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We live in a really exciting time — every day, new advances are made in research, medication, and even in the way doctors approach treatment. Precision medicine is a fascinating approach that holds much promise for the future of rheumatoid arthritis and many other health conditions. In my new article for HealthCentral, I take a look at precision medicine: what it is. what it can do, and when the shift to this treatment approach will happen:

“Most people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have to try several different drugs before finding one that suppresses their disease. This trial-and-error process can be expensive and often allows the disease to progress and cause damage. And not everyone with RA responds to what’s currently available.

Imagine a future in which you are diagnosed before you feel any symptoms. Treatment would be developed based on your genetic makeup, environment, and lifestyle, as well as scientific evidence of others like you and an understanding of the genetics of the condition itself. You’d immediately start this treatment that might stop your RA before it starts or bring you into remission.

That’s precision medicine.

This is a complex approach, which will require “redefining diagnoses and treatment paradigms based upon ever-increasing data from genetic studies, new laboratory discoveries, social studies of disease, and factors unique to certain groups of people,” said Dr. Robert G. Hylland, fellow of the American College of Rheumatology, and assistant clinical professor at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine.”

Read the rest of my article about precision medicine and RA on HealthCentral.