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Genetic analyses in your own practice: the guide for health practitioners

Reviewed by Dr. Daniel Wallerstorfer, molecular biologist and founder of Novogenia · Updated: 15 October 2026 · Reading time: 8 min

In short

Heilpraktiker and naturopaths, nutrition consultants, dietitians, physiotherapists and health coaches can build lifestyle genetic analyses and personalized supplements into their work. The saliva sample takes just a few minutes, the lab analysis takes 4 days, and one supply of supplements lasts 90 days. What matters most is the boundary: you can offer lifestyle analyses on nutrition, weight, sport, stress and skin as a partner; medical genetic analyses belong in a physician’s hands wherever the law requires it – in Germany even if you are a licensed Heilpraktiker (Section 7 GenDG). In Austria, the Heilpraktiker profession may not be practiced, and in Switzerland only certain health professionals may order lifestyle analyses. In ten articles, this guide shows you what applies to your profession and how to get started.

Who people trust with their genes

Where do people prefer to get their genetic information? Researchers at the University of Toronto asked 138 young adults who had received either gene-based or general dietary advice in a randomized trial. As the best source of accurate personal genetic information, 47% named a university research lab and 41% a health care professional. Only 12% chose a genetic testing company that sells directly to consumers. And for personalized nutrition advice, 56% saw registered dietitians as the best providers (Nielsen, Shih & El-Sohemy, Journal of Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics, 2014).

The logical conclusion: a genetic report shows its value where a professional explains it. Your DNA is like a very long recipe book. The lab opens it at the important pages – but only in a conversation with you does it become a meal plan, a training plan, an everyday routine.

I am a molecular biologist and the founder of Novogenia. Since 2009, we have analyzed genes in our own lab in Eugendorf near Salzburg, Austria; in the same building, we manufacture supplements. With this guide, I want to show you how to build genetic analyses and personalized supplements into your practice – and where the limits of your profession lie. Because one thing matters to me: genes are not destiny. They show you where it pays to take a closer look.

Who this guide is for

This guide is for health professionals who are not physicians and who work with lifestyle:

Heilpraktiker in Germany – state-licensed non-physician practitioners, often translated as naturopaths – who want to add lifestyle analyses to their consultations, with a clear line between lifestyle and diagnosis (For Heilpraktiker and naturopaths).
Nutrition consultants and dietitians, for whom genetic results add a new foundation to the conversation (For nutrition consultants and dietitians).
Physiotherapists who think about training, recovery and nutrients together (For physiotherapists).
Health coaches who work with lifestyle topics and need clear limits and the right words (For health coaches).

Many of the basics – how nutrigenetics works, how to explain a genetic report, what data protection requires – are already covered in the Nutrigenetics guide. This guide adds what applies to your profession: professional law, the rules in Austria and Switzerland, and the practice and product side.

Three building blocks for your practice

Building block	What it is	What it brings your practice
Lifestyle genetic analysis	saliva sample, lab analysis in 4 days; topics: nutrition, weight, sport and performance, stress, skin	a personal reason behind your recommendations
Personalized supplements	a formula based on around 50 genes, a questionnaire and – if available – blood values, which take precedence; dosed between one third and three times the reference intake, capped at the EFSA upper limit; daily sachets for 90 days	a concrete next step after the results consultation
Ongoing support	results consultation, plan and follow-up appointments	support over months instead of a single appointment

Every gene we include is backed by at least three independent studies. The recommendations derived from them are logical conclusions – and genes remain one factor among many. How these three building blocks enrich your work is covered in Genetic analyses in your practice: the added value.

There are three ways to work with us: your own partner shop, where your clients order and you receive a commission on every order, with no setup fees; white label under your own brand, with supplements from a single unit; or your own product idea. The differences are explained in Partner and white-label models.

The most important boundary: lifestyle or medicine

Whether you may offer a genetic analysis depends on its purpose – and, in Austria and Switzerland, also on your profession. Three countries, three answers:

Germany: only physicians may perform diagnostic genetic examinations (Section 7 GenDG). This also applies to Heilpraktiker, even though they are licensed to practice the healing arts (Heilkunde). You can offer lifestyle analyses without a medical purpose.
Austria: analyses of disease predispositions are ordered by medical specialists (Section 68 GTG). Pharmacogenetics is the only medical test the law allows there without a physician – whether your profession may offer it is governed by your professional law. And the Austrian legal system does not recognize the Heilpraktiker profession.
Switzerland: even lifestyle analyses may only be ordered by certain health professionals (Art. 34 GUMG, Art. 40 GUMV), such as nutritionists FH or physiotherapists FH – but not coaches or naturopaths. The sample is taken in the presence of the person ordering the analysis.

