Read pages 472 – 484 in your textbook.
A family health history is a record of health information about a person and his or her close relatives. Creating your own family health history can help you identify whether you have higher risk for certain diseases.
It can also help your health care practitioner provide better care for you and recommend actions for reducing your personal risk of disease.
You have completed your Family Health History Diagram and Data Table.
Your assignment provided you the opportunity to create your own family health history and to identify the health risks present in your family. Now you can take steps to make sure you stay in control of your destiny.
List the conditions and diseases that are prevalent in your family – not only what people have died of, but what people are living with. Identify and articulate the environmental factors and/or lifestyle choices most strongly associated with development of the conditions and diseases in your family.
Then write about what changes you could make in your environment that would reduce your risk/s.
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The conditions and diseases that are most prevalent in my family include obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, stroke, and female cancer –particularly uterine. COD varies greatly in my family, but the conditions and diseases of those living boil down to the aforementioned (minus stroke). According to the documentary “Forks Over Knives,” every one of these conditions can be reversed or at least the risks can be radically reduced simply by what we eat and how we move, which makes my Family Health History all the more sad.
ReplyDeleteWhen I examine my family health history I notice that my great-grandparents are healthier than my parents and even my grandparents. The most significant difference between my parent’s and my great-grandparent’s lifestyles is A. diet and B. exercise. My great grands had gardens and manually labored daily, either on the farm or in the mills. Also, their diet consisted mostly of the fruits and vegetables they grew or the animals they raised. Convenience foods were a rarity, if ever.
I know my parents “eat out” once a week on average, possibly more. And their foods are purchased from the grocery, not the farmers market. My grandma (who lives with my parents) does plant a garden in the spring/summer, but she can only manage so much manual labor because she has COPD. Aside from the garden, she rarely leaves the house. My Dad works a job that requires ten hours of manual labor daily, but the physical activity cannot compensate for his “convenient” diet. My Mom works a desk job, and does not “move” more because of the arthritis in her hips, her back, and her excessive weight.
I was highly aware of the diseases and conditions that plague my family before creating the Family Health History. However, I am grateful to have the information on paper and at hand. Because of my prior knowledge, I try to be conscious of my diet, and I make exercise a priority in my life. Even though I know my risks, I have several changes yet to make. For instance, I can improve my diet drastically by eating more food, mostly plants, not too much. I can also exercise more frequently. At present, due to my schedule, exercise is sporadic at best.
After completing my family health history I learned of the various diseases that each of my family members had. My Grand mother died of Alzheimer's and she had hypertension and cervical cancer. My Grand father died of lung cancer because of being a smoker. My mother has hypertension and a couple of her sisters have the same disease. One of my aunts was a survival of breast cancer. I was unable to obtain information from my paternal side of the family. However,I learned that I am at a high risk of having hypertension. My mom, her mother and a few of my mom's sisters all were diagnosed at a young age. I am 20 and I now have symptoms of hypertension such as headaches, nausea and I have unhealthy eating habits. The women in my family that have this condition also eat unhealthy. Fried foods are in abundance in our family. None of us exercise and we all like to eat lots of bread which is increasing our risk of hypertension.
ReplyDeleteIn order to decrease my risk I need to begin exercising and managing my stress. Also I need to lay off the bread and the fried foods that I love. I can also make an appointment to a doctor to get tested for hypertension. I simply ignore the symptoms and continue with my daily activities and I need to put this all to a stop. I don't want to have high blood pressure, because then I am at an even higher risk of having a heart attack or any other heart disease.
After completing the health diagram for my family I learned about conditions that I didn’t even know that my family had. The conditions and diseases that are prevalent in my family are heart disease, type II diabetes, breast cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and colon cancer. The life style that my family lives contributes to their high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type II diabetes. Like most people that eat a western diet, heart disease is the number one problem. Even though I have family members that have these conditions, they still continue to eat fried greasy foods. A lot of them are overweight and they still continue to eat unhealthy foods. They all are on medication for these conditions, but they still eat foods that they are not suppose to eat. I think a lot of Americans who eat the western diet suffer from these same conditions, but yet they still refuse to change their diet. The changes that I can make in my environment that reduce my risk are to change my diet. I need to replace fried foods with foods that are baked. I need to exercise regularly to remain healthy and strong. I also need to go to my doctor for regular checkups and inform her of the conditions that are prevalent in my family.
