I have been a supporter of 23 and Me for quite a long time and continue with the hope that they will be able to restructure and continue with their excellent work. I willingly donated my DNA to their research projects and will leave it there. I am a great supporter of medical research as that is the only real way to combat problems associated with genetic abnormalities. Lifestyle plays such a huge role in how one lives their life from a medical viewpoint and especially exercise. Being a bit of an exercise fanatic I guess my thoughts do travel there very often during the day as I put in my generally 16,000 plus steps a day and cardio in the 300s range mostly. An active lifestyle does help with wanting to make use of your brain especially for recall and writing. But also I do not live in a world with mercantile medicine which makes a difference. When one starts to dole out medical care based on DNA results without looking at the lifestyle then people will not fare as well for sure. Being condemned by your medical results is exactly the same dreadful impact as being condemned for having autism or any of the myriad of emotional disorders that do not cripple you but do frame your existence somewhat. The world of childhood can be very unkind to a child with autism unless you protect them at home where they can acquire the abilities to manage in a non-autism world. You just need a thicker skin for sure.
So will 23 and Me last or will someone buy them out and continue the purpose of the company which was to enhance medical research. Medical research to me really had its root in the work of Dr Edward Jenner (1749-1823) and his way forward with vaccine. Immunology took a great leap forward when he began his work with cowpox (1794). He was the eighth of nine children and his father was a vicar in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England. However there were well known experimentalists in medicine before Dr Jenner. Given the mercantile medicine in the United States I was surprised when companies in the United States actually took on the DNA projects. Ancestry, of course, totally protects their clients with no data. It is totally based on family trees and matching process which are excellent actually. I use my Ancestry results in a very different way which fits in with the other projects very well when you have five siblings results across a number of testing companies. But the United States has always been a pioneer in every kind of research and have been very successful in their endeavours.
At some point there will be more news and I can make a final decision on my data in the 23 and Me website but for the moment I will continue. They are still selling tests and I am still acquiring matches.
So back to looking at matches today. It is quieting my mind quite a bit as I was finding the events of the days to be a bit overwhelming - that steady process of extraction is a calming methodology for the brain much like doing Sudoku. I will also clean and that is late this week as I generally clean on Monday and Tuesday but this week it will be Wednesday and Thursday and then back to the usual next week. I am trying to maintain my best ability to manage although I know my daughters are concerned about me and as I come into my 80s likely my life will change somewhat. My willingness to drive other than to the grocery store restricts me somewhat but the bus is also close by if I really feel the need to go somewhere. And sometimes I do drive further; the winter snow tires will be swapped in another month or so for the all purpose tires along with the oil change and peace of mind checkup.
Breakfast time and I am really late today.
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