The details are in What you may offer: lifestyle or medicine and Austria and Switzerland: different rules. What you may say in your advertising is covered in Professional law and advertising.

Where to start

You do not have to read this guide from cover to cover. Depending on where you stand, these paths get you to your goal fastest:

You want to know whether it pays off for your practice: read Genetic analyses in your practice: the added value, then The consultation.
You want to be on the safe side legally: What you may offer, Professional law and advertising and Austria and Switzerland belong together.
You are looking for the rules of your profession: chapter 2 has its own article for each professional group; Heilpraktiker and naturopaths will find theirs in chapter 1.
You want to launch soon: Launching your offer in 5 steps takes you from training to the first reorder.

All chapters at a glance

All 10 articles are also listed by chapter at the end of this page.

How we do it at Novogenia

What you can expect from Novogenia:

Our own lab since 2009: a genetic lab in Eugendorf near Salzburg, Austria; we analyze every sample in our own lab in Austria. More than 30 million analyses have been performed so far. CLIA-certified, working according to ISO 15189.
Three-study rule: every gene we include is backed by at least three independent studies.
Reports: analysis in 4 days, report delivered digitally via a secure portal, printed on request, in up to 18 languages. You decide whether you see your clients’ reports.
Supplements from the same building: the genetic lab and the supplement factory are under one roof; production from a single unit, in daily sachets for 90 days.
Three routes: a partner shop with a commission on every order and no setup fees, white label under your own brand, or your own product idea.
NOVO Academy: free of charge and optional, about 5 hours of video per language, with a certificate for each completed topic.
Partners only: Novogenia sells exclusively through partners, in 69 countries.

Frequently asked questions

Which genetic analyses may I offer as a naturopath, nutrition consultant or coach?

You can offer lifestyle analyses on nutrition, weight, sport and performance, stress and skin as a partner – within the rules of your country and your profession. Medical genetic analyses belong in a physician’s hands wherever the law requires it. In Germany, this also applies to Heilpraktiker: only physicians may perform diagnostic genetic examinations (Section 7(1) GenDG).

Can I work as a Heilpraktiker in Austria?

No. Austria’s Supreme Court has held that the Heilpraktiker profession is unknown to the Austrian legal system and that practicing it in Austria is prohibited – even with a German license (OGH 4 Ob 70/02a). Independent medical practice is reserved for physicians (Section 3(1) of the Austrian Physicians Act 1998). Before you start, check under which profession or trade you can offer lifestyle counseling.

Who may order lifestyle genetic analyses in Switzerland?

Only the health professionals listed in Art. 40 GUMV: physicians, pharmacists, psychologists, druggists HF and – for physiological traits – nutritionists FH, physiotherapists FH, chiropractors and osteopaths. Health coaches and naturopaths (Naturheilpraktiker) are not on the list. The sample is taken in the presence of the person ordering the analysis (Art. 34(3) GUMG).

Do I need my own lab or a stockroom?

No. Your client takes the saliva sample with a saliva collection kit, at home or in your practice – in Switzerland in the presence of the professional ordering the analysis. The analysis runs in Novogenia’s lab in Eugendorf near Salzburg, Austria. For practices, a model in which you recommend and products ship directly to your clients often works well. Check with the relevant professional chamber or association whether and how you may sell products in your practice.

Do I need prior knowledge of genetics?

Novogenia supplies the analysis and the science behind it. To explain results confidently, though, you need a solid grounding. The free NOVO Academy helps, with about 5 hours of video per language and a certificate for each completed topic. The certificate does not replace a state-recognized professional qualification or license.

Genetic analyses for your practice?

Tell us about your practice and your clients – we will show you what fits.

Request a project →Offer for naturopaths

Note: This guide is general information for businesses and professionals and does not replace medical or legal advice. The genetic traits determined in a genetic analysis are well documented (each gene included is backed by at least three independent studies); recommendations derived from them are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven. Regulations can change; errors and changes excepted.