Why Genetic Testing Is About Much More Than Just Your Ancestry
If you've heard about genetic testing in the past decade, it's probably been through the marketing of ancestry companies. There's the allure of finding out where you came from (or uncovering family secrets!), and at-home kits provided by these companies have shown everyday people how easy it is to test their DNA, using a saliva sample or cheek swab!
But unfortunately, due to the popularity and widespread marketing of ancestry tests, most people aren't aware of the other benefits genetic testing can provide. While ancestry testing tells you where your family came from, genetic testing for health and wellness can lead you to a whole array of actionable insights into optimizing medication management, eating, exercise, lifestyle choices, and more in order to achieve better health.
As I’ve been utilizing genetic testing with clients at BalancedRx Consulting, here are a few ways genetic testing can inform your health and wellness.
Medication Management
Medications work differently for everyone, and sometimes feeling better starts with finding the right medication.
Did you know that your DNA can influence how some medicines work?
When you take a medication, it goes through several processes in your body, including absorption, transport, and metabolism. Since each of us is unique, medication is rarely a one-size-fits-all solution. Variations in our DNA can influence these processes, affecting how well a medication works for each individual. By incorporating genetic data along with other key factors—such as kidney function, health conditions, drug interactions, and cost-effectiveness—clinicians can develop a precisely tailored treatment plan that aligns with each patient’s unique genetic profile, lifestyle, and environment.
Personalized Care
Many approaches to health and wellness today rely on a one-size-fits-all model, recommending the same diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices to everyone. But each of us is unique—shouldn’t healthcare be tailored to reflect that individuality? Genetic testing reveals a person’s DNA blueprint, offering insights into how their cells and systems function, how different foods and environmental factors impact their health, and much more..
Disease at the Root
In addition to the one-size-fits-all approach, many healthcare practitioners focus on simply managing the symptoms of chronic illness. But constantly treating symptoms can be both time-consuming and costly, often without addressing the underlying issue. Genetic testing, by revealing how your body functions at the cellular level, can help uncover the root causes of illnesses driving those symptoms. This allows us to focus on the source of disease, often complementing the treatment plan designed by your medical team.
Losing Weight, Metabolism, and Exercise
Individuals who have struggled to lose weight often invest significant time, energy, and money in various health and weight loss strategies. However, understanding your genetic makeup can provide valuable insights to support these goals. 3X4 Genetics testing reveals how your body stores fat, which nutrients it absorbs most effectively, and other key factors that can inform a more targeted weight loss plan. By unlocking your genetic blueprint, we can translate these insights into actionable steps tailored to your unique needs. When combined with nutrition coaching, this information helps integrate these steps into your daily routine, ensuring that the recommendations align with your busy lifestyle.
Additionally, your genes can indicate the types of exercise that are most beneficial for your body, whether that involves endurance activities like running and cycling or power-based exercises such as sprinting and weight lifting. Understanding how your body functions allows you to select the most appropriate activities for optimal results.
Caffeine Intake
We're all affected by caffeine in various ways — some people can drink coffee right up until bedtime, when others have to cut themselves off mid-morning! But do we know why? Our genes can tell us! Our genes are responsible for how quickly we metabolize caffeine, so we can know whether to have that extra cup or not.
Better Daily Choices
As you can see, understanding your genes and how they affect your body provides valuable insights into many aspects of your health and wellness, empowering you to make more informed choices every day. These daily choices have a profound impact on our overall health, well-being, and quality of life. With this knowledge, you can make decisions about which environments to avoid, identify areas of your life that could benefit from change, and finally implement the healthy habits you’ve been thinking about—specifically tailored to YOU.
My Story
Here’s a refined version of your story:
I’ve had the opportunity to use genomic information on a personal level to transform my health and well-being. Understanding my genetics has empowered me to make daily, tailored decisions that support my unique needs. Here’s how learning about my genetic profile allowed me to take more informed steps towards better health...
A little background about me:
I’m a full-time working mother of three, and like many, my family life is hectic. Before children, my husband and I made an effort to eat healthily, exercise regularly, and I didn’t have any major health concerns. Though my job could be stressful at times, I managed it well with my healthy habits and plenty of rest.
However, after having my first child in 2017, I began struggling with depression, anxiety, and fatigue. At first, I chalked it up to the “baby blues” and didn’t think much of it—after all, new motherhood is tough. But when my second child arrived in 2018, the exhaustion and anxiety escalated. I started experiencing migraines and dizziness, and the stress was starting to take a toll on me. As life became busier with two young children and a long commute, my healthy lifestyle fell by the wayside. I relied on convenience foods, lived off coffee, and wasn’t sleeping. My exercise routine, hobbies, and self-care were neglected.
After nearly a year, I saw my doctor. I was diagnosed with postpartum depression and was advised to try medication. As a pharmacist, I was familiar with how genetics can influence how we metabolize medications, so I had previously completed a pharmacogenomics test out of curiosity and for continuing education. The results showed that I am a rapid metabolizer at CYP2C19 and an intermediate metabolizer at CYP2D6—two genes involved in processing common depression medications. This genetic information gave me confidence in both the medication dose and choice my provider recommended, and it also allowed me to safely and efficiently wean off the medication once I was through the toughest part.
During this time, I also decided to work with a health coach to focus on healthier ways to lose the baby weight and manage my stress—without relying on medication. Despite knowing what I “should” be doing with exercise and nutrition, I struggled to stick with a plan. With the help of my coach, I began prioritizing healthy sleep, using techniques like breathwork and positive self-talk to manage stress, and focusing on the nutritional value of the foods I consumed. This is where I began to see real changes. I felt like I was reconnecting with the “old me”—my energy returned, my positivity came back, I wanted to exercise again, my skin improved, and my hair stopped falling out. Best of all, my spouse noticed the change—inside and out!
Fast forward a bit, and I find myself fully immersed in a food- and lifestyle-first approach to supporting health. My passion for science and my background as a pharmacist naturally led me to nutritional genomics. I’ve been diving deep into education on epigenetics, pharmacogenomics, and nutritional genomics, learning how our DNA, alongside lifestyle and environmental factors, shapes our health. Reviewing my own 3X4 genetic report, I uncovered variants that influence my body’s ability to balance the brain chemicals that regulate mood, depression, and anxiety—and that certainly resonated with my experiences. This knowledge, combined with the right lifestyle and nutrition, has allowed me to maintain my mental well-being and support my body naturally, without the need for medication. While I’m grateful for the medication that helped me “get through the woods” and re-establish healthier habits, I now feel empowered to thrive without it.
More Than Ancestry
So, I suppose the moral of this story is that each person is beautifully unique, and genetics can help guide and make more informed health choices from drug selection to the food we eat to the exercise we choose. Our bodies are shaped by our genetics and our genetic expression is influenced by our daily choices and environment and all of this adds together to impact our health and well-being.
Knowing your genes can reveal a lot more to you than just what's stated above. Additionally, as our knowledge continues to increase around how genes work and how they impact our bodies, the blueprint that genetic testing provides for your optimal health will only become more detailed, allowing you to build the perfect life of health and wellness suitable to you.
Ready to start your personalized health journey?
