Did you know that Thanksgiving Day is also National Family History Day? The US surgeon general declared the double-purposed day in 2003 with the intention of motivating Americans to gather and understand our family's medical history. While you are giving thanks with your family on Thursday, take a minute to look around and consider how much you actually know about each relative's personal medical history.
Good heath is something to be grateful for, and it could be at risk because of a history of illness in your family. It's important to understand these risks so we can modify our lifestyles and do a better job of preventing certain diseases. According to Carrie A. Zabel, a genetic counselor for the Mayo Clinic, we should aim to gather at least three generations of history and pay particular attention to our most immediate family members. To see which diseases are known to run in families, read more.
When the time is right (not at the Thanksgiving dinner table), ask your relatives for information on the family's medical history and record any illnesses, along with the ages and lifestyles of those who were sick. The following diseases tend to run in families.
- Cardiovascular disease (hypertension and stroke)
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Mental illness
- Osteoporosis
- Arthritis
- Obesity
Untold
Fabi
Paul Smith
well i guess that it makes sense since this is one of those days that has the largest amount of family gatherings right? even during christmas it's not the same since there is a larger number of people who celebrate thanksgiving vs. christmas.
1it all depends on your family. mine is riddled with mental and physical illness-- my family will talk all day about certain physical illness, but not others and none of the mental illness other than the certainly obvious. They do this in public, private, and on paper. None of them see hiding these things as an issue. makes me so angry!!
2My family does this at just about every family gathering; probably because all my relatives love talking about their ailments. I do know that several of my relatives have a genetic clotting disorder that I got tested for. I found out that I have it too, so now my doctor knows that if I'm ever in a situation where I suffer a lot of bleeding. I also know that osteoporosis runs in my family but breast cancer does not. Some of my relatives have diseases that, IMHO, could have been avoided by lifestyle choices. Like my grandma, who has diverticulosis...she lives on hot dogs and white bread, so it's no wonder she's got problems.
3In my family I could check off just about everything on that list! I'm pretty healthy now, but I know that as I get older, I'll need to be on the lookout.
4I know my family history... I have for years now. It's important for me to know because we have so many health issues in our family. Actually, I think we have everything on that list... so I have to be aware of what is going on for my health.
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