Can at-home DNA testing kits accurately help us discover important health information? What do we do with the information once we receive it? In this post, learn more about the pros and cons.
BY Bonnie Annis
PUBLISHED March 11, 2019
Bonnie Annis is a breast cancer survivor, diagnosed in 2014 with stage 2b invasive ductal carcinoma with metastasis to the lymph nodes. She is an avid photographer, freelance writer/blogger, wife, mother and grandmother.
At-home DNA testing kits have become very popular and for good reason. The tests are affordable (usually in the $50 to $200 range) and are easy to perform. In the privacy of one’s own home, a small sample of saliva is taken, either by swabbing the inside of the mouth or by spitting into a test tube. Next, the sample is sent off to a laboratory through the mail and results are returned in about three to four weeks.
There are many testing companies and each offer various services. Most promise to open doors to ancestral heritage, while others go a step further offering both ancestral information and genetic health. Those offering genetic health testing claim to be able to predict the possibility of increased risk of diseases like breast cancer, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. I put the test on my wish list for the holidays and forgot about it.
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