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Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
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JANUARY 2021
Anyone who has been by Len’s Pharmacy in the last few months,
knows that big changes are coming. History is important to us here
at Len’s Pharmacy and that is why we pay homage to those that
came before, allowing us to be who we are today, and paving the
way for us to be who we will be in the future. Your history is also
important to us. We are coming up to the time of year we begin
to ask you to ensure your information is up to date. Your address,
medication allergies, insurance, and now getting text messages
when your prescription is ready for pickup.
But did you know that your history is important even back a few
generations?
Building a family tree has become more and more popular. With
at home DNA testing, the process is becoming easier and easier. But
what, if any, benefits are there to building a Medical Family Tree, or
Family Health History? The Mayo Clinic says that the Medical Family
Tree helps a person understand their risks for disease that may be
common in their family. We inherit our genetic material from our
parents and it helps to determine not only our appearance, but also
risk factors that may lead to certain disease states.
Pharmacy Today reports that a recent survey shows that 96% of
Americans believe that knowing their family history is important,
but only one-third of Americans have actually tried to collect and
record their family’s health history.
Why is family health history important for my family’s health?
Many health conditions tend to run in families and are passed down
through generations. These include cancers, diabetes, hypertension,
cardiovascular disease as well as lesser known diseases such as sickle
cell disease or hemophliia. The family health history can also point
out decreased risk for the above diseases.
My Family Health Portrait is an online tool provided by the Surgeon
General and housed on the CDC website. Using My Family Health
Portrait you can:
• Enter your family health history.
• Learn about your risk for conditions that can run in families.
• Print your family health history to share with family or your
health care provider
• Save your family health history so you can update it over time.
The following is the type of information that the My Family Health
Portrait collects: sex, date of birth, ethnicity, medical conditions,
mental health or substance abuse, pregnancy history, lifestyle
habits, age and cause of death of relatives, and other pertinent
information.
The information collected will be helpful for yourself and
other family members. The information should be shared with
family members as well as healthcare providers. It will help with
discussions concerning diagnostic or screening tests, planning for the
future and change in lifestyle.
The CDC recommends including three generations of your family.
This includes yourself, your parents and grandparents. Also included
would be your siblings, including any half-siblings. With so much
information collected on your family, it will be important to update
when a new diagnosis is made on yourself or a family member. The
Mayo Clinic even recommends recording new births in My Family
Health Portrait.
Sharing this newly collected information with your Primary Care
Provider, your Medical Home, and your Pharmacy, will allow an
integrated team approach to your family’s healthcare both today
and in the future.
In conclusion, Family Trees can be very intriguing and
informational, but taking the time to develop a Medical Family Tree
or Family Health History, is an important step in your participation in
your and your family’s healthcare.
541-575-1263
235 S Canyon Blvd. John Day, Oregon 97845
Accepting new Patients! Go to:
www.canyoncreekclinic.com
Zachary Bailey, M.D. Shawna Clark, DNP
Emily Lieuallen, DO Rafffaella Betza, M.D.
Nora Healey, FNP
Janessa Sickler, DO
David Hall, M.D.
Check Website for Upcoming Events
541-575-0110
jdccparksandrec.rc@gmail.com
CCS
Changing Lives
NO COST SCREENING
High Quality Services Include:
Mental Health
Alcohol and Drug
Developmental Disability
528 E. Main • John Day • 541-575-1466
S222353-1