Family History Genogram with Recommendation to Improve Health - Essay Example

"Family History Genogram with Recommendation to Improve Health" is a good example of a paper on social and family issues. Tracing family health history is a wise move to determine recommendations for a healthy lifestyle. By listing down health issues that older family members encountered, one can identify predispositions to ill conditions and create a health an individual health plan, which could be shared with relatives. Designing a health genogram for the family is a practicable way to trace the history of sickness, whether communicable or non-communicable.

            The genogram of Hillary Irons shows a family history of several health issues especially on her mother’s side, including tuberculosis (grandfather), primary complex and pneumonia (cousins), Parkinson’s disease (aunt), and cataract (grandmother and uncle).  On her father’s side, arthritis (grandfather) and joint pains (father) can be noted. Overall, the illnesses mentioned are evident in the late years of life such as cataract and arthritis. Therefore, prevention measures should be determined and practiced early in life to help Hillary and future generations avoid said health issues.

Considering the health conditions on her mother’s side, Hillary should consider extra care for her eyes and lungs. For her eyes, care includes reading with proper lighting, resting the eyes after some time of reading, using eye drops for dry eyes upon doctor’s recommendations, and having her eyes checked as regularly as possible. Likewise, asMacGrath (n.d.) recommends, Hillary should take appropriate amounts of Vitamins A, B, C, D, and E. Additionally, she should avoid straining her eyes and carrying heavyweight as such can hasten the development of age-related cataract.

For proper care of the lungs, Hillary should observe proper diet and exercise. Breathing exercises, aerobics, and walking may also help Hillary to prevent lung diseases. Taking lots of Vitamin C and water can also help drive out toxins from the body, and get rid of viruses that can cause common colds and broncho-related diseases. Furthermore, she should avoid smoking and take enough rest each day.

Considering the health conditions traced from her father’s side, Hillary should also take precautionary measures to avoid early disposition to arthritis. This also requires exercising regularly, avoiding immobility, eating a healthy diet, and avoiding foods that could trigger arthritis. These include processed foods, dairy products, salty foods, and corn oil (“Foods to Avoid with Arthritis”). Hillary should also avoid alcohol and tobacco.