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Precision Medicine & Predictive Medicine

Preventive health care measures once only included generic recommendations such

as "follow a healthy diet" to help prevent serious conditions such as heart disease.

Tremendous strides in technology have created a new approach -- precision

medicine that designs proactive, predictive, preventive and participatory plans

according to your unique needs. Dr. Lonnele Ball and her team at the Institute for

Predictive Medicine & Longevity have been applying precision medicine to their own

practices for nearly a decade. Located in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San

Francisco, this specialized team of professionals can design a diagnostic study plan

that gives you precise answers regarding your health risks and how to avoid them.

Q&A

What is Predictive Medicine?

The predictive medicine model focuses on creating a comprehensive health care

plan that’s uniquely tailored to meet your individual & family history, your genomics,

your digital footprint, lifestyle phenotype and your physiological needs. The underlying
goal is to take action before you develop symptoms of an imbalance, disease, or illness
that threatens your health.

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If you’re already experiencing symptoms, this precision medicine health care approach makes it possible to customize a treatment plan for your unique circumstances and physiology, rather than treating you with a “one-size-fits-all” diet, drug, or other medical therapy.

What is precision medicine?

Conventional medicine has long used a "one-size-fits-all" approach to treating and

preventing illness. This technique considers an average of the population when

developing treatment protocols. Studies may show, for instance, that most

individuals with dangerously-elevated cholesterol respond well to treatment with a

particular type of medication. Therefore all individuals with dangerously-elevated

cholesterol are treated with the same medication. Unfortunately, the treatment is

useless if you're one of those individuals who won't respond to the medication used

in the study.

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Instead, precision medicine takes into account individual differences in your genes,

environment, and lifestyle that might affect how you respond to certain treatments or

preventive measures. This highly-personalized approach allows doctors and

researchers to more accurately identify effective care and prevention strategies for

you as an individual, rather than designing a generic plan that works for an average

number of people in the population.

What is wearable sensor technology and how is it used?

The comfortable, wearable sensors used by the institute transmit continuous data
streams that are all about you and your health.


The sensors track items such as your:

  • Temperature

  • Sleep quality and activity level

  • Blood pressure and heart health

  • Blood oxygenation, blood glucose, and blood alcohol

  • Hormone levels, cycle tracking
     

The data obtained from the sensor is stored in your personal data cloud and allows
your physicians and wellness coaches to monitor your health in real-time. This
means your team can reach out immediately and make recommendations that help
you effectively maintain “healthy” physiology. When you’re ill, enduring exceptional
stressors or outside of your “safe range” of biometrics, your physicians & wellness
team are notified immediately with guardian features to reach out to you and extend
your care to even the most remote of regions.

What are the advantages of precision medicine?

The precision medicine model relies greatly on your genetic profile to determine your
risk of developing certain diseases. In the past, family history and lifestyle were
certainly taken into consideration, but some patients with no obvious predictors
sometimes develop serious conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Genetic studies provide a much more accurate picture of your risks and enable you
to pursue effective risk management efforts long before you develop a disease.


If you do develop a disease, cancer, for instance, studying the genetic markers of
your cancer can help your oncologist formulate a treatment plan that targets your
specific tumor type and its genetic weaknesses. Rather than showering your system
with a "generic" chemotherapy regimen that kills all your fast-growing cells, precision

medicine can help target and & "kill" the blood supply to your tumor, if that's a more
effective treatment for your cancer type.

What are some of the conditions you can identify with genetic studies?

The experts at the Institute for Predictive Medicine & Longevity can design genetic
and diagnostic studies to address numerous issues, including your risk of developing
a rare disease. The team works closely with leading experts in the fields of:

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  • Oncology

  • Cardiology

  • Endocrinology

  • Neurology
     

At the Institute for Predictive Medicine & Longevity, the team's efforts are designed
to help you understand your health risks and make informed decisions about
managing those risks long before you develop an illness.

© Copyright Institute for Predictive Medicine & Longevity 2019 â€‹â€‹
Lonnele Ball, PhD, San Francisco, CA
APPOINTMENTS: 415.289.5060     |    GENERAL INQUIRIES: 415.289.5060

LOCATION: 2201 Webster St, San Francisco, CA 94115

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