ReplyDeleteAfter putting together my family health history table, I realized that there were not too many diseases or conditions in my family. Although there are not that many they do include two of the diseases that are most common to African Americans. Our conditions include strokes.
ReplyDeleteMany people in my family suffer from high blood pressure/cholestorol and diabetes. These diseases limit what you should and should not eat.My great grandfather and many of his children inherit this diabetes. He died of this disease. I currently have a great aunt and a great uncle living with the disease today. The other disease that is also common among African Americans is high blood pressure, which my mother has. It is very important for her to slow way down on eating things such as pork and foods that contain a lot of salt.
One condition that my family suffers with is strokes, which I think is also caused by our family's diet. We don't really eat the healthiest that we should. Our family health conditions and diseases are caused by not eating a healthful diet and stress. When we are in stressful situatuions we turn to food for comfort. We eat it to feel better even if we're not hungry.
To decease my risk for developing any of these diaseases or conditions, I could find an effective way to deal with stress. This will keep me from eating to make myself feel better. I could also be more careful with my diet chioces. I could try to avoid starches and sugars to avoid diabetes.Working out also helps lessen the rate of becoming a diabetic. I could try to avoid too much salt to lessen my chances of developing high blood pressure. This will in turn, along with managing my stress,help reduce my risk of having a stroke.
In my family history I found a trend of thyroid problems on my father’s side of the family. My grandmother Rethea, who is my father’s mother, has had problems with her thyroid ever since I was a young child and just recently my father has gone to the doctor to find that he has a garter around his thyroid gland.
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly on both sides of my family, my grandmother Lillie, who is my mother’s mom, had Alzheimer’s for over ten years until death in 1999. Then on my father’s side my grandfather James, was just recently diagnosed with Dementia, and is living in a nursing home because the disease is occurring so rapid he cannot be left alone. So it’s a little shocking to see signs of memory loss that close and common on both sides of my family.
With the life styles of those family members the diagnosed was really odd. Why? I have no idea because they were the type of people that did strenuous mind bending exercises that doctor’s tell you to do to prevent such memory loss I don’t know what happened. They lived very healthy lives and never had been diagnosed with anything serious.
With the thyroid problems I believe hormones contributed to my grandmother problems. Now when it comes to my father he’s a very heavy smoker, as seems to have no means of quitting.
Changes that I could make in my environment would be none because these are things that you really cannot control. I would say that I will never be a smoker or heavy drinker.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in my family. A paternal uncle, three of my grandparents and at least three of my great-grandparents died of heart attacks or other CVD-related causes. My paternal grandfather, a maternal uncle, and my mother have had strokes. My father had a mild heart attack at age 50, although he was able to stave off further CVD problems with diet and exercise until having to go on medication for high blood pressure at age 88. My mother is also on medication for high blood pressure, as is my sister. My blood pressure is normal and my total cholesterol is lower than theirs, but my risk for CVD is increased by my being overweight, and my levels of HDL and LDL could be better. I could decrease my risk by losing weight, exercising more, and eating less saturated fat and more monounsaturated fats instead.
ReplyDeleteCancer was the second leading cause of death in my family, divided between female reproductive tract cancers and cancers that were probably smoking- or alcohol-related. My paternal grandmother and a maternal aunt had cervical cancer. My grandmother’s cancer later spread to her kidneys and brain. My aunt later got lung cancer, but she smoked all her life, so it’s not clear whether the lung cancer originated in the lung or was a metastasis. My mother had endometrial cancer, which was caught and treated very early. Her half-sister died of ovarian cancer. I never took up smoking, so I’ve eliminated a lot of risk of cancer in that way, but I need to be very vigilant in getting regular gynecological checkups and being aware of early symptoms of gynecological cancers. I should also lose weight, eat foods high in antioxidants and control my exposure to environmental toxins to reduce my cancer risk.
