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SALT Health
Ep. 8 - Genomic Testing Secrets: Customizing Your Health
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Standardized medical advice often fails because generic health protocols ignore individual biological realities. Treating a patient based on population averages leaves critical vulnerabilities unaddressed and leads to ineffective interventions. Dr. Aunna Herbst, nurse practitioner Jacob Ponder, and health coach Whitney Moore break down actionable insights from the 2026 National Intellect DNA Conference to show how clinical genomics replaces guesswork with targeted care.
We sit down to examine how genomic testing acts as a precision support tool for customizing long-term wellness. The team unpacks the core distinction between inherited traits and active environmental gene interactions, detailing how specific single nucleotide polymorphisms impact fat metabolism, stroke risks, and nutrient absorption. They share direct clinical observations—from reversing bad cholesterol trends by altering healthy fat intake to uncovering high-dose Vitamin A risks—proving why blanket health trends like cold therapy or high-intensity workouts do not work for every single body.
Navigating dense genomic reports requires filtering overwhelming data sets into clear, prioritized clinical steps tailored to individual health goals. High-level diagnostic testing demands an upfront commitment, but leveraging a permanent biological blueprint prevents decades of trial-and-error treatments, unnecessary pharmaceuticals, and misdirected lifestyle choices. Viewers walk away understanding how to interpret their body's unique baseline to build a sustainable, preventive maintenance plan.
If you care about precision medicine, functional genomics, and personalized health strategies, you’ll get a lot from this conversation. Be sure to subscribe to the channel and share this video with anyone looking to take control of their long-term wellness. Have you ever tried a popular health trend that backfired, only to realize later your body needed the exact opposite? Let us know in the comments below.
Welcome to the Salt Health Podcast. I am here today with Dr. Anna Hertz, with our nurse practitioner Jacob Ponder, and with our health coach, Whitney Moore. And they just got back from the National Intellect's DNA conference for 2026. And I'm so excited to have this conversation today because genomics are hot. Personalized medicine, how can we be very precise about how we treat a disease or how we optimize health? Um, is such an important topic. And so, Dr. Herbst, why don't you lead us off? Because you are our, of course, co-founder and chief medical officer and fearless medical leader. And so you are the one that have has pursued genomics and and studied it and brought it in for years now. Tell me, give me your history with genomics and the study of it.
SPEAKER_02It's a personal passion, passion project. So probably about 2011, started studying avidly. Uh, been with um and practicing genomics in my practice, medical practice, uh, since 2011 with patients, and it has continued to be an evolutionary educational process.
SPEAKER_01So, what is the difference? I ask you this every time, but most of the lay people, including myself, forget or don't know. What's the difference between DNA and genomics?
SPEAKER_02And genetics and genomics. Genetics and genomics. Yep. Yeah. Um so genetics would be your genes that make you look the way you are. It creates what we call a phenotype. So it's your blonde hair, your blue eyes, um your left hand dominant, right hand dominant. So that would be your genetics. Your genomics is how your genes, your genetics interact with your environment or your medicines, or your stress, or your sleep, or your uh nutrient status. So it's your genes and their interaction with your environment, is genomics. And so it really is looking at metabolic processes that make you function the way you function.
SPEAKER_01So um this is the Intellex DNA uh conference. So that if that is a genomics test that we use. Why do we choose that test over others?
SPEAKER_02There are several on the market. I have used several over the years. Um, I prefer to use the Entellex DNA genomics panel because it actually is considered a clinical support tool. So they have a team of researchers that pull literature to support your the information, number one, that you're gleaned from the report. So you can identify a genomic variant, say you have something special about methylation, then they will pull literature that tells us the current literature and information about that. And then they also have the ability to offer what we call category A or B evidence. So those are your top-tier research evidence for a support, whether it's dietary recommendations, lifestyle recommendations, medical recommendations, medicines, et cetera. So it is, it is by far the, in my opinion, the best researched and um evidence-based support tool that they have out there around genomics. A lot of times you'll get a report, but no applicable clinical information. And this helps direct our care specific to the patient.
SPEAKER_00I'm assuming back in 2011, you were getting essentially codes, and you were having to go into all the literature and find out what code meant, what variant in the DNA, and then what that actually meant in terms of one person. Correct. As opposed to now, the way that they built this tool is they give the code, they kind of give the quick reference of where it's going to. So it's probably shortened your prep time to be able to deliver the information to the patient.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_00In a much timely manner.
SPEAKER_02Yes. And there's a lot of different variations of, say, a genomic polymorphism. Polymorphism basically is a tweak in the DNA. So it's not functioning optimally or as it should be. And so there's a lot of variants, a lot of RS codes that we would look up in the old days and try to match to whatever's going on. And so there's a lot of um room for error in the older types of testing. They also advance their testing. I think it's kind of like um AI and technology. It's every month or so something new is coming out with this testing. And so this company has done a really great job of staying up on the testing essays and and making sure it's quality testing. So that's also important.
SPEAKER_01So, Jacob, why did you how did you get interested in genomics? And what were your first impressions of the conference?
