Salute Your Family Tree
Knowing more than just the ailments that run in your family could keep you healthy for years to come
Trees promote human health by storing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. But there's a certain type of tree that could save lives, and it doesn't grow in soil.
It grows out of each person's ancestry.
A family medical tree takes the form of a family tree except diseases relatives suffered are recorded alongside their names.
"It's important for people to know their family medical histories because often, there are clinical signs and symptoms in a patient brought to medical attention, but sometimes all the person knows is that a condition runs in the family," says Lyn S. Hammond, genetic counselor, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston.
For conditions that are inherited, knowing specific diagnoses is a key to early intervention, she adds.
In addition, "If you know that diseases like heart disease and stroke run in the family, there are lifestyle practices that can help you avoid getting them," says Rovenia Brock, Washington, D.C., author of "Dr. Ro's Ten Secrets to Livin' Healthy" (Bantam Dell, 2003). "My mother, for example, died of metastatic stomach cancer when I was only 9 years old. She had hypertension and was overweight. My father had hypertension and had a massive stroke and several mini strokes after that."
Brock knows obesity can lead to hypertension and stroke and that a healthy diet and active lifestyle could prevent her from getting the diseases her mom and dad had, as well as heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancers.
"I lost three dress sizes three different times," she says, "so obviously, education doesn't always beget compliance. But I eventually realized I needed to make permanent changes so I don't end up like my parents."
It's particularly concerning if three relatives on the same side of the family have or had the same condition, and two of them share a parent-child or brother-sister relationship, Hammond says.
However, people have a much better chance of surviving a potentially fatal illness that's treatable - for example, cervical and colon cancer - if they start treatment while the disease is still in its early stages, so regular screening is advised if one relative in the immediate family suffered that sort of ailment, Brock says.
A family medical tree typically depicts three generations, with grandparents on top, and branches off to include aunts and uncles, siblings, and nieces and nephews.
Family medical histories should be recorded on paper so they can be shared with health care providers and other family members, and be passed down to offspring, Brock says.
The U.S. Department of Health and Services offers a form on the Internet at familyhistory.hhs.gov.
When the family medical history is spotty, old photos, death certificates and family lore that references a person's habits, such as overeating, can provide clues.
"Take osteoporosis, which is very visible," Brock says. "If you look at old photos, and Aunt Martha is all hunched over, that's a pretty good indicator."
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