Jennifer Gibson, on brainblogger.com, has a new compelling post “One Size Does Not Fit All” in which she reports, “[u]p to half of drug therapy is ineffective, according to recent statistics.”  Gibson traces this ineffectiveness to issues, such as “individual differences in enzymes that metabolize drugs, variations in drug transporters, ethnic differences, and environmental changes.”

Making recommendations for the future, Gibson comments, “The advent of personalized medicine and the departure from the current one-size-fits-all health care model requires a paradigm shift for patients and providers. New standards will emerge for the management of genetic information and education will be paramount for clinicians and patients. There are still more questions than answers regarding personalized medicine and tailoring therapy to each individual, but, hopefully, personalized medicine will be a large piece of the future health care puzzle, allowing more preventive medicine and evidence-based treatment selection.”

I agree wholeheartedly; personalized treatment for brain issues, including looking for solutions beyond medications,  creates far more successful outcomes.