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August 2015 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
Childhood Trauma
and Adult Health
Risks for leading causes of
death increase dramatically
with harsh experiences
By Angela S. Hoover,
Staff Writer
Experiencing childhood trauma,
such as abuse or neglect, negatively
affects health in adulthood regardless of lifestyle. Dr. Nadine Burke
Harris presented a TED talk full of
discoveries and scientific proof of this
phenomenon.
In the mid-1990s, the CDC and
Kaiser Permanente found exposure
to childhood trauma dramatically
increased the risk for seven out of
10 of the leading causes of death
in the United States. Childhood
trauma affects brain development, the
immune system, hormonal systems
and even how DNA is read and transcribed. It can create a 20-year difference in life expectancy. The child-
hood traumas that can affect health so
drastically include abuse, neglect and
having a parent with a mental illness
or substance-abuse issues.
Like other healthcare practitioners,