Kurt’s Journey to Precision Medicine
Part of the reason I decided to be an ER doctor is that I have always loved the active lifestyle, and working in the ER allows one to make their own schedule and set aside time for important things like family and fun.
I spent my youth playing all day long in the fields and forests in rural Iowa. In high school, I played basketball, lacrosse, and ran track. I was a varsity rower in college. I have biked, run, skied, hiked, and lifted weights throughout my adult life and I continue to do so in my 50s.
A few years ago, though, I started noticing a lot more aches and pains. Often I would develop fatigue and mental fog in the middle of the day. My running times started to slow down and my power output on the bike was dropping. I was disappointed and confused and thought, “I guess this is what getting old is like.”
But I wanted to know if there were things I was doing that was causing this reduction in my energy, focus, and performance, so I took at deep dive into the research. That pathway led me to a much happier and healthier life, and it led me away from the ER and to a new career in precision medicine.
Why leave emergency medicine?
I became a doctor to solve patients’ problems! The sad state of affairs today is that it is quite rare that the ER or the hospital in general actually solve the major issues that are negatively impacting our patient’s health and quality of life.
The patients with issues we can truly fix in the hospital, like appendicitis or a broken ankle, are the minority. And even for most of these patients, they arrive at the hospital and leave with a host of other issues that were not addressed at all.
When was the last time that the hospital solved a patient's depression, fatigue, mental fog, chronic diarrhea, type II diabetes, long-term cancer or dementia risk, or weight problem?
For doctors to improve people's long-term wellness and get them feeling great, we have to identify and address the root causes of their health challenges! This key first step simply isn't done in most hospitals, medical clinics, or primary care offices.
The experience of working for many years in the ER made me want to prevent chronic illness and optimize people’s performance, not just try to decrease the harm to patients after they are already sick.
The amazing results I saw using precision medicine on my own health
My father developed Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) at the very young age of 50. Watching the steady decline of this vibrant, highly intelligent man to the point of death was heartbreaking and horrifying.
My family donated my dad’s remains for AD research. They were able to determine that his major risk was that he had two copies of the primary AD gene, ApoE4. ApoE4 is tightly linked to AD risk. If a patient has no copies, they have a 9% lifetime risk of AD. If they have one copy, that goes to 30%. If they have 2 copies, their risk increases to somewhere between 50 and 90%!!
Throughout my adult life, I resisted getting my genome tested for ApoE4 because I felt there was nothing I could do with the information if I was positive with two copies. That was true 10 or 20 years ago, but now that idea could not be more wrong!
We now know that there are many things that can massively reduce your risk of AD, even if you have two copies of ApoE4. We also know that having one or two copies of ApoE4 is what we call non-deterministic. That means AD is not like Huntington’s Disease (a rare, devastating neurologic disease), where if you inherit the gene for it you get the disease. It means you can control your own destiny. It means you can likely prevent AD regardless of your ApoE4 status, just by making changes to your diet, type, and frequency of exercise, sleep, and even sauna use. I also learned about increasing some key nutrients, mental engagement, and social connections.
Armed with this deeper understanding, I got myself tested for ApoE4, as well as testing my entire genome for my other health challenges and opportunities. I found that I am an ApoE4 carrier, but I lucked out with just one copy. I also found out the genetic reasons for why I was developing aches and pains, why I always had trouble sleeping, why I am often hungry even after eating a meal, why I often get bloating and diarrhea after some meals, why my cholesterol runs on the high side, why I seem to benefit most from HIIT workouts, and many, many other fascinating and useful facts.
Armed with my genome testing results, as well as a few blood tests, I was able to identify the vast majority of the root causes of my current symptoms, as well as my long term risks for diseases. I made simple, sustainable, pleasant changes to my lifestyle. In my 50s, I lost weight and increased muscle mass. I increased my VO2 max, total strength, and max power output. My sleep problems and digestive issues are gone. I know how to train right so that I don’t get sore. I do not ever wake up with aches and pains. My energy level, mental focus, and mood are fantastic.
The difference in my health and happiness before and after applying precision medicine principles to my own health can not be overstated. My results have been nothing short of revolutionary! I now am in my mid-50s and I feel and perform like I did in my 30s.
I am now obsessed with helping other people use precision medicine to get the same gains that my patients and I have enjoyed! I feel like I have a much bigger impact on my patient’s long-term well-being now than I ever did during over 20 years working in the ER!
