“A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.” ~ Spanish Proverb

Good Morning!  

Today is Family Health History Day.  As you gather with relatives over the holidays, set a special date to get together to build an accurate family health history.  Having this information on hand can be a great screening tool for present and future generations.

In 2006, both my mother and I faced health challenges that could have been minimized by having an accurate family health history.  My mother spent four days in the ICU with high blood pressure later determined to be tied to pernicious anemia.  Because my grandmother had passed away when my mother was four, she had not had this information.  My challenge fell on the opposite end of the anemia: iron overload.  Having records of my grandparents or father would have helped doctors detect clues to the cause and potentially reduced the number of test I underwent.

To avoid my daughter having to face a similar challenge as an adult, I requested all of my health records and put them together in a family folder.  I also did the same for my husband and mother.  Health histories can be requested from the medical-records department of any health care provider.  Usually, you will need to sign a release, and if you are collecting the records for personal safekeeping, they typically charge a nominal copying/processing fee.

Your Turn:  Make a list of your blood relatives.  Do you know the basic health history of each family member?  Consider going to https://www.hhs.gov/programs/prevention-and-wellness/family-health-history/index.html to create a comprehensive history for your family.

Today’s Affirmation:  I proactively take health steps.