The healthy food, plenty of water, timely exercise, and good habits, one is doing everything routinely. One day he fell sick and went to his health care provider certainly to take treatment. What his doctor stated was unanticipated. He was suffering from some unusual genetic disease.
He asked gloomily that he is honest with his all good habits one healthy person should comply with, then why is he suffering from that particular disease?. Though disease was at his first stage but is incurable. Later doctor literate them about the cause of his disease. His illness is not merely his problem but from the same, his grandfather and father were suffering.
If his father or any family member could have taken the preventive measures during his birth knowing the family medical history he would have not trapped in such a chronic disease.
It simply to draw attention, Why is it important to know family medical history?
Take care of yourself first…
Self-care is at lead importance because you are the primary source to sense the ailment and also the integral part of primary health care. The way people help themselves is called self-help. It includes routine health check-up, regular eating, sleeping, exercising, immunization, and personal hygiene.
These self-care habits can help you reduce the risk of communicable and non-communicable diseases. For instance, Diarrhoea, Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Heart diseases, etc. Likewise, monitoring mental and spiritual health fall under the self-care.
Holding your personal medical records could be the most prominent habit to help you rescue from an unconsciousness, sudden fall or cardiac arrest like emergency situations. It becomes handy with EHR.
Related: How to be your own doctor?
If you do not have your family medical history, then? This must have triggered in your mind. Because as having the medical history makes easy to spot the cause, not having anything makes it difficult to get the clue.
If you are adopted or estranged from your family, you certainly face the little extra efforts. Genetic tests or general population screening recommendations could help them.
During the screening, your health care provider finds anything that could be risky. In this case, he will ask you to make lifestyle changes and will give you some preventive tips to ward off the seriousness of the disease.
- Regular health check-ups will be of chief-importance. Because it ascertains the inside story beforehand.
- Diet is a sum of food, healthy and full of essential nutrients. Poor diet can be a cause of many diseases.
- There are different exercise trends we are familiar with, will help you improve overall health.
- Sleep plays the key role in your mental and physical soundness. Therefore, it is important to take six to eight hours of sleep.
- We usually addicted to some unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking alcohol, fast foods, etc. Not merely to relieve from underlying disease but also to stave off from future risks one should conclude the bad habits.
It is not essential if you are underlying any disease then only you should adopt the healthy lifestyle. Healthy habits are prime for everyone for future wellness.
Role of your family physician
If you have done your part convey this family medical history to your health care provider. It will help your doctor to interpret the accurate causes for your underlying health problems also it will be an aid to provide prevention tips, and if any screening is required.
You cannot change the genes you have born with or the family medical history but can modify your lifestyle. You can adopt healthy habits such as stop smoking, exercising, weight management to reduce the risk of developing any hereditary disease.
Electronic Health Records
What information you are expected to collect and from whom is well explained in the previous write-up. But during the time you ask for the record try to store this wisely.
Electronic Health Records (EHR) is the best alternative we have over the customary paper-based records. EHR is designed to store data accurately and to capture the state of a patient across time. It is appropriate for future accessibility and compatibility.
It improves care quality, safety, and reduce health disparities. Also, enhance care coordination which could be turned out a blessing in emergency conditions.
Do not hesitate to share your medical condition with your family if you are diagnosed with cancer, heart disease, or diabetes. If you are one of the older members of your family share your family medical history to help your successors.