SPEAKER_00Um, I got interested because I came to work a little over five years ago to this place called Salt Health, where my mentor was using intellects um in the practice. So by default, I started to learn um what genomics was and meant and how it can be used to individualize care. I it when we talk about individualized medicine in broader terms, we think, well, we're diving deeper into root cause and things like that as far as looking in the gut, looking into nutrients, looking into family history, things like that. This is the, I feel like the cream of the crop in terms of individualized medicine, because we're actually looking to see what that one person has risked for based off of their DNA that nobody else has and can individualize their plan from there. So it is at its finest true individualized care.
SPEAKER_01So, what did you see? Was it further confirmed at the conference for you, or was um was it did a new avenues open for you?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um being around it over the last five years and building my knowledge and base of functional medicine in general, obviously I knew that was a piece that I wanted to dive further into. So I've been getting little snippets over the last several years, and then we kind of decided it's time to dive in deeper. So I've started doing the training and um and broadening my education on genomics and how to um choose what panels to run on patients and then use the tools that they give on how to put a report together and now deliver the report. So it um attending the conference really just uh solidified my interest. Um makes it more anytime you run something more and more and more, it just becomes more familiar and and less intimidating um to use. So that was really why I went to the conference was to just continue to familiarize myself, meet some people who are doing it on a regular basis, um, people that Dr. Herbst has talked to about for years, um, and just feel more comfortable with the tool itself.
SPEAKER_01Whitney, as a health coach and as an integral part of the team, why why did you feel the need to go to the conference? And what did you pick up that was enlightening for you?
SPEAKER_03So I consider myself a genomics enthusiast. I have probably been interested around the time that Dr. Herb started, um, maybe a little bit after. But um I I just enjoy learning, um, I just enjoy learning more and more about genomics. So, so for me, going to the conference was just a chance to learn more, um, deepen my, deepen my knowledge um in order to help help clients, help patients um get a little bit further in their journey as far as being able to make those lifestyle changes, um, being able to understand like what it is that's really driving their genes that are driving their genomics and how we can make um make change for them. So, Dr.
SPEAKER_01Herbst, um how do you make sure that this isn't overwhelming? Like as a team, and this is a question for all of you, because I happen to know I got the intellects test last year. And I got what do we use? Two inch binders? They're ginormous. And um, I understand my genes don't change, but that information was incredible. So, as a salt health team, how do we partner with the patients to make sure they don't get overwhelmed?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it is overwhelming. Even if you gave it in a little nibblet, it probably could feel a little intimidating. What we do as a team is we take the patient's information uh as in their history, the things they've shared with us, maybe their health concerns, uh, why they're doing the test in the first place. And then we incorporate that with their results. And we look at um their rare SNPs or polymorphisms, and we look at the general report with the lens from these are the top three things that they're really focused on. You know, are they worried about cardiac? Are they worried about diabetes? Are they worried about longevity in general, of hormones, et cetera? And then we look at all of the information and we extract that and we do, we put together a what we call Cliff Note um pack for them. So it's an easier reference, a lifestyle plan, recommendations, any testing that might need to be done. So we really do try to take some of the overwhelm out. Um, and I and we do personalize it to their concerns. Because you could look at an entire packet that you get generically somewhere else, but how do you put that into play? One says I should do B12 and one says I shouldn't do B12. So one says I should eat greens, and one says I shouldn't eat greens. And so it gets really overwhelming and really confusing. So that's where the expertise comes in and knowing your patients and their and their challenges.
SPEAKER_00It turns, yeah, it turns less into an overwhelm, I think, once you're delivering the information more into an empowerment because they finally understand why they've felt the way that they felt for so long that it's so minute, um, just based off of what we're told we should feel in through the general population. So yeah, um this whole approach clean.
SPEAKER_03I like it because you you might look at it from a lens of I'm gonna focus on cardiovascular health and prevention. Well, then later on you can go back and say, oh, let's focus on hormones because those genetics don't change. They're continually updating the reports, but their genetics actually don't change. So you can take that information and integrate it into a new plan for them. That's that's personalized medicine at its best. Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_01So give me some real life examples where we have seen, you know, using genomics, using this precision medicine to actually reveal something that we wouldn't have otherwise known.
SPEAKER_00I'll need to use my personal experience. I was just over the years out of curiosity watching my cholesterol. And no matter how much I tweaked and fine-tuned my diet, my numbers kept going up in the wrong direction. And so as a result of running the metabolic portion of the um intellects panel, I realized that I have the SNP, and you may know it off the top of your head, where my body takes good cholesterol and turns it to bad cholesterol. So I now have to be more conscious of the types of good healthy fats that I eat. Um my body actually likes um uh medium-chain triglycerides like coconut oils as opposed to avocado and olive oils, which we're all told are the best ones for you. But my body will take those and maybe turn it into um LDL as opposed to good HTL protective. So that was a very interesting find for me. And so it just means that I have to be more aware throughout life of what risks I have with um building up plaque LDL and how aggressive I might need to be at some point on um preventing those risks of cardiovascular disease.
