test yourself? not if the government can help it.

at-home genetic testing is now available from numerous companies. the benefits are great - they're cheap, convenient, and fast. results are available online, and aren't typically recorded in medical histories, keeping information private:

'We are empowering patients with knowledge,' said Ryan Phelan, who recently launched the San Francisco-based testing company DNA Direct."

genetic testing from a local doctor or hospital is expensive and limited. entrepreneurs want to bring this useful technology to more people, particularly those without good insurance to cover hospital testing.

however, not everyone is excited about the blossoming testing business. although testing companies often employ their own doctors and genetic counselors, officials, no doubt at the urging of powerful lobbying groups, are concerned. they worry that there are not enough medical resources available to help patients interpret their results, and that the do-it-yourself flavor will cut primary physicians out of the loop.

doctor lobbies have unsuccessfully attempted to block home testing in other areas, such as for hiv, where the american medical association went so far as to call do-it-yourself testing a "public health concern." when medicine and government are tied so closely together, we inevitably get officials making rulings that stifle innovation and withhold technological advances from everyone.