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About Roots & Branches Month

"Roots & Branches Month occurs in July each year with a purpose of reminding people to create a medical ancestry chart of health issues and diseases to better manage their health. We’re unable to locate the originator of this event, however the Mayo Clinic has created a promotional video on this topic and several State Universities feature it in their student training.

The Mayo Clinic recommends the following for Roots & Branches Month:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/medical-history/HQ01707

Your family medical history - also called a medical family tree or pedigree - is a record of illnesses and medical conditions affecting your family members. Similar to a family tree, a family medical history shows the relationships among members of your family, but it also includes relevant health information for each person.

How is a family medical history used?

You inherit half of your genetic profile from each parent. Along with the genetic information that determined your appearance, you inherited genes that may cause or increase your risk of certain medical conditions. A family medical history can help your doctor interpret the history of disease in your family and identify patterns that may be relevant to your own health. Your doctor may use your family medical history to:

Assess your risk of certain diseases

Recommend treatments or changes in diet or lifestyle habits to reduce the risk of disease

Determine which diagnostic tests to order

Determine the type and frequency of screening tests

Determine whether you or family members should get a specific genetic test

Identify a condition that might not otherwise be considered

Identify other family members who are at risk of developing a certain disease

Assess your risk of passing conditions on to your children

What information should be included in a family medical history?

If possible, your family medical history should include at least three generations. Compile information about your grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, siblings, cousins, children, nieces, nephews and grandchildren.

For each person, try to gather the following information:

Sex
Date of birth
Ethnicity
Diseases or other medical conditions
Age when disease was diagnosed
Diet, exercise habits, smoking habits or history of weight problems
For deceased relatives, age at the time of death and cause of death

Ask about the occurrence of the following diseases and medical conditions often associated with genetic risk:

Cancer
Heart disease
Diabetes
Dementia
Asthma
Arthritis
Mental illness
High blood pressure or high cholesterol
Stroke
Kidney disease
Alcoholism or other substance abuse
Vision or hearing loss
Learning disabilities
Mental retardation
Miscarriage, stillbirth, birth defects or infertility

The Surgeon General provides an online tool for you to use in creating your family medical tree at: https://familyhistory.hhs.gov/fhh-web/home.action "

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