National Family History Day
The United States Surgeon General has declared Thanksgiving, National Family History Day. When the relatives come together it’s time to enjoy a festive meal and watch some football. It is also a great opportunity learn about health problems that may run in the family.
Your physician is aware that many common diseases and illnesses can be passed down from generation to generation. To name a few, high blood pressure, heart attacks, diabetes, plus cancers including breast cancer, ovarian cancer and colon cancer. These you hear about in the papers often. You may not be as familiar with some of the rarer diseases that may run in families like, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, Tay-Sachs, VWB, hemophilia.
Learning about your relatives' medical problems can really make a big difference. Current studies have proven that prevention and early detection is a great way to avoid serious illness. It saves lives. Maybe your life! So, speak with your parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts, and your cousins too. You will be surprised by what you can learn just by asking. Keep this information up-to-date and make sure you share it with your doctor. Be your own health advocate.
Even though most all Americans agree that knowing their family history is important, a recent survey found that only about a two-thirds of all American adults have never attempted to collect their family’s medical health history. It’s time this changed.
The Surgeon General has created a web-based tool to help make the process easy. It will help you organize and share your family history information with your doctors and family. Click here to Access the My Family Health Portrait Web tool.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Dr. Jonathan Herman, MD
P.S. If you missed out on learning about your family health history over Thanksgiving, there's always time during the December holidays!
