by brant bullard | Apr 6, 2015 | Metabolic Validation Program
The battle, known as polypharmacy, is estimated to cause the death of 100,000 older adults each year.
Polypharmacy may be defined as the number of medications (eg, using a large number of different medications prescribed by different providers), the necessity of the medications that are prescribed, or the complexity of a patient’s problems. Whatever the definition, polypharmacy is an important issue in elderly patients. Sometimes this issue cannot be helped, but many times polypharmacy occurs simply because healthcare providers fail to communicate proper patient recommendations to the patient’s primary care provider.
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by brant bullard | Mar 23, 2015 | News
According to the CDC, each year, millions of adults aged 65 and older fall.
Falls in older adults can cause moderate to severe injuries, such as hip fractures and head traumas, and can increase the risk of early death. Fortunately, falls are a public health problem that is largely preventable.
In 2013, 2.5 million non-fatal falls amoung older adults were treated in emergency rooms and more than 734,000 of those patients were hospitalized costing an estimated $34 billion.
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by brant bullard | Jan 14, 2015 | News
“In the next 5-10 years, pharmacogenomics will revolutionize medicine and the way in which drugs are developed” – Global Business Insight
By identifying differences between patients’ genetic makeup and the effect this has on drug response, pharmacogenomics has the potential to reduce medical costs, improve drug development and therapy and cause a shift from treatment to prevention.
It is not surprising then, “that many leading industry figures believe pharmacogenomics will revolutionize the face of pharmaceutical drug development and, consequently, clinical practice”.
Pharmacogenomics and Drug Therapy:
Selection of appropriate drug and dose for the individual patient in order to:
- Achieve optimal therapeutic response
- Avoid therapeutic failure
- Minimize side effects and toxicity
The value of the metabolic validation tool, via pharmacogenomic testing, is to predict and select right drug, right dose for the right person. Making patient care more effective and improving quality of life.
For more information on pharmacogenomics, contact:
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
405-509-5112
info@pgxmed.com
Source:
oecd.org
AAPS.org
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by brant bullard | Jan 1, 2015 | Partners
Dr. Jami Benton, MD
I have found the Metabolic Validation test to be very useful for patients in my clinic practice as well as my nursing home patients. It is quick to use! In fact, my nurses do all of the work and then they go thru the results and alert me of the medications that are less likely to work for those patients. It takes no time for me at all! The paperwork is very minimal and nurses can fill it out. The swab takes less than a minute to swab the inside of both cheeks. Then it gets mailed off and the results come back in just a few days.
I had a patient in my clinic that had seen multiple doctors, a psychiatrist and several counselors for her depression. She had tried many medications to help her depression but she complained that none of them made her feel better. We did the Metabolic Validation testing and found out that the patient had a gene mutation that kept ALL of the antidepressants from working. No wonder she never felt better with the medications! From the test results we found some alternative medications that could be used to treat her depression. She was so relieved that there was a really good reason for the previous anti-depressants not to work.
I had a patient who had shoulder surgery who kept complaining that the Hydrocodone did not help his pain. The Naproxen actually did better in controlling his pain. He did the Metabolic Validation testing and found out that Hydrocodone does not work well for his pain but Naproxen works best. This is helpful information if he ever has to use pain medication again.
I had a patient who complained that his pain meds were not working at all and would ask for more and more. I suspected he was a drug seeker but could not prove it. He did the Metabolic Validation testing and ALL of the narcotics work well for him. We now know he is a drug seeker and treat him appropriately.
The PGx Medical Metabolic Validation test is helpful if a patient is not responding to a medication as well as we think they should. This helps us chose appropriate medications that are more likely to work and avoid those that may cause problems for the patient. It is very helpful with resistant depression, psychosis and ADHD medication failures. I am even starting to use the testing first before prescribing any medication. Patients love the testing because we can avoid the medications that are not likely to work or those that could cause adverse reactions; they get on the right medications quicker with less trial and error. Insurances like it because it saves them money by getting quicker results without multiple medication changes.
Nursing Home surveyors encourage nursing homes to use the Metabolic Validation testing on patients to try to keep patients off of multiple medications and to use those that work well. It also decreases the adverse reactions and helps keep patients off of anti-psychotics or at least on minimal doses of anti-psychotics.
Jami Benton, M.D., graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology from Northwestern Oklahoma State University. She then attended the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine and completed a Master of Science, as well as a Doctor of Medicine, degree. Benton completed a residency in 2008 at the Oklahoma University Rural Family Practice residency program where she served as chief resident.
Benton has been committed to providing health care in northwest Oklahoma since completion of her residency. She is board certified in family practice and is a member of the American Academy of Family Practice.
Dr. Benton currently practices at Integris Family First in Enid, OK. She also see’s patients at the Integris Clinic – Cherokee Family Clinic in Cherokee, OK and is the current Medical Director at Cherokee Manor and Fairview Fellowship Home.
To schedule an appointment, please call 580-242-4300.
For more information on Metabolic Validation Testing, contact,
PGx Medical
Individualized Care – Personalized Medicine
info@pgxmed.com
405-509-5112
by brant bullard | Dec 18, 2014 | News
It can be difficult to predict who will benefit from a medication, who will not respond at all and who will experience adverse effects. Pharmacogenetics seeks to understand how differences in genes and their expressions affect the body’s response to medications. Learn more from PGx Medical.
Listen to the live interview with OCAST and PGx Medical click here.
More on OCAST:
OCAST works with entrepreneurs, researchers and companies that are early in the process by helping them fund research to prove their ideas, linking them to larger funding sources and introducing them to other researchers and resources to strengthen their ideas. In our 26-year history, we have funded more than 2,450 research projects and provided support to hundreds of Oklahoma-based companies. The investment we make in those businesses yields a high return to the state – from increasing tax revenue to improving the quality of life of people around the world.
Read more at: Oklahoma Center for Advancement of Science & Technology