Osteoporosis has been common in my mother’s side of the family. My mother and her mother developed dowager’s humps, and my paternal uncle also had osteoporosis. My father took medication to reverse and prevent bone loss for many years. I have osteopenia, so I need to make sure I get enough calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D and do weight-bearing exercise to prevent further bone loss.
Both of my paternal grandparents had Type II diabetes, and both were overweight. Again, I could reduce my risk by losing weight, exercising more, and replacing simple carbs with complex carbs.
My paternal grandmother and her mother both had surgery for gallstones, and so have I. My sister has had gallbladder attacks. Risk is increased by being overweight and eating a fatty diet. I tried to avoid surgery by losing weight and being more careful about my diet, but once the gallstones are there, they’re there.
Alcoholism has shown up on both side of my family in my maternal grandfather, paternal great-grandfather, and sister. I had an uncle who drank a lot on each side of the family. I don’t expect to become an alcoholic at this point in my life, but I have a healthy respect for alcohol. I only drink occasionally in very small amounts, and don’t use alcohol to deal with stress or emotional upsets.
Eye problems are very prevalent in my family. Most of my relatives eave worn glasses, as do I. My father has macular degeneration, and he was very nearsighted before. He has had cataracts and detached retinas in both eyes. He has visual hallucinations (Charles Bonnet syndrome) because of his low vision, as did his maternal grandmother. The cause of her low vision is unknown, but I suspect she had macular degeneration as well. Research indicates that macular degeneration can’t be prevented, but that once you have it, its progression can be slowed by taking lutein. I think I would be wise to eat a diet high in lutein and other antioxidants anyway. Some good sources are egg yolks, yellow corn, and dark green leafy vegetables. In his fervor to reduce his risk of CVD, my father completely cut egg yolks out of his diet many years before developing macular degeneration. I can’t help but wonder whether this contributed to the progression of his macular degeneration. I think Dr. McWayne is right: Moderation is best.
301 Page,Giles
ReplyDeleteBlog 9
Of the people I could find or had information on, heart problems was the most prevailing cause of death was heart failure. I would say that probably about ¾ of them were overweight. But for the most part they were older when they died.
I had 2 uncles on my father’s side that died of complications from pneumonia. Both of these uncles were smokers, so I would have to say that was a lot of the cause of death. My grandfather, on my mom’s side, also was a smoker but I do know that he had lung cancer. Smoking is definitely something that did contribute to these 3 deaths. I am not a smoker, but my oldest son does smoke. I hope that me talking to him will someday get into his head that he needs to quit smoking.
My aunt, on my father’s side, died from uterine cancer in about 1963. My mother had uterine cancer in 1968 and 30 years later developed bladder cancer. My mother died from a blood clot due to the fact she had been restricted to the bed a lot. She threw a clot when the nurses helped her out of the bed.
The most prevalent diseases in my family are high blood pressure, cancer, and diabetes. Cancer attacks whomever, there really isn't a lifestyle choice that can prevent you from getting it. Healthy people who eat right, and run daily can get cancer. As far as the high blood pressure and diabetes there lies a life full of greasy, fatty, sugary, deep fried food with lots of salt. Not to mention the lack of exercise and high stress filled lives that include jobs, children, and marital problems. That's about all that I can find out about the lives of those in my family that have diabetes and high blood pressure. Things that I can do to reduce my risk of these diseases would be to eat a more healthier diet, and I really need to exercise. I have already implemented some dietary changes, like changing from white to whole wheat bread, using light (and less) mayonnaise, avoiding sugary food, giving up soda, exchanging margarine/butter with EVOO, and trying to eat more fruits and vegetable. There is still more that I can do though, and I'm trying to find out what else is better for me to make more changes. I'm looking forward to the summer so that I can have the time to motivate myself to exercise. This class has really opened my eyes to what is good and bad about what I'm eating and doing. This family health project lets me get a look at what I have to look forward to when I get older.
