I subscribe to Consumer Reports "On Health" pamphlet. In the last edition the editor states that her husband is involved in genealogy and that he records the cause of death of each family member if he can find it, along with (of course) the date and age at time of death. Then she adds that this has health benefits as well. The same issue has an article on personal DNA tests to predict the risk of disease, but concludes that in their present stage they have little value and may indeed have some negatives. She says "while genetic tests can predict the risk of a few diseases, family histories can give a better view of how our total genetic profile interacts with environmental factors to cause or prevent actual diseases." A recent National Institute of Health panel on family history concluded that family histories may help doctors choose appropriate treatments and motivate patients to make lifestyle changes. She says "o record your family's health history, use the tool on the US Surgeon General's web site www.hhs.gov/familyhistory I wonder if hackers could use this site for nefarious purposes. But I now wish I had recorded cause of death more carefully. This is good advice. Roy Johnson

I read a study of breast cancer as reported in Scientific American some time in the last couple of years. A genetic study was done of the victims in a certain area of southern Colorado. The report felt a specific group of related women were more susceptible. The article was quite interesting. Shirley Graham In a message dated 12/24/09 20:48:27 Central Standard Time, royj@webster.edu writes: I subscribe to Consumer Reports "On Health" pamphlet. In the last edition the editor states that her husband is involved in genealogy and that he records the cause of death of each family member if he can find it, along with (of course) the date and age at time of death. Then she adds that this has health benefits as well. The same issue has an article on personal DNA tests to predict the risk of disease, but concludes that in their present stage they have little value and may indeed have some negatives. She says "while genetic tests can predict the risk of a few diseases, family histories can give a better view of how our total genetic profile interacts with environmental factors to cause or prevent actual diseases." A recent National Institute of Health panel on family history concluded that family histories may help doctors choose appropriate treatments and motivate patients to make lifestyle changes. She says "o record your family's health history, use the tool on the US Surgeon General's web site www.hhs.gov/familyhistory I wonder if hackers could use this site for nefarious purposes. But I now wish I had recorded cause of death more carefully. This is good advice. Roy Johnson ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to PACE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Roy Johnson wrote: > I subscribe to Consumer Reports "On Health" pamphlet. Surgeon General's Family Health History Initiative http://www.hhs.gov/familyhistory/ This is interesting, In a similar way, I believe, is the fact that family likenesses such as facial features as seen in photographs, seem to get passed down also. This family likeness would seem to go hand-in-hand with what you're talking about with passed-on family medical situations. To illustrate this point, I was at the PACE Reunion at Kansas City and greeted by a couple who were rather astonished at my appearance. A couple years later, I was in their home and shown a family photo and asked, does this look like anyone you might know of? Well, I was as shocked as this couple was, two years earlier, at Kansas City. There certainly seemed to be a family resemblance. This was not the first time. In a PACE BULLETIN, a few years back was a photo and story of a man, STAFFORD PACE who had passed away at Fluvanna CO. (I think) Virginia. I looked closely at the photo in the Bulletin and went to a photo I have on one of my web pages; a photo of a portrait of GEORGE PACE of Sheriff Hales, Shropshire. He was the father of WILLIAM CHERRINGTON PACE who came with two sisters to IOWA in 1851 and had migrated to north/east KANSAS in 1871. The portrait of GEORGE PACE hangs in a descendent's living room in California, USA. The likeness between STAFFORD PACE of Virginia and GEORGE PACE of Sheriff Hales, Shropshire seemed to me to be rather apparent. I could mention a couple more similar stories of resemblances of this nature. Roy has brought up an interesting subject. Surgeon General's Family Health History Initiative http://www.hhs.gov/familyhistory/ Health care professionals have known for a long time that common diseases - heart disease, cancer, and diabetes - and rare diseases - like hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, and sickle cell anemia - can run in families. If one generation of a family has high blood pressure, it is not unusual for the next generation to have similarly high blood pressure. Tracing the illnesses suffered by your parents, grandparents, and other blood relatives can help your doctor predict the disorders to which you may be at risk and take action to keep you and your family healthy. GTPace