Genetic Testing, the Standard of Care & Individual Rights to Privacy & Access to Care

Our societies are called on to Solve Some WICKED PROBLEMS involving Auto-Immune Disease, Cancer, Neuro-Developmental Differences, Psychiatric Disorders & Neurological Diseases

Val's Take/Conjecture

• A lot of the problems we're facing are "WICKED PROBLEMS" of our own BIOLOGIES ---
• It doesn't breakdown NEATLY into GOOD & BAD -- it's a POSITIVE in some ENVIRONMENTS --- a NEGATIVE in others.
• AND WE'VE really got to UNDERSTAND what we're doing on BOTH the LARGE SCALE and the INDIVIDUAL SCALE.
• SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST --- is a pretty BLUNT INSTRUMENT ---
• Further --- we all have pretty much the same genes and the greatest diversity is in the IMMUNE SYSTEM.
• In the form we're in now --- the HUMAN BEING --- we're ALL OF THE BELOW:
  • TOP PREDATOR
  • A RATIONAL ANIMAL
  • Destroying the Planet ---
  • As we COMPETE against each other
• It is BOTH an INSPIRING and DEEPLY TROUBLING PICTURE.

 

• I remember a brilliant guy I knew who was also pretty weird and could be a jerk --- said, "I don't think my genes are that special."
  • I think that's true.

 

• US vs. THEM THINKING is all around us and in many ways it may be LESS than what it was HISTORICALLY---
  • Further, there's a MUSICAL CHAIRS quality to "US vs. THEM THINKING"
  • Our "BALANCING ACT" is very much DEPENDENT on PUSHING "SOMEONE" to the BOTTOM
    • In the long run, that's not good for anyone ---
    • BUT it is especially not good in the short term for the person or group(s) -- that get pushed to the BOTTOM. 
      

When it comes to NEURO-DIVERSITY --- at least in some cases what we're talking about is MORE REACTIVE CELLS.

• Is that Good or Bad?
• Well, it DEPENDS ---
  • On the Physical Environment
  • On the Diversity in our Microbiomes
    • One of the great insights of the 21st Century is that HUMAN REASONING & FUNCTIONING is DEPENDENT on NON-HUMAN "ACTORS"
  • On the Emotional Environment
  • On the Social Environment
  • A lot of what we think it is to be HUMAN is seen in the EXTREMES with Neuro-Diversity and Maternal Immune Activation.
    • A lot of the INDIVIDUALITY we see among HUMANS is the result of ---
      • GENETIC DIVERSITY in the IMMUNE SYSTEM, and
      • MATERNAL IMMUNE ACTIVATION
        

Much of what the FREEWILL vs. DETERMINISM DEBATE gets WRONG is it is ROOTED IN THE PAST rather than LOOKING TO THE FUTURE.

We're all just BORN INTO THIS --- and if OUR SOCIETIES --- Don't KNOW or Don't have all the answers --- and they usually don't ---That's often putting a HEAVY BURDEN on the INDIVIDUAL or GROUPS of INDIVIDUALS to FIGURE THINGS OUT.

University of Manchester Professor Daniel Davis

BIOLOGY: Genes & Immunity

According to Davis, the Greatest Diversity of Human Genes is in Our Immune Systems --- and it's Essential we have that Diversity.

How The Black Death Shaped the Evolution of Immunity and Led to a Rise In Auto-Immunity (2022)

Science X:  Phys.org, Medical Xpress, Tech Xplore

Neanderthal DNA has Subtle but Significant Impact (2016)

Vanderbilt University

Those impacts can be both positive and negative for mental health.

University of Michigan

The Study of Bipolar Disorder is the Study of Humanity

People with Bipolar Disorder have MORE REACTIVE CELLS.

CONFIDENTIALITY is a BAROMETER of whether we have things FIGURED OUT ---

• IF WE'VE GOT THIS --- there's generally not a lot of ANXIETY about DISCUSSING a particular issue ---
• IF We don't have this --- there's going to be a lot of anxiety about a particular issue
  • If we don't have this and there's a lot of anxiety --- SOME NEURO-DIVERSE PEOPLE are going to start pushing the ENVELOPE ---
    • Because they know IGNORANCE WON'T SOLVE THE ISSUE.
    • They may also know that we need to "SCRUB IDENTIFYING INFORMATION" ---
    • Provide UNIVERSAL ACCESS to the CARE we do have, and
    • SLOWLY COME OUT OF THE NEURO-DIVERSE CLOSET ---
      • For our own Mental Health and that of others.