Why the Surgeon General is Interested in Your Family's Genealogy

Genealogy is one of the top hobbies in the country right now so while you're finding out if George Washington actually slept at your ancestor's house, collect your family's health history, too. Your descendants might really have reason to thank you!

From the Surgeon General's site:  "Health care professionals have known for a long time that common diseases - heart disease, cancer, and diabetes - and rare diseases - like hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell anemia - can run in families. If one generation of a family has high blood pressure, it is not unusual for the next generation to have similarly high blood pressure. Tracing the illnesses suffered by your parents, grandparents, and other blood relatives can help your doctor predict the disorders to which you may be at risk and take action to keep you and your family healthy."

A web tool is provided at the site to gather family health history for you and your children: https://familyhistory.hhs.gov/fhh-web/home.action

Using My Family Health Portrait you can:

• Enter your family health history.
• Print your family health history to share with family or your health care worker.
• Save your family health history so you can update it over time.

Brain tumor
The brain tumor my son had successfully removed this month might have been a one-time health fluke but if not, it will be in my family's health history for future generations.

For more information visit http://www.hhs.gov/familyhistory/