Frequently Asked Questions
What is Genetic Counseling and How Can It Benefit Me?
Genetic counseling offers personalized insights into how your genetics influence your health, empowering you to take control of your well-being. Whether you're concerned about cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's, dementia, pharmacogenomics, preconception planning, connective tissue disorders, pediatric conditions, or the connection between genetics, lifestyle, and nutrition, this service provides valuable guidance. By understanding your unique risk factors, genetic counseling can help you create a proactive plan focused on nutrition, lifestyle adjustments, and regular screenings to optimize your health.
What Specialties Do You Focus On?
Our practice specializes in: cancer genetics, heart disease genetics, Alzheimer’s/dementia genetics, pediatrics and Autism Spectrum Disorder, preconception, fertility, pharmacogenomics, and connective tissue disorders. I also offer integration of traditional medical grade genetic testing with nutrigenomics to offer a comprehensive view of your health, focusing on methylation, detoxification, inflammation, oxidative stress pathways, and risks for diabetes and heart disease.
How Does Nutrition and Lifestyle Play a Role in Your Genetic Counseling Services?
With a strong foundation in nutrition, we believe in the power of diet and lifestyle changes to positively influence your health outcomes. Our approach includes creating personalized, preventative plans based on your genetic makeup to optimize health, longevity, and manage risks associated with family history.
What Types of Genetic Tests Do You Offer?
We provide a range of medical grade and nutrigenomics testing services. These tests cover areas crucial for understanding your health risks and strengths, including but not limited to, methylation, detoxification, inflammation, oxidative stress, diabetes, and heart disease.
How Do I Get Started with Your Genetic Counseling Services?
Getting started is easy. Simply contact us through our website or give us a call to schedule your free discovery call.
What Makes Your Practice Different from Traditional Hospital Settings?
Our private practice offers a more integrative approach to genetic counseling. By combining traditional genetic testing with nutrigenomics and focusing on nutrition and lifestyle modifications, we provide a personalized plan that goes beyond what's typically offered in hospital settings. Partnered with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), we ensure your plan is not only genetically informed but also holistic and comprehensive.
Why might someone want to consider preconception genetic carrier screening before they TTC or are pregnant and what are these tests?
Preconception genetic carrier screening is an essential step in family planning. Carrier screening is a genetic test that looks to see if someone carries genetic traits for passing down certain genetic conditions. Although carrier tests aren’t all encompassing of every genetic condition, it does detect genetic risks for some of the most common and serious genetic conditions.
Most often carriers of genetic conditions are completely asymptomatic, so there is no way someone would know their carrier status without doing the genetic test.
If one partner is found to be a carrier for a genetic condition, then the next step is for the other partner to get tested. If only one partner is a carrier, then the child is at risk of being a carrier (unaffected). But if both parents are carriers of the same condition, then the child has a risk of being affected with the condition.
It is appropriate to test both parents at the same time, but it is more standard practice to test mom first and then test dad as a second step in case mom is found to be a carrier.
What should patients found out about their family history before doing genetic screening or anything else they should know in advance of testing and discuss with their doctor or a genetic counselor?
Most OBGYN offices offer carrier screening, but they almost always refer the case to genetic counselors if the results come back abnormal. This referral process after an abnormal result can sometimes be lengthy and cause anxiety for patients. For this reason, I recommend doing carrier screening with genetics professionals (genetic counselors, etc. also, us ;) ) from the beginning. That way if a patient has abnormal results, they can follow up with their original provider ASAP.
We do not recommend couples do at home carrier tests without some guidance from a professional with experience in genetic testing.
There are different types of carrier screen tests that be ordered, and results can be complex, so couples would benefit from seeking guidance from genetic professionals.
