A world with NO cancer- An answer to Chronic Diseases?

The Precision Medicine Revolution- No cancer, No Alzheimer's, No heart disease?

In light of incredible technological advancements being made in just about every sector we know, we are launching into a wondrous new age of epic discoveries that will transform the ways in which we live our lives. One such innovation is being made right now in the field of medicine. The previous inefficient treatment methods of the past are going to be old news when this new mega trend becomes a reality. In fact, I believe this new method of medicine is going to eliminate diseases that we never thought possible.

Imagine a world with NO cancer.
NO Alzheimer's.
NO diabetes .
NO heart disease.

You may be thinking- there's no way, that's impossible or what is this guy smoking?
But the fact of the matter is, is that Precision medicine is going to eliminate the 'one size fits all approach' to health that we are all so accustomed to in this day in age.

So, what exactly is Precision Medicine?

Well, simply put, it is the use of our genetic information, or genomes, in tandem with our medical history to help treat diseases. It is a technique employed to match your very symptoms against a massive health database that looks to target exactly what you have. Currently, when you go to the doctor, let's say for hypertension (high blood pressure), the doctor will measure your BP and if it is high, then you will immediately be prescribed an antihypertensive medication. The scary part about this, however, is that the doctor writes the same prescription for you, me and everyone who has high BP. This current method and 'universal' approach simply does not distinguish one person from another. Another problem with this universal approach is that the medicine prescribed fails about 50 % of the time. This is not specific to just hypertension either, this is consistent with many medical prescriptions that are being administered in the health industry today.

Why do medications fail so often?

Well, because not everyone is the same. Everyone has their very own unique genetic makeup that is blueprinted by their own DNA, thus we need genetically designed prescription medications in order for them to work more effectively. It is also important to note that genome sequencing has become much less expensive as these advancements are being made. With this individualized approach to medicine, patients will be administered the right drug at exactly the right time to meet their very needs.
Simply put, precision medicine will allow for doctors to more accurately identify which medications and treatments will work best to prevent a particular disease from ever occurring, or to reverse the condition of an existing disease such as diabetes mellitus.

A new weapon in the war against cancer?

Cancer is one of those diseases that has likely had an impact on just about everyone around the world. Nearly everyone knows someone, has lost someone or has been diagnosed with some form of cancer. There are over 100 types of cancer out there, and this disease is having a large burden on our society as a whole. The national expenditures on cancer continue to rise, as do all health expenditures, but this particular cost could reach as high as $150 billion by the year 2020.
Precision medicine can help aid in making cancer treatments for effective because most cancers (closer to half actually) can be traced back to the genetic code. So now a patient can receive treatment that specifically targets cancer cells rather than ALL cells like we see with current treatment methods like chemotherapy. With this implication, success rates will increase and horrible side effects will, in turn go away, thus resulting in a quicker and speedier recoveries for cancer patients.

How exactly will this be done?

Well, this trend will be backed and powered by big data in the IoT(internet of things) trend of course. Big data will be utilized in digitized health records to match against our knowledge of exactly how different diseases and conditions present themselves in the real world. So instead of educated guesses by doctors and physicians, your exact condition will be diagnosed more precise based on decades of health studies and meta-analyses, as well as data from patients who have had the exact same condition and were treated before you. Using this data and the diagnostic tests based on our genetic code gives us a more coherent understanding as to why a specific medication will work for you, but not for someone else.
If you ask me, this type of health care innovation is a massive improvement from the current healthcare situation in the U.S. We are currently at the forefront of a revolution so enormous, that it is going to completely change the entire 1.7 trillion dollar health care industry as we know it. Instead of the pure selling power of big Biotech companies controlling sales, drugs will only be administered if there is a chance of it actually working.

What do you guys think about this emerging field in medicine? What implications do you think it will have on our society as a whole or the health care industry alone? Do you guys think this could be the next big thing in health as I do?
Share your thoughts and let's discuss the future of our nation as it unfolds in front of our very eyes.