Thanksgiving dinner table talk that's good for your health

Surgeon General urges Americans to learn family health history

It's a conversation you might not think of having around your Thanksgiving dinner table, but doctors say it could be a real lifesaver.

Each year since 2004, the Surgeon General has declared Thanksgiving to be National Family Health History Day. Experts say it's actually an ideal time to learn about the health problems that may run in your family.

Recommended Videos



Having a thorough family health history can help your doctor identify your personal health risks and decide if you might benefit from early screening. Several health problems including heart disease, cancers, high blood pressure and diabetes can run in families.

To help you organize your family history information, the Surgeon General's office has an online tool called My Family Health Portrait. The tool helps users save their family history information to their own computer and print it out to share with their doctor and other family members.

To learn more about the Surgeon General's Family Health History Initiative, click here.

To access the My Family Health Portrait Tool, click here.