ReplyDeleteFrom my research, I discovered that there is a high concentration of high-blood pressure in my family, as well as diabetes and (embarrassingly enough) mental disorders. Though I don't know much about much of my family, what I found out showed me that the lifestyle of many of my family members, particularly on my father's side, is very poor. Many of my father's relatives are alcoholics or drug abusers that took very little opportunity to educate themselves and never made it out of high school. My father is not proud of that aspect of his family, but he tries to look at the bright side: though he had his discrepancies when he was younger he overcame that lifestyle, got an education, and moved away where he could start a new life for himself.
ReplyDeleteThe existence of alcohol induced cirrhosis is a testament to that fact that I need to keep alcohol out of my life at all costs. I have a highly addictive mentality and as such would be at a great risk for alcoholism. I also need to eat healthily because of the presence of diabetes both on my mother and my father's side of the family; if I'm not careful I could end up becoming diabetic myself. I also need to take time for myself, stay rested and try to manage my stress; no matter how small, any prevention against possible mental disorders is worthwhile.
Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. I need to take great care to avoid falling into the same destructive pattern as those relatives who have died and who are still alive but suffering from their poor decisions.
By doing the Family Health History Diagram I learned a lot about my family that I didn’t know before.
ReplyDeleteOn my maternal side, I have one great grandfather who died of old age, one great grandmother who died of breast cancer, another great grandmother who died of congested heart failure, another great grandfather who is alive and healthy, my grandmother faces high blood pressure problems, and my mother has had breast cancer and diabetes. On my paternal side, I have a great grandfather who died from old age, a great grandmother who died from breast cancer, and a great grandmother who is alive but is having breathing problems. Everyone else in my immediate family has no know diseases or conditions.
Environment and lifestyle choices sometimes play a role in why people have diseases or conditions. For example, my paternal grandmother has a lot of lung and breathing problems, but that is because she has spent most of her life smoking excessively. Three women in my family have been affected with breast cancer, two of which died from it. All three of them lived fairly different lifestyles, and you just never know when cancer could strike so I can’t really say what environmental factors or lifestyle choices led to their disease. My maternal grandmother, who has high blood pressure problems, has lived an all around stressful life and I believe that’s what causes her so much trouble.
I have maternal and paternal great grandmothers who have died because of breast cancer, and my mother has also faced breast cancer. So I feel like I have the odds against me when it comes to breast cancer. To help reduce my risk of developing any type of cancer I need to develop a healthier life style. By picking up a daily consistent exercise routine and switching to a more organic diet I can develop a healthier lifestyle to help reduce my risk. My other paternal great grandmother has a hard time breathing and many troubles with her lungs, so they biggest thing I can learn from that is not to smoke. Avoiding an environment with smokers and just not smoking myself can help me to reduce the risk of having those types of problems. Trying to avoid stress in my everyday life can help me to avoid high blood pressure problems like my maternal grandmother.
By developing a healthier exercise plan, a more organic plant based diet, and reducing everyday stress I hope to maintain a healthy life without having the risk of developing many of the diseases and conditions people in my family face.
There are many common conditions and diseases in my family, and most of them are due to certain behaviors. There are many people on both sides of my family who have had cancer, and about half of them more than likely developed cancer from smoking. i do not smoke, so that is a good start at helping me prevent cancer. I can also practice eating more healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables and less animal products. I should especially minimize my dairy intake because milk has a protein in it called casein that can "turn on the cancer genes."
ReplyDeleteanother common disease in my family is alzheimer's. This disease has affected both sides of my family and it is highly related to genetics. I have heard that doing things such as crossword puzzles to keep your brain active as you age can help prevent alzheimer's, but i am not sure how true this is. All of the my family members who have had alzheimer's are women, so my risk is lower since i am a male than if i was a female.
