27 January 2013| last updated at 11:36PM By R. Murali Rajaratenam, Kuala Lumpur

"Science has attained so much power that its practical limits begin to be apparent. Largely through science, billions of us live in one small world, densely packed and intercommunicating. But science cannot help us decide what to do with that world, or how to live. Science can make a nuclear reactor, but it cannot tell us not to build it. And our world starts to seem polluted in fundamental ways -- air, water and land -- because of ungovernable science."

It's been said that "all would be well if there were no 'buts'." Unfortunately, in genetics there are many "buts" and unwary traps for unsuspecting medical consumers.

So, if you have the choice of getting genetic testing, be sure you know of the pros and cons.

There's no doubt that genetic testing is a huge benefit under certain conditions. If a disease is caught early on, a patient has the best possible chance of survival. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of genetic testing is important in deciding whether or not to undergo a test.

When this subject is discussed, most people think positively about genetic screening to diagnose for things like Down's syndrome. It would also be madness to bury one's head in the sand when there is a family history of colon cancer. By being aware that a faulty gene is present, regular colonoscopies can save lives by detecting polyps long before they become malignant.

If a genetic test demonstrates a predisposition towards an inherited disorder, the news can be depressing and a patient can be burdened with information over which he has no control.

However, knowledge of a predisposition may give the person enough time to take preventative measures, including taking medicine or adapting one's lifestyle to lower the risk of contracting a disease.

But what about the "buts"? A report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal points out the other side of the coin.

Dr James Evans, professor of genetics at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, says: "We rarely in medicine do unalloyed good, some of the tools we employ are blunt so you had better have great information before you employ them."

Originally posted here:
GENETIC TESTING: Lifestyle plays a major role, too

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