The Navigator - Navigenics Blog
Genetic insights into health and wellness
March 31, 2009
What’s a secret to possibly preventing heart disease, diabetes or Alzheimer’s disease?
There are many effective strategies for reducing your risk, ranging from getting regular exercise and watching your diet to avoiding cigarettes and controlling your cholesterol.
But another measure has been emerging as a prevention powerhouse, one that is rarely discussed – and still frequently overlooked – by many health-conscious individuals.
Categories: Diabetes, Heart attack, Heart disease, Longevity, Prevention
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March 26, 2009
“This is not going to be your typical story about Alzheimer’s disease,” explained Nightline co-anchor Terry Moran. “…You get to come to my office and watch me spit in a tube.”
And so began Moran’s personal tale of his quest to discover whether Alzheimer’s disease might one day control his life, just as it had his mother’s not that many years ago.
By spitting into a special tube and shipping his saliva sample to Navigenics, Moran was able to experience first-hand one of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine – the ability to size up his genetic code and learn his personal genetic risk for a disease he has long abhorred.
“My moment of truth,” he told the cameras, as he prepared to get the results of his Navigenics genetic test. “I wanted to face my fears...”
Categories: About Navigenics, Alzheimer's disease
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March 25, 2009
It’s always nice to be recognized. Being called one of the “Fabulous Four” Bay Area businesses by a leading business columnist? Even better.
San Jose Mercury News writer Chris O’Brien recently featured Navigenics in his write-up of Bay Area companies that are succeeding during this global economic downturn. His profile is a pleasant acknowledgement of all the hard work that has gone into creating the genetic testing service that is most recommended by physicians.
Categories: About Navigenics
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March 23, 2009
Just what is genetic testing and how can it help your health?
Tune into “The Doctors” show on television today and you’ll get answers.
The show’s “Secrets to Living Longer” episode – which will air at 4 p.m. on Fox in many media markets – features the Navigenics genetic testing services.
Learn how a simple saliva test can help you determine whether you are genetically predisposed to certain diseases such as colon cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. The tests can enable you and your physician to come up with a personalized health plan to prevent the conditions, delay them or detect them early.
Categories: About Navigenics
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March 19, 2009
Navigenics is pleased to announce the acquisition of a clinical testing facility for our genetic testing services. I’d like to share the details about this exciting opportunity, as described in a news release issued today:
Navigenics, a leading personal genomics testing company, announced today the acquisition of the Affymetrix Clinical Services Laboratory, a CLIA-certified testing facility that provides molecular genome scanning using the Affymetrix GeneChip® microarray platform. With the purchase of this testing facility, Navigenics can now offer fully integrated genome screening and analysis under one roof.
Categories: About Navigenics
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March 17, 2009
With so many new genetic discoveries, technologies, and applications, the number of companies offering genetic testing has skyrocketed over the past few years.
As a genetics professional, it is incredibly exciting to me that the genetics field is becoming more accessible to more people.
But not all genetic tests are the same, and not all genetic testing companies offer accurate and useful services. How is a person to sort through all the options to make an informed decision?
Now, an independent lab testing group has made it easier to decide…
Categories: About Navigenics, Genetic privacy, Genetic counseling
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March 10, 2009
Step away from the couch. Put down that remote control.
Engaging in even a modest amount of exercise (just 74 minutes per week!) has been associated with a significant improvement in quality of life among middle-aged women, a new study shows.
It’s not exactly a secret that exercise has a myriad of health benefits. But what scientists found in a six-month study may surprise you.
Categories: About Navigenics
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March 02, 2009
Cancer deaths among African-Americans have been steadily declining in recent years, but are still much higher than they should be.
For most types of cancer, blacks continue to have the highest death rate – and shortest survival – of any racial or ethnic group in the United States, the American Cancer Society reported recently in a sweeping review of African-Americans and cancer.
All too often, when cancer is diagnosed in an African-American patient, the disease is more advanced and harder to beat, the scientists found.
The issue has more to do with social and economic disparities – and a lack of early screening – than any biological differences associated with race, the scientists concluded. Inequalities in wealth, education and health insurance are partly to blame.
But cancer also is not being detected early enough.
As a result, more than 63,000 African-Americans will die from cancer this year.
Categories: About Navigenics, Breast cancer, Colon cancer, Stomach cancer, Lung cancer, Prostate cancer
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