Many people in my family also have high blood pressure. My great grandpa died because his blood pressure was very high and hard to control. I can help prevent high blood pressure by continuing to not smoke, eating healthy foods, and exercising regularly. I also should remember to have my blood pressure checked fairly often to insure that it remains under control.
Type 2 diabetes is also pretty common on my dad's side of the family. This is due to my family member's diet. As i grow older, i should eat healthy, exercise regularly, and keep track of my blood sugar.
From completing the family health history project, I've learned that I have a higher risk of blood pressure and heart problems as well as stroke. Surprisingly there are not many conditions and diseases within my family at the present even though at a glance one would classify them as higher risk using some of the basic health measures found in the text. So, this may be false comfort in that most of my family members are middle-aged; perhaps there are underlying conditions which have not surfaced noticeably or in a life-threatening way.
ReplyDeleteThe majority of my family would be classified as low-income; so, not many of the adults have health insurance mainly because of financial difficulties. We view health care as a last resort option, which is avoided if at all possible. Prevention is also not a priority in my family probably due to lack of knowledge (or incorrect info) about taking care of oneself. I personally think that the next 20 years will change my family's view of health as the majority of my family reaches their late 40s and 50s. I feel almost like the situation is a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off. The affects of my family's choices in nutrition and exercise will become even more evident as time goes by. Hopefully I can stop or reverse the damage already done with my influence, but change is slow in the Ard family, who still roughly follows the eating habits promoted in the 1950s!
Health 301 has impacted my view of my personal health in a huge way. As I finish college at FMU and become independent over the next few years, I plan to take the information from this class and apply it on an even greater level. As one who will probably never be completely worry-free financially, I plan to take preventative measures as far as I can in promoting my own health (and drag whoever I can in my family along with me!).
The disease that I am most at risk for based on my family history is heart disease. According to my family history four people have died from heart disease and my grandfather had two heart attacks, his second killing him. Also cancer runs in my family too. My great-grandmother died from ovarian cancer and my uncle had stage-4 melanoma but survived. High-blood pressure also runs in my family. Even though they may not have it anymore because of life changes many in my family did have it.
ReplyDeleteFor the most part I come from a very healthy family. For a lot of the people who died it was just normal things that happen in old age that killed them. However to keep from having heart disease, cancer and high blood pressure there are some health choices that I can make to keep my risk of getting them low. To keep my risk for heart disease low I can make sure I am eating a healthy diet, low in cholesterol and sodium. I can also make sure that I exercise regularly. Both of these combined should lower my risk for heart disease and also high blood pressure. I know that when my grandfather got out of the army he did not keep up with eating healthy or exercising and this helped contribute to both of his heart attacks. He also really liked salt and that was definitely not good for him especially since he kept adding it to everything after his first heart attack. My dad is currently suffering from high blood pressure and although he is better about now, in the past once he retired from the military he no longer kept healthy living habits. He is now eating better, exercising more and trying to lose weight so he can stop taking so much medication. To help lower my risk of the two types of cancer in my family I can first get more educated about them. Other than knowing my great-grandmother died from it I know nothing about ovarian cancer. So the very first thing I need to do is educate myself on it once I do that I will be able to better decide how to lower my risk of getting it. As far as lowering my risk of melanoma I can make sure that I am always putting on sunscreen when I am out in the sun. My uncle got melanoma because he spent hours and hours in the sun when he was in the coast guard and he wouldn’t wear a shirt or sunscreen. I can learn from his mistakes to make sure I lower my risk of melanoma.
The conditions and diseases that are prevalent in my family are cancer and high blood pressure. These are all conditions that people have not only died from but are also living with from day to day.
ReplyDeleteSome of the environmental factors and lifestyle choices that are associated with the development of some of these diseases are solely based on eating habits. I come from a family where every get together consists of fried foods and large portions sizes. Healthy food choices are the last thing my family thinks about when we all get together. I feel that some of those pressures of large portions sizes are somewhat nonexistent when it comes to certain things in my own home due to the fact that my mother eats like a bird and my brother already has high blood pressure. I think that some of the food choices could be better but we have made many changes as to how we prepare certain foods, due to my brother’s high blood pressure.
