Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Why Your DNA Is Worthless (& What You Need To Focus On Instead).
Description
Your DNA alone is worthless.
So claim my guests on today's show, Dr. Matt Dawson and Dr. Mike Mallin of Wild Health, with locations in Versailles, KY, and Bend, OR.
I first interviewed these guys in the episode "How To Use Precision Medicine To Enhance Athletic Performance, Defy Aging, Balance Hormones, Fix The Heart & Much More." and now they're back to talk all things DNA and genetics.
Dr. Matt Dawson is a precision medicine physician in Lexington, KY, co-host of the Wild Health podcast and has been obsessed with performance optimization as long as he can remember. He received scholarships to play two sports in college even with “minimal talent” because of his voracious reading and implementation of any fitness or nutritional techniques that would give him an edge.
Dr. Dawson continued that obsession in medical school and, as a physician, he has won national awards for education, innovation, and leadership. He has lectured in over 20 countries and trained thousands of other physicians through live lecture, online education, two textbooks, and an educational app.
Dr. Dawson combines his training in genomics and functional medicine to give personalized, precise medical guidance. His obsession with performance optimization has morphed from initially athletic to now mental performance and longevity.
Whether it's a professional athlete or a grandparent optimizing their mental clarity and mobility to keep up with their grandkids, Dr. Dawson is passionate about helping everyone perform at their absolute peak.
Dr. Mike Mallin is a physician in Bend, OR who is obsessed with health performance and precision medicine and is co-founder of the Wild Health podcast. He completed medical school in South Carolina and trained in Emergency Medicine in Salt Lake City, UT where he competed in several ultramarathons and found his love for the mountains and performance.
Mike currently practices in Bend, OR and Lexington, KY in his precision medicine clinics. He is also co-founder of the Ultrasound Podcast, an educational podcast that has taught thousands of physicians all over the world how to use ultrasound, as well as Wild Health, his podcast focusing on health performance and longevity.
During our discussion, you'll discover: -Why DNA data in and of itself is insufficient...- Epigenomics: Genomics taken in context of the whole person
- Get a sense of what a person's genes are transcribing via lab values
- Understand how lifestyle and habits can affect specific genes (ex. PGC1A)
- Needed a simplified means of interpreting genetic results
- Falsehoods have been noted in DNA reports
- A comprehensive analysis includes lifestyle, preferences, microbiome, etc.
- DNA reports will occasionally translate RSID's wrong
- Misreading data can lead to unhealthy lifestyle decisions
- Lifestyle and patient preferences factor heavily
- Microbiome data is important
- Looking for a more comprehensive picture of a patient than simple data
- Cholesterol levels, cardiovascular conditions, etc. are taken into account
- "Whole picture" approach allows for more accurate diagnoses and appropriate r