It doesn’t matter if you’re gathering with grandparents or feasting with friends, we can always count on having some very interesting conversations during the holidays. We’ll talk about football, politics, pop culture, or our latest conversation with that one wacky uncle.
There’s one conversation that members of the medical community would like us to have during this time of year, though: our health.
The health chat is not only appropriate for our family functions; it’s a necessary one. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, most people have a family history of at least one chronic disease, such as diabetes. Sadly, many Americans aren’t aware of their family health history.
As a primary care physician, I often see how conversations around our health (or the lack there of) impact families during the holiday season. I’ve spent many years working at a clinic on the day after Thanksgiving as well as other major holidays. Those were very lively days where literally anything could happen.
I would often have to write emergency prescriptions for travelers who forgot their medications for hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Forgetting a vital prescription that stabilizes a chronic condition can have a disastrous outcome when we indulge in traditional holiday meals especially in the South where we love foods high in fat, sodium and sugar. If you’ve been teetering on the brink of a health crisis all year long, a glass of tea that’s sweet as molasses could put you over the edge.
During those post-holiday shifts at the clinic, I also sent a lot of people to the nearest emergency room because they were actively having a heart attack or stroke. At the ER, they were joined by people experiencing their own crisis, all with accompanying family members who are just trying to figure out what the heck is going on.
These health emergencies are scary for patients who are unable to have a conversation with doctors because their blood pressure is well above 200, or they’re disoriented with blood sugar levels 500 or higher. These emergency room visits are also very stressful for their loved ones, who must make critical decisions with limited information.
Can you imagine having to decide whether or not to put your family member on a ventilator moments after just learning that they have a serious health condition?
My hope is that fewer people will have to guess their way through these decisions because they will decide to talk about their health with their family.
‘Tis the perfect season for us to start to take a revolutionary approach to improving our health outcomes through honest conversations. I understand that in our community, we tend to shy away from these conversations because we “don’t want everyone in our business.” The kicker: they will be in your business anyway if you’re in the ER!
If you don’t feel comfortable bringing this discussion up at the dinner table, start with one person who you trust. Let them know about your health ailments, what prescriptions you take, and what allergies you have so they can help you in case of an emergency. Ask them to share their information with you, too.
This significant conversation would have a ripple effect as we come out of the dark secrecy of keeping important information to ourselves, and usher in an era where we normalize honest dialogue about the realities of our health. Not only would these discussions help alleviate stigmas around diseases that hurt a family for multiple generations; they might also inspire someone to stop forcibly piling another slice of cake on our plates.
After all, we should be able to choose to go back for seconds on our own.
