It is important to know your family health history

March is colorectal cancer awareness month. The screening guidelines have changed and it is now recommended that individuals, with normal risk, begin regular screenings at age 45. Colorectal cancer is one that can be prevented through regular screenings, so it is very important to know your risk factors; and because polyps and colon cancer can be hereditary, it is also important to know your family history.

 

To help you guide this conversation with your family, you can follow this link to   a basic health history form. You can also create a family history that can easily be shared with your loved ones by visiting the CDC’s “My Family Health Portrait.” Feel free to use this as a basis for discussion within your family.