Personalized healthcare offers a way to receive medical care and treatment that is heavily based on your individual needs. Rather than receiving care that’s more generalized, this type of healthcare takes a number of personal factors into consideration in order to provide you with a more effective treatment. 

Genetic Testing

Genetic testing is an integral part of personalized healthcare. This type of testing allows doctors to pinpoint exact causes and affected areas of certain diseases, such as cancer, which leads to more accurate treatment methods. Instead of providing patients with a general treatment approach that aims to relieve symptoms, genetic testing for certain diseases makes it possible to create a treatment plan that specifically targets the cause of these diseases. This individualized approach, along with improved information sharing, can improve patients’ chances of successfully overcoming these diseases. Genetic testing helps doctors understand diseases more and learn more about how they affect each patient individually. This differs from more standard diagnostic tests that provide more general information about a patient’s symptoms and condition.

Medications

When it comes to treatment options, personalized medicine offers patients a chance to receive medications that provide more effective results. These medications can be manufactured and delivered using more precise targeting, which can lead to improved outcomes. For example, chemotherapy offers a generalized approach to treating cancer. Chemotherapy destroys cancerous cells, but it also destroys healthy cells, which leads to potentially serious side effects. There are also no guarantees that it will successfully beat cancer. Personalized healthcare provides doctors with an opportunity to use more customized medications that target cancerous mutations, which can help slow or stop the spread of cancer. As interest in personalized medicine continues to grow, researchers are focusing on coming up with more effective ways to fight cancer and other diseases using a more individualized approach.

Compounding Pharmacies

When it comes to personalized medicine, compounding pharmacies play a crucial role. These pharmacies are able to provide patients with customized medications that aren't available through pharmaceutical companies and corporate chains. A compounding pharmacy can give you medication that is specifically created for your individual health needs. This might mean combining one or more medications, offering a different dosage that isn’t generally available or providing you with a different form of medication that is easier for you to take. 

If you would like more information on personalized medicine, please contact Arena District Pharmacy. Our compounding pharmacy has been locally owned and operated by Ohio State grad Tony Buchta, who is available on-site to answer any questions you have or provide you with a consultation.