Probing your genealogical past

Pam Mellskog writes about the value of genealogy not only in regards to knowing where one came from, but knowing what illnesses might run in a family in Probing your genealogical past, an article for the Daily Times-Call/Longmont FYI (CO). We’ve mentioned similar stories in the past, and the US Surgeon General’s Family History Initiative can be found here.

Excerpt from the article:

About two years ago, the U.S. Surgeon General launched the Family History Initiative to encourage families to pull that information together.

Ninety-six percent of Americans understand the importance of family health history, according to a survey cited on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Web site. But only about a third have attempted to compile it.

“It’s not a very fun conversation,” said Dr. Eric Benson, a Longmont Clinic family physician. “There’s nothing interesting to say about good health. The only conversations that you learn from are the ones people don’t like to have.”

Still, he encourages patients to play detective, especially during the holidays when families typically gather more than usual.

via The Genealogue

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