genetics

In this morning's Globe, there was an article on a growing trend of DNA testing to help predict our medical futures - specifically, testing to pinpoint illnesses and conditions one may be predisposed to because genetics tell us so. Mind you, it is a growing trend among the upper class - each test is $2000 with a full 'bells and whistles' program costing $6000.

These 'longevity specialists' have discovered an untapped market of the rich and stupid. For example, one client and I quote "a smoker, learned he faces a higher risk of lung cancer and it cemented his will to quit". No shit sherlock. I guess the fact that lung cancer is the most preventable of all human cancers, 1 in 12 canadians will die from it and it remains the leading cause of cancer wasn't cause enough.

Basic common sense seems to have gone out the window. We know many of these ailments are hereditary and if one's family has a history of heart attacks, cancer, althzhimers or diabetes - do we really need a test to tell us 'that we face a higher risk of ______________"? Aren't these things generally already on our radar?