At this time heart failure is one of the leading causes of death. We used to believe that smoking, being overweight, and having a family history of such ailments were the main causes of such. Unfortunately, every day younger person without a predisposition to heart failure are dying or suffering from the disease. Doctors and scientists are looking for new options in medication and have created a pill named BiDil as part of an emerging practice called “race-based” medicine (Herper, 2005, para.2). This medication has created dramatic results by reducing heart failure in African Americans by almost fifty percent but it has also caused controversy. Some people believe that is inappropriate to treat people based on race while others think that it might be best to get customized medicine, which can potentially save more lives. I believe that doctors and scientists should develop and use race-based medicine because each race has unique genetic traits or makeup that specialized treatment might provide them a cure or a high chance of survival.
Considering race in the making of medicine can be important to understand diseases in different groups of the population. Even though every human being is considered to be unique genetically, some races will have a predisposition for certain ailments. The sociologist Troy Duster noted in the New York Times (Malik, 2005, para.5) that the genetic make-up of human beings is more precise to look at in making medicine than the society itself. Duster’s point can be taken in two different ways; People against race-based medicine fear that scientists will only look at genetics instead of taking into account the environmental effect in certain ailments. I believe that the environment won’t make a huge difference since most countries have standards to provide people with healthy living conditions. The use of “traditional medicine” which takes into account the environment has been successful in some areas but it hasn’t found successful treatments for certain ailments. Using new technology to find treatments that can help us extend peoples’ lives is worth the try. Some drugs for example work better in women than in men and some drugs will work better with certain races than others. BiDil and its success in reducing heart failure in African Americans is a clear example of the new benefits that can be seen by this new way of medicine.
Medical “stereotyping” should not be seen as racist as some opponents assert. Because recognizing and understanding the typical patterns of certain people could be a magnificent tool to help us cure them. The article “Race Based Medicine Arrives” from forbes.com by Harper reported that, “Race and ethnicity may act as surrogates, either for slight genetic differences based on ancestry, or physical differences based on upbringing or environment” (2005, para. 4). The study of genetic traits can help us see what is common in each race or what they lack. Analyzing the typical response of individuals to certain factors and environments can help us generate personalized medication that will best suit them. People from South America, for example, love to eat carbohydrates and high cholesterol meals. Their daily habits are causing a high number of people to be diagnosed with heart failure and diabetes. Learning about their typical habits can help develop medicine that could potentially reduce some of their health problems (Dreifus, 2005, Para. 5). Unfortunately, one of the biggest fears associated with this practice is the financial burden that stereotyping could create at the time of obtaining medical insurance. People are concerned about rocket-high medical insurance due to race predisposition. A major problem could be present if insurance companies can deny insurance, like they do with pre-existing. The patients’ concerns about race-based medicine are understandable but I think that looking openly at the positive benefits can help us make an informed decision that could potentially help us live much longer. We should avoid being sensitive about stereotyping to see the benefit that can be obtained from learning the typical problems from each race.
The benefits of race-based medicine should be seen as a new way to help cure more people. Harper (2005, para. 5) noted that more studies have come up showing racial differences in how patients contract diseases or benefit from drugs that cure ailments like osteoporosis and cancer among others. Different populations show different patterns of diseases and responses to treatment. The success of the lung cancer pill Iressa in Asia could be seen as an indicator that we are going in the right direction. After all, we have nothing to lose especially when people are dying of cancer every year because we haven’t been able to find more successful treatments. As Harper (2005,para. 5) stated, “many hope that this brief fling with differences that correlate to race and gender is just a short step on the path to using a genetic test to match a drug to a patient”. This new advancement in technologies will hopefully help us administer better medical treatments in the near future. The benefit of having different medical options is to see what treatment better suits you and gives you a better chance of survival.
Thus, raced-based medicine could be seen as a racist approach. I believe that we should give it a try with an open mind to see the benefits that it can bring. Even though I understand the opposition perspectives I think that the whole point about using medicine is survival. In times of desperate needs, people only care about one thing which is hope. I have seen cancer patients try different treatments for transplants, homeopathic and traditional medicine because their only goal is surviving. Race-based medicine is one more option available that can be a lifesaver for many other people. As mentioned by Harper, “race and ethnicity may act as surrogates, either for slight genetic differences based on ancestry, or physical differences based on upbringing or environment”. Learning each race, similar genetic traits can help doctors prevent or find better treatments. As technology advances, we need to be open to finding better medical treatments that can help us have a healthier life.
Reference List
Dreifus, C. (2005).A Conversation with Troy Duster: a sociologist confronts ‘the Messy Stuff’. New York: The New York Times. Web.
Herper, M. (2005). Pharmaceuticals: Race-Based Medicine Arrives. New York: Nutromed Incorporation. Web.
Malik, K. (2005). Is This the Future we Want? Different Drugs for Different Races. The Times. Web.