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Livewello is the online source I used to interpret my 23 & me raw data. This was the best thing I could have done as they have detailed explanations of how the results pertain to you. This is much better that the info that initially was shared with the early 23&me reports. I will warn you, though, it's very difficult and confusing to try to sort it all out yourself. I spent months working on it. It's much easier to send your Livewello results to a working Functional Medicine professional to understand what the results mean for you. You pay a fee for their services and it's well-worth the initial expense.

Actually The FDA stop 23 and me from giving people certain health reports that are highly probable for disease because some people after finding out that they were sick complained to their doctors and 23 and me does not offer genetic counselling after you receive your results. I live in Canada and received my results 1 year after the ruling and the reports were vague and nothing what I expected. Use your raw data and dig. 23 and me were kind enough to give people their raw data but most people don't use it and it is the raw data which holds the important information about your health. There are genes that are only apparent during a disease progression that is in your data.

GT1804: yes 23andme now only gives the raw data (I don't have any reason to question their reliability other then the as yet unsubstantiated opinion of some comments herein), but there are good options such as livewello to convert that raw data into a report that can be reasonably used by a functional medicine doctor trained to read such reports.

So sorry this happened to you, but you aren't alone. Most geneticists completely disregard the 23 & me test. In a way, they're right, it's not a diagnostic test....but what it does do is show you what your risks are of developing certain illnesses after you've had the results analyzed and interpreted by one of the websites who are set up to do this for very little money. You do need a professional to take this information and discuss it with you but you won't find that with a geneticist in the traditional medical system. This is done by a Functional Medicine physician or professional. Did you take the raw report to them to analyze? They won't do that.

They may be talking about the fact that the FDA put some kind of clampdown on what they can tell you now. I think the amount of info 23andme gives you depends on whether you've been with them since before this FDA ruling. Your tax dollars at work.

Hi,
Well need not worry you are not alone, after running my data through blast ( after taking months to understand it) I Had at least two very serious concerns that I found through blast , not on 23 and me reports again because they are not aloud to tell you. I went with that to my family doctor with info from NCBI and took her a picture of my chromosomes and all my mutations and it was after two requests from her to the geneticist that he will see me now. I do have a hematologist request as well from my family doctor. I did only take the NCBI information with me as it is a medical site that stands in high regard with the medical community. FYI: your 23 and me raw data must be converted to fasta in order for the NCBI to read it. Google fasta converter, convert 23 and me to fasta and save then upload your fasta to NCBI in the blast program . Sounds hard at first but the raw data has soooooo much more info than you know! Good Luck :)

You need to find someone who practices "functional medicine." They are usually registered nurse practitioners instead of MDs but are experienced in interpreting the results. This is a newer field in which most doctors are not trained or knowledgeable. My MD sent me to one he knew after I had issues and he was at a loss. Best thing ever. I feel like a brand new person.

CK5778: I don't understand your comment about "not authorized by someone to treat or diagnose." Apparently from the many comments in this string, medical doctors are indeed asking their patients to get genetic testing through 23andme. You further stated that "you can't know for sure whose results they really are." So would that be cleared up if someone submitted their saliva twice to 23andme under two different profiles and compared the results? Sounds like you're challenging 23andme's scientific reliability or protocol?

Thanks, folks. I had also brought with me some specific genetic testing from a lab that our doc had ordered at my request. The geneticist was very "black and white"-- even about variants that were of "unknown significance." She didn't order any more tests, knew nothing about the disorder that my child has (it's a neurological condition) and basically said, "We're not adding anything or taking anything away" (re: diagnoses). We learned nothing and she didn't seem to want to help in any way. She said, "I can tell by looking at the two of you that you don't have any other genetic conditions." What??! Because we're "pretty?" (That was me being sarcastic, not vain). I guess I put too much faith in them regarding getting some answers on all of our "red zones" in our reports. Thank you for sharing other resources, though, and your perspectives. I appreciate it!

We must be mindful that each individual genetic test is very expensive (some are $1000 to test one gene, I would guess the average is about $500). A lot of people in the medical "industry" are not happy about the price we pay at 23andme. Food for thought.

Hi,
I believe that is quite common in the medical community, and I also think after doing 9 months of studying my DNA why this happens. Since the FDA got involved in 23 and me and stopped them from informing people about serious diseases that kill people they are very vague about what disease you maybe carrying or have at the present time. If you notice on your health reports from 23 and me they only test a couple of snps for disease, however there are literally thousands and I suggest using your raw data for 23 and me in a program like Promethease or even better Blast, but very complicated at first. Once your have information from the NCBI which has Blast (nation centre for biology information) with studies then the doctors will take you more seriously. 23 and me is great however the information they give you is very limited unless you use your raw data.
Cheers

I would expect most mainstream physicians to respond that way, but not a geneticist. A local Naturopath is the one who put us on to livewello after we did the 23andme testing. And recently a D.O. we have decided to go with lives and dies by genetic testing, conducting other tests (blood, saliva and urine) as well and we are thrilled. She recommended the book "Nutrient Power," by William J. Walsh which is excellent. Our "new" doctor is using Dr. Walsh's findings and using Epigenetics to try to turn on ad off genetic expression.

I see a neuro specialist. He requested the 23andme and livewello because he said the medical tests cost thousands and offers the same results. So I did and brought him the results. He is treating my mthfr mutations and for the first time in my 41 years I feel good!!
The worst way to treat homozygous mthfr 1298 is to do nothing. You need a new dr!! If they snicker at this info, it's because it's waaaay over their heads. This is brand new science and there are only a few Drs in this country that can understand this deep complex biochemistry-laden genetic science.

I used 23andMe, Livewello and the other programs on my son's advice. He is a psychiatrist with a strong interest and knowledge of genetic matters. I trust him. I look forward to conferring with him and learning more about the genome and its discontents.

I had the same response from the geneticist .

These are not medical tests. They were not authorised by someone in authority to treat or diagnose. It would be illegal firstly, because they can't know for sure who's results they really are. Secondly, if there was a mistake (which is common when comparing these to my actual medical tests) and they made a diagnosis and started treatment based on said mistake that is medical malpractice. They could lose everything over it, so it's not worth it to any doctor worth their salt.

I had the same response from the genetics department after my son was referred to them by his neurologist. The only abnormal test for the cause of his stroke was that he is homozygous for MTHFR 1298. I received a phone call to cancel the appointment and was told they could do nothing for us. When I mentioned 23&Me, she said she could not make any sense of that information. She sent an article that said the current recommendations for dealing with MTHFR is to not test for MTHFR. What a disappointment!

CK5778: how is it unprofessional and illegal?

To be fair, she is right. All these tests do is map what they can of your genes and give a loose interpretation, which changes based on what service you upload data to. When you go to a proper geneticist they test and sequence specific genes to be able to tell you what's abnormal and what you can do about it. 23 and Me and Livewello are not actually very useful in the medical field. That's why geneticists perform their own tests. If she had taken the information, especially without gathering it herself, and then provided a diagnosis off of it, that is not just a sign of someone who is unprofessional, it's actually illegal. Cheer up. What she can do for you is going to be far better.

Might look for another doctor. I found a wonderful ND that understands genetic reports and has been so helpful!