GENETIC TESTING

by Dr.Lawrence Wilson

All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

As knowledge about the genetic code becomes more widespread, genetic testing is become more common. This article is necessary because there is much misunderstanding about what these tests detect, and what the results mean.

Also, a recent medical study found that comparing two of the standard methods of genetic testing gave very different results in the same person. This would indicate that the entire science of genetic testing is not very accurate! (see: JAMA Oncology, Dec.15, 2016; Comparison of 2 Commercially Available Next-Generation Sequencing Platforms in Oncology, by Nicole M. Kuderer, MD; Kimberly A. Burton, PhD; Sibel Blau, MD; et al.)

CONFUSION #1. DOES THE TEST MEASURE THE DNA, OR DOES IT MEASURE MORE THAN JUST THE DNA?

Measuring just the DNA is difficult. So what is done is to measure an enzyme that depends upon at least 3 steps in the process called biosynthesis. In other words, genetic tests measure:

1) The DNA code.

2) The accuracy of transcription, or the copying of the code from DNA to RNA.

3) A number of the early steps in biosynthesis. In this process, RNA is used to manufacture body chemicals.

This is critical to know. In other words, genetic testing is not just DNA testing. This is very confusing.

The standard genetic tests actually measure the RATE OF BIOSYNTHESIS of a particular protein, hormone or other chemical. They do this by measuring an enzyme that is used to produce the protein or hormone or other chemical. That is what they actually measure.

To produce the proper enzymes requires:

1. Intact DNA (the original instructions), AND

2. Intact transcription or copying of the DNA to RNA in a precise and complete way. In other words, the original instructions must be copied faithfully and perfectly.

AND

3. Intact and fast enough synthesis of the particular chemical, hormone, enzyme or other substance from the RNA code or instructions.

To the best of my knowledge, if a problem shows up on a genetic test, the doctor cannot tell if the source of the problem involves step #1 above (the DNA), step #2 above (the copying of the DNA to RNA) or step #3 (final production of the chemical).

Sadly, when the test shows a problem in biosynthesis, doctors have been taught to tell the patient that the problem is with the DNA. This means that you are “defective” and there is nothing that can be done about it.

However, this is not the truth in many cases. Some or perhaps most of the genetic test results have to do with transcription or biosynthesis problems, not DNA problems. Transcription or copying problems are not immutable. They are often repairable. RNA transcription problems are caused by toxic metals, toxic chemicals and nutrient deficiencies, for example, all of which can be corrected with a nutritional balancing program. These issues are called epigenetics in the genetic lingo.

Therefore, the first confusion with genetic testing is that doctors and patients are drawing incorrect conclusions from some of the tests. Instead of a doom-and-gloom attitude, doctors should be telling people to clean up their diets and to detoxify their bodies to correct some of these RNA “copying” problems and the biosynthesis problems. At least, this is worth a try since it can and will work in some cases, at least.

Do genetic tests change? If genetic tests only measured DNA, then they would never change. However, they can change! Often, they change for the worse as a person ages and becomes more toxic and nutritionally depleted. This alone proves that genetic testing does not measure just the DNA, but measures other things, as well, some of which will change depending on one’s nutritional status and other factors.

Thus, the main problem with genetic testing today (2016) is that people are misled by their doctors and laboratories into thinking that genetic tests measure only the DNA, which is presently immutable. It is like getting a death sentence.

The truth, however, is that the tests also measure copying of the DNA to RNA, and some steps in protein synthesis. In fact, here is where most, if not all of the “genetic problems” are found – and these problems can be changed and eliminated with a nutritional balancing program that improves the epigenetics or the biochemical environment of the body.

CONFUSION #2. IS ALTERED BIOSYNTHESIS ALWAYS “ABNORMAL”?

The answer to this question is no, in my opinion. The altered biosynthesis could be a compensation or adaptation of some kind.

However, doctors are taught today to assume that altered biosynthesis (too much or too little) is always “bad”. They then tell patients to stop eating a particular amino acid, for example, if biosynthesis of it is high or to ingest more if biosynthesis is sluggish. Here is a recent example:

C.W., a 52-year old female, had a genetic test that indicated excessive production of the amino acid taurine. Her doctor told her to reduce taurine in her diet.

When I reviewed her case, I found she was in a four lows mineral pattern. People with this pattern require much more taurine. Eliminating taurine from her diet is the worst possible advice for her.

It appears that C.W.’s body was attempting to make more of the amino acid she desperately needed. This is not a problem, at all! It is a coping mechanism that alters biosynthesis in an attempt to balance body chemistry. C.W. needed all the taurine she could make, and I gave her more in supplement form to supply all that she needed.

The followup on this case is also interesting. Within a year, C.W. had a new hair mineral test and she was no longer in a four lows pattern. This means she did not need more taurine. She got a new genetic test for taurine, and it showed that her taurine biosynthesis was now normal, and not elevated.

Her doctor could not explain why the genetic test was now normal, and thought it must have been a mistake. My interpretation, however, is that her body no longer needs extra taurine, so it is not making extra taurine. Her doctor brusquely rejected this point of view, explaining that genetics does not change. However, her genetics did not need to change if her problem, or rather adaptation, involved transcription and biosynthesis, but not the DNA itself.

This is an interesting case, and I assume that not all genetic testing problems are adaptations. Some are indeed simply pathology, but others are adaptations and compensations.

Distinguishing the adaptations from the problems may not be easy. For example, I was only able to figure out the meaning of the high taurine synthesis in the case of C.W. because I knew about the four lows pattern on her hair mineral test, and what it means.

CAN MISINTERPRETING A GENETIC TEST CAUSE SEVERE PROBLEMS?

Yes. These include:

1. Unnecessary surgery, such as breast removal or mastectomy for fear of cancer.

2. Intense fear, depression and despair, when it may not be warranted.

3. Unnecessary drug therapy, or other unnecessary diagnostic or other procedures.

4. High cost of testing which raises health care costs.

CONCLUSION

If you decide to have genetic testing, please be very careful interpreting the results. Very few, if any doctors understand the testing well enough to properly interpret it, and interpreting the test may be quite difficult. It may require extensive biochemical knowledge and knowledge of nutritional balancing, for example, that is very uncommon.

For example, many people accept genetic tests as sort of “death sentences” from breast cancer and other diseases. I think this is entirely and totally incorrect. A nutritional balancing program can offset and actually heal many transcription and protein synthesis errors.

Other articles on this website related to this one are MTHFR, CBS And COMT, and Genetic Defects.

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