Can we live robustly until our last breath? Do we have to suffer from debilitating conditions and sickness? Is it possible to add more vibrant years to our lives?
In The End of Illness, released this week by David B. Agus, MD, Navigenics’ co-founder and one of the world’s leading cancer doctors, researchers, and technology innovators, tackles these fundamental questions, challenging long-held wisdoms and dismantling misperceptions about what “health” means.
For one reporter covering the story, things got personal. “Nightline” anchor Bill Weir went through Dr. Agus’ “lab of the future” as part of his narrative, using Navigenics and other innovative health technologies to take a fresh look at his own health.
What he found couldn’t have surprised him more.
“I didn’t really think it would find anything. I thought it was interesting and it was all very fun, it was just another story, until the moment he said you have heart disease.”
A full-body CT scan found a calcification in Bill’s heart that could lead to a heart attack in the near term. Lucky for Bill, Dr. Agus caught this risk early and, given his young age and overall health, simple changes such as taking a statin and monitoring his activity levels will likely help Bill avoid future complications.
Bill also explores his genetic data from Navigenics to better understand his genetic predispositions to conditions such as diabetes, colon cancer and heart attack. Knowing more about his genetics – or what Dr. Agus called his health “ingredient list” – will give Bill the potential to “change the recipe a little” by making changes to his lifestyle or environment.
Bill was happy to have the information. “With today’s cutting edge technology, it is possible to know more yourself than you ever imagined. And even if your genetics are stacked against you, you can use the knowledge to change the odds.”
Click here to watch Bill’s life saving assignment, see other videos exploring the technologies and blood tests of the future, or hear audio excerpts of Dr. Agus’ book The End of Illness.