SPEAKER_02Wow, good example. Do you have one? Off the top of my head, most of the look at my notes. There are several. Um you can you could ask a topic, but one that came to mind, you know, if you have someone that um is trying to decide if they should do um some kind of preventive measure with medicine versus maybe just lifestyle. So you could tailor and you could look at how they're wired. And if they have very high risk for a negative outcome, say a stroke risk that's high due to several um changes in the DNA or SNPs or polymorphisms, single nucleotide polymorphisms, we call them SNPs. If they have several of these variants that increase their risk for making fibrin clots, then you would make have them say, well, no, actually, you have one, two, three higher risk, doesn't mean you have them right now, but it given the right scenario, given the right stressors in the body, inflammation, et cetera, you're more prone to having a potential stroke or a negative outcome from a clot. And so in that case, I probably would lean more towards medicine or at least aggressive nutraceutical therapies instead of just, you know, vitamin C or something gentle. And so it really can change that. And we have used those cases to have that dialogue with patients in the past. Um, my personal one is the vitamin A story. And so my family history, strong macular degeneration challenge with my grandmother. I have been taking vitamin A high dose for a long time because that's what the eye doctor told her to take to be preventive. I got my genomic panel back, and I do have a genetic risk for a very rare type of macular degeneration, but it's also amplified, or the risk is even higher with high dose vitamin A. And so by 16 fold, actually. So I quickly came off of the high dose A because now I have my personal information and I'm not the one size fits all take extra A to prevent or have good eye health. It actually could be quite um disastrous to me. So I had to remove that based on my genomic panel.
SPEAKER_00It's kind of the same where I'm doing one thing because that's what we're taught we should do. And we realize after running these tests, it's actually we're different. And we have to go up against what the status quo says.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. They talked about the blue zones too when we were at the conference. How there are certain you think that it's just like the foods that they're eating or the things that they're doing, but really they're finding it's the genes that they have. So um, so they have certain genetic genetics that will correspond to what they're supposed to be doing. But if we try to do the same thing, it might not work for us.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, good point. That's a very good point. Because one thing works for one person, one not works for the other, one might, and they still consider it a healthy, you know, lifestyle change, but maybe not for you.
SPEAKER_01I know I know in particular, one of the things on my report was cold therapy. Is that are you doing that? Um, no.
SPEAKER_02So just because you recommend it doesn't mean we always implement, right?
SPEAKER_01I just want to be clear we're human, right? But you know, not the I remember in the in my consult that you told me not everybody responds well to cold therapy, but my genetics said that my body actually reduces inflammation with the cold therapy. So, but others may not. And so this whole mass media, you know, everybody should do XYZ is a little bit dangerous. Yes.
SPEAKER_00Yes, it is. It it's also says the same thing about um exercise intensity. Some people need the higher intensity, some people need the low to moderate, and the and that information is given to you in these reports as well. Very empowering. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Great. Well, if there was one takeaway from the conference that you feel like could um help salt health, you know, help our patients and help our members be more successful. Is there any takeaway that you'd like to leave us with?
SPEAKER_00For me, it is when I think about whether to recommend one of our patients to run the intellect report, it's about the investment. I think um it can be it can be costly. I don't know if we need to talk about that or not. But um But it's a costly test. It is a costly test. But when we're thinking about long-term, like Whitney said, our DNA is not necessarily going to change throughout our life. So if you're getting your um panel run when you're in your 20s versus whether you're in your 60s, it doesn't matter. You're gonna be able to use that blueprint for the rest of your life to um improve quality, reduce risks, and um just overall live the best that you possibly can. That investment is pennies compared to what it could potentially cost you in the long run, working through the system with the medications and the tests and the images and the specialists and all that stuff too. So that's where um we we expect to have uh a car that doesn't need maintenance throughout life. But if you're given the roadmap of what you need to do to maintain your car, that's gonna save you a lot of money down the road as opposed, and you can do the same thing with your body now too.
SPEAKER_01So an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. That's right.
SPEAKER_01Any parting words from you, Whitney, or Dr. Herbst?
SPEAKER_02It was just a good reinforcement. It was nice to see, I don't know, whatever it was, 200 plus um physicians or providers there learning cutting edge medicine, personalized medicine, how they can go home and help their patients. Um I know we continue to grow and learn and serve our patients the best we can. So I think it was just good reinforcement for me that we're doing the right thing.
SPEAKER_01Awesome. If any of our listeners are interested in the intellect's DNA test um and working with the SALT Health team, that is a separate package that you can do just on your own. You don't have to be a SALT health member. And so you it's actually a cheek swap, it's a very simple test. Um, you come in, Tim Steen does that, and and then we get your results and interpret them for you and work them with you on that.
SPEAKER_02So Tim does help uh help you kind of decide which, because there are several panels and profiles you can do. So he can help you based on what your your interests are or needs are. He can help you kind of discern which one is the right one for you too.
SPEAKER_01The information is on our website and it it really just starts with a consult with Tim Steen. Um he walks you through the tests and and uh you decide which panels are best for you and go from there. Go from there. So thank you for talking about the conference today and look forward to hearing more in the future. Thank you. Thanks. Thanks.