RITCHIE FAMILY HEALTH

A History of the Family Health is  important for our future generations.
The more information they have, and can impart to their Medical Practitioners, the more chance of early detection, something our  family members did not always have the benefit of.

Very few medical or  health  records were  kept in the last century, apart from Births and Death Certificates, so its difficult to trace the health issues of our early ancestors, but in this century cancer has sadly played a large part  in the lives of our immediate family, and statistics show that we have a higher than normal  rate of the disease.
Many discussion have been held within the family as to possible causes , and related factors, and whether or not growing up in country Brodribb River, and later Orbost, had any bearing, due to exposure to chemicals  used on the farm to spray weeds etc. and the common use of super phosphate.
Genetic inheritance was another theory put forward, but there were no medical records to verify that any of our ancestors had cancer.

Of the original Ritchie family of four children, - Alan, Tom, Margeret and Mary who were all  born and raised on the farm at Brodribb River, only one, Tom remained on the farm till the fifties, when he retired to Orbost, and his son Frank ran the farm at Brodribb River, later moving to another farm near Orbost.
Margeret and Mary Ritchie moved from the farm, into Orbost, and later to  Melbourne.
Alan Ritchie moved to a farm in Kilsyth,near Melbourne.

Alan Ritchie contracted testicular cancer in later life after he retired,but  made  a full recovery and  enjoyed longevity well into his nineties.
Alan's eldest son John Ritchie contracted throat cancer many years ago,and with the aid of a voice box, continues to lead a productive life, running his  farm near Melbourne.

Alan's brother Tom's second eldest daughter Jan, who moved from Orbost to Bega in country NSW.to run a Guest House in the late sixties, was diagnozed with leukemia shortly after she retired,and sadly passed away, aged forty -seven years, on 25th August , 1983.
Tom's son Frank, who had run the family farm at Brodribb River,contracted bowel cancer twelve years later, and  sadly passed away, aged fifty -seven years, on 10th December, 1995
Five years years later,Tom's second youngest daughter, Patricia, contracted breast cancer  overcame it, and later contracted throat cancer.
Patricia Ritchie sadly passed away on 9th February, 2005.aged sixty-three years.

It seems incredible that in a family of five siblings, three passed into the next life, within a ten year span, due to the  same disease, manifested in different forms, so sadly and so early, leaving my eldest sister Peg and myself, the only remaining members.
And causes me to wonder what the common denominator could be.
Living in a different geographical area later in life, or just genetics?

Jan Ritchie's daughter, Sharon Fairhall, who was born in Orbost, later lived in Bega NSW, and now resides in Tallubudgera Qld, made a full recovery from breast cancer, in the late eighties.

Her sister Vicki  had a melanoma removed from her arm, and after treatment, made a full recovery.
Frank Ritchie's second eldest daughter, Mandy Richardson was born in Orbost, and still resides on a farm near Orbost, has made a full recovery from breast cancer, after  treatment.
Alan Ritchie's grand-daughter ,and Peter Ritchie's second eldest daughter Lyn, had a melanoma removed from her forehead years ago, and was recently diagnozed with breast cancer.
Lyn  is now recovering ,after under going chemo- and radiotherapy.

Of  twenty-seven  family members, nine contracted cancer, which is exactly one third,  a very  high incidence of the disease.

Sadly, three passed away, the remainder have made, or are making, a full recovery.

ON THEORIES :
One theory could be that some of those who remained in the Orbost area, lost their battle with the disease, and those who moved away to a different  area, successfully fought it off, leading to the conclusion, that something in the Orbost area caused a cancer cluster.

One theory that has been around for a long time, is the "Fight "or "Flight "theory.
Very confronting, especially if you consider: do some people manifest this disease as a form of escape from a life which, for whatever reason has become too hard?
Another theory : is that all  dis-ease starts in the mind, and cancers are caused through long-harboured resentment.
And another:  that all cancers are caused through infection, probably a virile infection.
What do you think ?
Post your comments in the 'comments section ' at the bottom of the Blog, and let's hear your opinions and theories.

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"Most people are not aware that certain chemicals and toxins are actually at a much higher level inside our homes," writes Dr. Garrett Widowin in an article on the Healthier Talk website.

But Dr. Widowin balances that disturbing note with two suggestions that can help control the airborne toxins in your home.
"One of the simplest ways to decrease the chemical exposures inside of your home is to remove your shoes.
Think of all the places your feet touch and all the items they come in contact with.??

Pesticides on the ground, oil residues in the road/parking lot, chemicals and germs on a pubic bathroom floor. I don't want my house to be a mixture of all these places.
Another way to improve the air quality in your home is the addition of certain plants.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has done studies over the past three decades to investigate which plants could help remove toxic chemicals from the air for use in space stations.

The most efficient plants at filtering formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene are:
Mass cane, Pot mum , Gerbera daisy, Warnecki, Ficus .
"The addition of these plants will improve the home's environment by decreasing toxic exposure for those who live there.
 Any number of these plants in a house will make a difference, yet to make a noticeable difference in a home's air quality I recommend placing at least one plant per room and to include a little variety throughout the home.
Please remember the most important room is your bedroom, so place a couple in there."
Thanks to John Ritchie from Cockatoo, Victoria, for this contribution .
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After reading the Ritchie Family Blog it occurred to me that looking at the records of the Cemetary Trust ,both our familes have been affected with cancer.
Our lot seemed to think it had something to do with the Atomic bomb in South Australia,and the prevailing winds at the time were blowing across to East Gippsland.
I think it was a good move to go somewhere else to live, rather than stay in Orbost.

Thanks to Graham Herbert from Tallubudgera,Queensland, for this contribution.