Some of the changes that I can make in my environment would be to help with the planning of some of my family events. I could make some suggestion as to what foods should be made and make it know that some of the portion sizes that we are given is entirely too large for an individual. I can also suggest we actually do something when my family gets together. I feel that we can have just as much fun doing some type of physical activity as we just sitting around talking to each other. I think that by changing some of these unhealthy habits we will begin to see a change in certain health conditions that we already have and are likely to get if we begin making changes now, before it is out of control.
In my family I have a few people who have been diagnosed with type two diabetes. As far as I know no one was born with it. I strongly believe that their diet and lifestyle were major influences on them developing diabetes. My family eats a lot of fried foods such as chicken, and pork chops. Even when my family bakes their meat the serving size is double what it should be. Vegetables are always cooked with each meal but as a child they were not mandatory to eat. Everybody in my family has the option of not eating any vegetables or fruit for any meal. My family is huge on cook outs. At cook outs there is always a plethora meat and it is almost tradition to at least try every meat. It is considered rude if someone does not eat a dish because every dish is usually made by another person in my family and everyone wants you to try their dish. My family doesn’t even mention exercising. The only exercise we get is walking around the block, which isn’t bad at all but that can’t even compare to what we could be doing. A few people in my family have died from heart conditions and although some things can’t be avoided, but I truly believe that exercising regularly and eating healthy would have prolonged their average.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone,
ReplyDeleteThere are few health issues or diseases that are prevalent in my family including the ones people died from as well as some that members of my family are living with today.the conditions and diseases are found on both my mother and father's side of the family.
Starting with my mother's side if the family, my grandmother has high blood pressure. My mother, as well as my aunt (my mother's sister) has had on and off issues with their blood pressure. Currently both of their blood pressure levels are normal, but I still consider this a prevalent health condition in my family. Explanation for the causes for their high blood pressure is slightly different for each. My grandmother's issue was the obvious, what she ate, they raised her blood pressure. My aunt says that her doctor believes she works and pushes herself entirely too hard, which causes her to have high blood pressure on and off. My mother on the other hand, is on medication for her heart condition (mitral valve prolapse) that causes her blood pressure to fluctuate. Another condition I think may be an issue for me down the line is with my heart. True, heart disease comes with age, but my mother has a heart condition and I've be told by a physician that they think I may have an underlying condition also. When I got my wisdom teeth pulled, the anesthesia raised my heart rate instead of calming me, and after the procedure, they had a hard time waking me so this raised questions about my heart.
On my father's side of the family, my dad and my uncle died from cancer of the throat. It may be viewed as prevalent, but they were both smokers and alcoholics so I'm quite sure their lifestyles contributed 100% to their disease.
To reduce my risk for these conditions, their are a few things I could do. For my blood pressure I can definitely watch what I eat as well as exercise. For the heart condition I think working out will help that too, but first I may need to find out exactly if I have a condition. I'm not a drinker nor smoker so the throat cancer I think I have slim to none chanes of getting. I will, however, do anything to have and maintain a healthy life and have longevity in life!
Conditions and diseases that are prevalent in my family are diabetes, seizures, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke and kidney problems. I believe the diabetes that my paternal grandmother, paternal aunts, father and sister had and has is hereditary. I am not sure of the environmental factors that contributed to my maternal uncle and my paternal aunt’s seizures, but my sister’s condition is believed to be caused by some medications she was taking. My maternal great-grandmother died from heart disease which was most likely brought on by her unhealthy eating habits. She also had a daughter (my grandmother’s sister) who was obese and died from the same thing. My maternal great-grandfather, paternal grandfather and paternal aunt died from lung cancer which was obviously brought on by their heavy smoking habits. I am not sure want exactly brought on my maternal grandfather’s stroke or my grandmother’s kidney problems.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest concern is having diabetes. I have to eat healthy meals and exercise to help reduce my risk getting diabetes. I will need to carefully monitor what I eat to avoid heart disease. I could research what foods are responsible for clogging my arteries and stay away from those. Doing cardio workout could also help keep my heart healthy. These lifestyle changes could also help reduce the risk of seizures, stroke and kidney problems. I am not and never have been a smoker and I avoid second hand smoke so suffering from lung cancer is the least of my concerns.
