Family Health

Factors Affecting Family Health: Personal Histories and Wellness

Personal health is often influenced by one's family health history. 

by John Fisher (assisted by AI)

Health is a deeply personal and familial experience, influenced by genetics, lifestyle choices, social dynamics, economic conditions, and access to healthcare. In a Health and Wellness class, students reflected on their family health histories, sharing insights into both physical and mental health challenges and the efforts taken to maintain well-being. These narratives highlight the importance of awareness, preventative care, and healthy habits that shape long-term health outcomes for individuals and future generations.

Genetic Health Conditions

Many students noted inherited health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, emphasizing the importance of monitoring and managing these risks. One student shared, “My family has a history of heart and blood-related problems. Both of my grandfathers have undergone heart surgery and survived.” Another described their family’s battle with cancer: “My grandfather had cancer, my mom has had cancer, and my sister is high risk for cancer.” These experiences reinforce the need for regular medical check-ups and proactive health management.

Mental Health Challenges

Mental health concerns were a recurring theme, with students recognizing hereditary conditions such as anxiety, depression, and neurodivergent traits. One student reflected, “Genetically, we have a predisposition for several mental illnesses and neurodivergencies. Luckily, with increased access to mental health resources, my family has been able to get the medications, therapies, and general support we need.” Another noted, “Both my mother and father’s side have struggled with anxiety and depression. My father has been on medication for years, and my younger sister was recently diagnosed as well.” These stories underscore the importance of mental health awareness, access to professional care, and open discussions within families.

Lifestyle and Preventative Health

Students described how their families incorporate healthy habits to combat genetic and environmental health risks. Many cited diet and exercise as key factors in shaping their well-being. “My parents started running in their 30s, and now they’ve run multiple marathons. I also picked up running and plan to do my first marathon this year,” shared one student. Another emphasized the impact of home-cooked meals: “In my house, food is made from scratch with fresh ingredients almost 100% of the time. We focus on eating vegetables, fruits, and organic food.” These examples illustrate how lifestyle choices can counteract hereditary risks and contribute to overall health.

Social Dynamics and Family Structure

Family relationships and upbringing significantly impact health behaviors. Divorce, parental influence, and family traditions were commonly mentioned. One student reflected on the impact of divorce: “My parents are divorced, and my brothers and I tend to live fairly unhealthy lives… my step-siblings, on the other hand, go to the gym daily.” Another noted how parental habits shaped their own: “My mom’s commitment to fitness motivated me to make exercise a part of my daily routine.” These experiences show how family environments influence health behaviors in positive or negative ways.

Economic and Educational Factors

Access to healthcare, nutritious food, and fitness opportunities is often shaped by financial status and education. One student highlighted the challenges of affording healthy food: “Healthy food is getting expensive… my parents ask us not to waste it.” Another noted the difficulties of accessing wellness resources: “Gym memberships, therapy, and organic food are expensive, making health feel like a privilege for some.” Education also plays a role—families that are well-informed about health risks tend to prioritize preventative care, such as regular screenings for conditions like diabetes and cancer.

The Role of Stress and Mental Health

Stress is a significant factor in family health. Many students discussed how family stressors—work pressures, financial burdens, and childhood trauma—contributed to both physical and mental health struggles. One student shared, “Mental health is a huge part of my family… everyone has dealt with suicidal thoughts at one time or another.” These accounts highlight the need for mental health support systems and stress management strategies within families.

Technology and Sedentary Lifestyles

Technology use, especially video games and screen time, was another factor affecting family health. Some students noted how excessive gaming contributed to a sedentary lifestyle: “My step-siblings play video games all day, but they also make time to exercise.” Others admitted that screen time often led to unhealthy eating habits and irregular sleep. However, students who balanced gaming with physical activity and structured routines showed that technology’s impact on health depends on how it is managed.

Overcoming Health Struggles

Many students shared stories of resilience and overcoming health challenges. One student described their experience with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS): “EDS has caused my mother to have many health complications and surgeries. For me, it has made me hypermobile and susceptible to injury, but physical therapy has helped me manage it.” Another reflected on breaking unhealthy cycles: “I grew up eating mostly fast food, but now I’m learning to cook healthier meals and exercise regularly.” These narratives show that despite genetic predispositions and environmental challenges, individuals can take proactive steps to improve their health.

Conclusion

Family health is influenced by more than just genetics—it is shaped by lifestyle choices, social dynamics, economic conditions, education, mental health, and technology use. While some factors are inherited, many health outcomes are within an individual’s control. Students recognized the importance of breaking unhealthy cycles, prioritizing mental wellness, and making informed health decisions. As one student wisely stated, “I believe that God has blessed us with incredible bodies, and it’s our responsibility to care for them.” These reflections serve as a reminder that while family history provides insights into potential risks, the choices we make ultimately define our health and wellness.

Hashtags:

#HealthAndWellness #FamilyHealth #MentalWellness #HealthyHabits #PreventativeCare

12-steps for Drug Addicts

Transforming Addiction: Embracing Recovery Through the 12 Steps

Windle, Lauren. (2018, March 28). Lessons a drug addict can teach you. TEDxSurreyUniversity.

