Did you know that your family health history contains critical knowledge that can affect your body, your family, and how you live? If members of your family have had certain types of cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disorders, and chronic health issues, it is crucial to learn what you can about their experience – because, in all likelihood, it will affect you or your children.
Did you know that Thanksgiving coincides with National Family History Day? When you’re together with your loved ones, don’t miss the opportunity to connect and learn more about conditions and diseases prevalent in your family. Family members share genes and also often share habits, dietary preferences, lifestyles, and more. Many family members live in a shared region and have contact with the same environment. A family health history can help you understand issues that are likely to come up in your family and can be crucial for lessening any risk factors that might make an illness or disease more likely.
The Center for Disease Control recommends using family gatherings to talk about your family health history, ask questions, and clear up uncertainty with as many family members as possible. Here are some types of information to gather for a complete family health history:
- Death certificates that list causes of death for deceased relatives
- Family medical records
- Treatments different family members have received
- Locations where family members lived
- The ethnic background of different family members
- A plan to keep this information updated by as many family members as you can gather
There is a helpful online tool that makes it easy to store your family medical history. You might also look into creating a shared digital folder so that multiple family members can add information.
If you aren’t attending family gatherings or your family is not fully represented at your holiday events, make a list of your relatives from both sides of the family. Include your parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews. When you can, ask everyone on the list questions about any diseases or ailments they have had – including the date of their diagnosis or how old they were when they found out they had a particular disease. It may feel strange to seek out information about conditions, but the more you ask, the more you will learn – and chances are, there are details that you will not know without a proper conversation. Plus, family members can use these catch-ups as a chance to grow closer and discuss what they have learned about reducing the risk for certain illnesses or coping with long-term diseases. Discussing family members who have passed away is a healthy way to process grief and honor their lives.
The core information that doctors find useful in a family medical history is your likelihood of having a chronic disease. Heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are all conditions that a person might be genetically predisposed to. It is also important to know who in your family has suffered from cancer and what types. For instance, if someone in your immediate family was diagnosed with colorectal cancer before age 50, there are essential practices you can incorporate, and a doctor might create a schedule of screenings for you that occur earlier than the standard timeframe for coloscopies. Similarly, suppose you have an immediate family member with breast or ovarian cancer. In that case, it might make sense for doctors to run mammography screening or to prescribe drugs that reduce the likelihood of developing breast cancer. For these cancers, doctors might advise you to try genetic counseling or genetic testing to understand better the risks you face.
Type 2 Diabetes is commonly shared between immediate family members. If your mother, father, or sister has type 2 diabetes, it is possible that you are prediabetic and should be screened by a doctor. Knowing whether members of your family have dealt with heart disease can help you reduce your own risk and make lifestyle adjustments that are heart-healthy, such as incorporating more exercise, reducing your alcohol intake, and eating well. Osteoporosis is another condition that is likely to recur among family members. If a parent or close family member tends to break bones easily or has fractured a hip, it is worth seeking a medical assessment.
Knowledge of your family’s health history equips you and your loved ones with the context you need to take your health into your own hands. If you are curious about the mental health implications of your family’s wellness or are struggling to connect with your family, counseling can be a game-changer. Learn more about the family-oriented services we provide at Maryvale to provide our community with a solid foundation to live healthy, happy lives.