While doing my Family Health History Diagram, I learned high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease runs in my family. I am at high risk of all of diseases and conditions not only because they run in my family but also because of lifestyle that we live.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking over the lifestyle of my family I see that my family eats a lot of meat, fried food, fatty food, and do not exercise like they should. There are some vegetables in their diets but not as much as there should be. Not only the food that they eat but also the way it is prepared.
Exercising also plays a major role in the health and conditions of my family. There is very little exercise in my family and that is terrible. Exercise plans just as an important role in a person’s health as the food they eat does.
If my family gets on a serious plant based diet with the ability to eat some meat, I feel as though their health would improve. Not only a diet but also a workout plan. Combing these two factors will not only improve their appearance but also improve their health.
In my environment I could start by placing myself on a diet, and exercising more. I don’t feel as though I’m unhealthy or out of shape. I just feel as though I could use some improvement.
Conditions that are VERY prevalent in my family on my mother's side are diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and breast cancer. My mother's side of the family are all eaters. Every family event that we attend, we will have food and lots of it. Because the are older and they are southern women and men, EVERYONE can cook so well. Sometimes at family events I find myself overindulging. They use a lot of grease and oil and are meat eaters! Their eating habits are more than likely the reasons behind their heart disease and cancer. My maternal grandfather never had any health issues even though he ate the same foods that my grandmother, aunts, uncle, and mom ate. He did die of cancer, but that was because he developed cancer from his alcoholism.
ReplyDeleteMy paternal familial health history only consists of two of my aunts having breast cancer. My father's side of the family have more mental problems than anything else. My dad had high blood pressure and diabetes, but I think that was only from my mother's cooking. My father's family seems to be more antisocial. Four of my dads five siblings are diagnosed mental disorders, but are overall a pretty healthy family.
In order to promote a healthier lifestyle, I could stay away from family gatherings and my mom's Sunday dinners. When I am around good, home cooked food, it is very hard to control the things that I eat. A healthier diet would definitely eliminate the health problems that I would be at risk for on my mom's side. As for my dad's side, they are more psychologically unstable, so I think this is bound to be something that effects me in the future. I could start talking to a therapist to better understand my thought processes now, instead of thinking that everything is okay. I could try to talk more with my father, mother and siblings. We never really have in depth conversations, so it would be nice to talk to them about meaningful things. If I could bring myself to give up fried chicken, I think I could eat very healthily. I do not eat red meat or pork (unless it's bacon). I only eat chicken, chicken, chicken, and fish. I think if I focus on eating a healthier diet and getting psychological help, then I would be a much healthier individual, mentally and physically.
The most common diseases in my family are hypertension, high cholesterol and arthritis. I think many people in my family have these because of stress and what they eat. All four of my dad's brothers work in construction, so that explains why most have arthritis. I have several people in my family who are obese, so the high cholesterol and hypertension justifies that. I'm not sure what environmental factors contributed to our diseases and disorders, but I do know that most of us do not think about what we put into our bodies. If we were more cautious, then maybe we could have controlled these from happening, or maybe even reverse them in the future.
ReplyDeleteThere are many diseases prevalent in my family on both sides. There is heart disease, heart blocks, a couple cases of high cholesterol, diabetes, strokes(even at sixteen)and cancer. There are many ways that I can help prevent almost all of these things. One thing I can do is keep control of my weight to help with almost all of these things. If I keep my wight in check then will significantly reduce my risk for high cholesterol, diabetes, and hear disease. I can watch the way I eat to help with these diseases too. Also If I quit smoking it would reduce the risk for all of these significantly especially stroke. I can also reduce the intake of sodas since my father's cancer was cancer of the bladder.
ReplyDelete