Summary:
Lauren Windle shares her personal journey from heavy drinking and cocaine use at 22 to achieving sobriety through the structured process of the 12-step recovery program. After hitting a low point marked by deteriorating physical health and emotional isolation, she sought help from a support group where honest sharing and connection played a pivotal role. By admitting her powerlessness, embracing a higher power, conducting a moral inventory, and making amends, Lauren gradually rebuilt her life. Her story underscores the importance of self-care, community support, and the transformative power of facing one’s fears to overcome addiction. Now, she facilitates a recovery course to help others find the path to healing.

1. Admitted powerlessness: We admitted we were powerless over our addiction and that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Believed in a greater power: We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Turned our lives over: We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Conducted a moral inventory: We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted our wrongs: We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Prepared for change: We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked for help: We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of those harmed: We made a list of all persons we had harmed.
9. Became willing to make amends: We became willing to make amends to them all.
10. Continued personal inventory: We continued to take personal inventory and promptly admitted when we were wrong.
11. Sought spiritual connection: We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will and the power to carry that out.
12. Carried the message: Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics or addicts and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Life Transitions

Rewriting Life’s Story: Mastering Transitions

Summary:

Bruce Feiler recounts a pivotal moment when a phone call about his father’s suicide attempts reshaped his understanding of life transitions. His father, a Navy veteran, faced severe depression after developing Parkinson’s. In an effort to help, Feiler engaged his father in storytelling, prompting him to reflect on his childhood memories, which ultimately revitalized his sense of purpose. This personal experience led to a broader exploration of life transitions.

Through a research project collecting hundreds of life stories, Feiler discovered that the traditional idea of a linear life is outdated. Instead, life is marked by frequent disruptors, with major upheavals—“lifequakes”—occurring three to five times in an average person’s lifetime. The speaker emphasizes that transitions are nonlinear and involve phases of loss, adaptation, and renewal, but can be navigated successfully through intentional strategies. These include embracing emotions, seeking guidance, engaging in creative pursuits, and rewriting one’s life narrative. Ultimately, he argues that storytelling is a powerful tool for resilience, allowing individuals to reclaim agency over their life’s direction.

Reference:

The Secret to Mastering Life's Biggest Transitions | Bruce Feiler | TED

YouTube: The Power of Life Transitions

Reversing Insulin Resistance

The Hidden Crisis: Insulin Resistance and the Future of Metabolic Health

by David Cornaby

Not long ago, I had a conversation that challenged my understanding of metabolic health. As someone who has been borderline diabetic, I thought I understood the basics—blood sugar control, insulin levels, the necessity of diet and exercise. But what if the real problem starts long before the first symptoms of diabetes appear?

I was introduced to Dr. Ben Bikman, a researcher at Brigham Young University, who has spent his career unraveling the mysteries of insulin resistance. His work suggests that by the time someone is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the underlying issue—insulin resistance—has been silently developing for years. It’s a condition where the body becomes less responsive to insulin, forcing the pancreas to work harder and harder until, eventually, it can’t keep up. The result? Blood sugar spikes, metabolic dysfunction, and, ultimately, diabetes.

The conversation then turned to solutions, and this is where things got interesting. Our company, Cornaby's Specialty Foods, is developing products designed to make the body more insulin-sensitive rather than just managing blood sugar levels. One of the key discoveries? Allulose—a sugar alternative that doesn’t act like sugar in the body.

Unlike other non-caloric sweeteners, allulose doesn’t spike insulin, doesn’t contribute to weight gain, and, according to animal studies, actually helps reduce insulin resistance, abdominal fat, and liver fat while improving mitochondrial function. That’s a big deal. The body processes it differently, and early studies show that it may not just be a neutral substitute for sugar—it might actively help reverse some of the damage done by years of metabolic dysfunction.

One particularly striking experiment involved a woman wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). She tested her blood sugar response to white bread alone and then to the same bread topped with a jam made using allulose. The result? A negative glucose response—her blood sugar actually dropped after eating the jam. This was something she had never seen before.

I couldn’t help but think about the implications. What if we’ve been focusing on the wrong problem? Instead of simply avoiding sugar, what if we need to address insulin resistance at its core? What if a shift in how we sweeten our foods could fundamentally change how our bodies process energy?

For emergency responders, healthcare workers, and others in high-stress professions, metabolic health is more than just a personal issue—it affects performance, endurance, and long-term resilience. The idea that small, strategic changes in diet could help improve energy levels, cognitive function, and long-term health is compelling.

Our company plans to release a line of products built around allulose in the coming months, with the goal of helping people reclaim their metabolic health without giving up the foods they love. I’ll be following this closely, both as a researcher and as someone personally invested in health and wellness.

For those interested in diving deeper into insulin resistance, I highly recommend looking up Dr. Ben Bikman’s Metabolic Classroom series on YouTube. His research provides a fascinating look into why insulin resistance matters and how we can reverse it before it’s too late.

Change begins with knowledge—and perhaps, with the right tools, we can start to shift the conversation from diabetes management to true metabolic health. 

David Cornaby is President and CEO of Cornaby's Specialty Foods in Payson, Utah. 

Hashtags: #MetabolicHealth #InsulinResistance #DiabetesPrevention #HealthyEating #BloodSugarControl