This unique diagnostic profile provides an overview of your total nutritional status. By measuring 39 key organic acids and 38 amino acids, we can evaluate gastrointestinal function, cellular energy production, neurotransmitter processing, and functional need for vitamins, minerals and co-factors.

Understanding the degree of functional need for vitamins and minerals will assist in determining if dietary changes alone or additional personalized recommendations for vitamin, mineral and other nutrient supplementation are required to optimize these critical nutrient levels to maintain excellent metabolic health.

• anti-oxidants – involved in tissues repair and immunity
• B vitamins – critical in nerve and brain function, blood cell production
• minerals - co-factor in many enzyme reactions of metabolism
• fatty acids – affects cellular communication and regulates inflammation
• amino acids – building blocks for proteins – for tissue and hormone production

Testing Procedure: Simple fasting blood test

Your diet may be healthy but, does your body have the necessary nutrients to sustain optimal health?

And, are you harboring toxins such as lead, mercury and more, that drain energy and contribute to cancer?

Balanced nutrient levels and absence of toxins are critical to your ability to prevent illness and inflammation, to fight off infection and to repair tissue.

Some acute reactions to allergies are seriously debilitating, even if temporary, while others can even be fatal. We need to be aware of them and take the right measures to avoid and mitigate.

The more subtle ‘immune’ responses caused by presence of antibodies range from simple “silent rejection” of or inability to absorb nutrients, to chronic symptoms such as headaches, sinus congestion, bloating, irritable bowel, fatigue and unexplained weight gain.

Testing:

• Food and Inhalant Antibodies (IgE & IgG)