Holiday Gatherings Provide Opportunity to Record Family Health History
CHESTERFIELD, MO, Nov 08, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Every year since 2004, the Surgeon General has declared Thanksgiving to be National Family History Day -- a time for American families to gather, talk about and write down the health problems that seem to run in their family. This year, Reliv International, Inc. is urging Americans to make the Surgeon General's declaration a part of their holiday tradition by creating a Family Health Portrait.
A Family Health Portrait traces the illnesses suffered by your parents, grandparents and other blood relatives. It can help your doctor predict the disorders for which you may be at risk so you can take the necessary action to keep yourself and your family healthy. The Web-based tool helps users organize family history information and then print it out for presentation to their family doctor. In addition, the tool helps users save their family history information to their own computer and even share family history information with other family members.
"At Reliv, we believe that optimal nutrition is beneficial to everyone," said Dr. Carl Hastings, chief scientific officer of Reliv International. "Our products provide balanced nutrition for a healthier lifestyle and overall wellbeing. Learning about the specific health challenges you may face through building your Family Health Portrait is another way you may help ensure a longer, healthier future."
Health care professionals have known for a long time that many health issues such as elevated blood sugar, obesity and high cholesterol can run in families. If one generation of a family has high blood sugar, it is not unusual for the next generation to have similarly high blood sugar. An up-to-date Family Health Portrait can be a powerful screening tool for your doctor, focusing medical attention first on the most likely areas of concern.
"A lot of different things go into maintaining a healthy lifestyle," said Hastings. "Eating right, regular exercise, getting enough sleep. Creating a Family Health Portrait is another way to be proactive about your health, just as taking nutritional supplements can help ensure you are getting enough vitamins and nutrients for optimum health."
In 2002, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) began advising all adults to take multivitamins to help prevent such common chronic illnesses as cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis. "Most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone. It appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements," according to the statement in JAMA.
How are you staying healthy? Reliv invites you to share the steps you are taking to stay healthy on the Reliv Facebook fan page. And, follow Reliv on Twitter to learn the facts about how optimal nutrition can help you live a healthy, active lifestyle.
Reliv International is a direct selling company that develops and markets nutritional supplements, including essential nutrition, weight loss, performance enhancement, women's health, digestive health and anti-aging products. Reliv distributors sell the supplements directly to consumers. The company also provides the tools, training and support to help its distributors build their home-based businesses.
For more information about Reliv International products or business opportunity, visit www.reliv.com.
About Reliv International Reliv International, Inc., based in Chesterfield, Mo., is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of a proprietary line of nutritional supplements. Reliv supplements address essential daily nutrition, weight loss and targeted solutions, such as energy and performance enhancement, digestive health, women's health and anti-aging. Reliv sells its products through an international network marketing system of approximately 62,000 independent distributors. Additional information about Reliv International, Inc. can be obtained at www.reliv.com or on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.
SOURCE: Reliv International
