Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)

Childhood trauma can severely affect a person’s health for the rest of their life. Now there are many types of stress, but the one I am speaking about is not the stress of losing a toy or failing a test. Chronic stress occurs in children when neglect or abuse is present in the child’s life. It does not have to be direct abuse either, their parents undergoing chronic stress and substance abuse can lead their child to their own health issues. The study behind childhood abuse and its connection to long-term health conditions is known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). With the help of Nadine Harris, author of the book, “The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity”, ACE is finally becoming a new household name that should have been many years ago.

High dosages of stress can inhibit the brain functions and cause current health complications or ones further down the road. Most adults can tolerate certain levels of stress but as a child, the tolerable stress level is very limited. If a child experiences a traumatic event early on in their life, it will increase chronic inflammation and risk autoimmune diseases like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis or asthma. Harris has experienced many cases of abrupt illnesses due to child adversity. She at first had a hard time discovering that child adversity was the reason for these strange symptoms, she states, “And then I got to the patient that I talk about in the book, Diego, a 7-year-old boy who seemed to have stopped growing after a sexual assault at age 4. For me, that was the case that made me stop in my tracks and say there is something else going on here and I need to get to the bottom of it.” (nytimes.com, 2018) 

For many adults who develop unreasonable health issues like heart disease, stokes, or arthritis, do not recognize the connection between a previous traumatic event and their health state. Sometimes it is never recognized and that is one of the reasons Harris shares us her stories in her book. More light needs to be shed onto ACE in order to prevent and cure these complex illnesses. Once more and more people understand ACE, perhaps the amount of abuse incidents will reduce and the many unsolved medical cases will find their answers.

Childhood Memories: The Assault on Health

Some of us cherish our childhood, others wish to forget it. But no matter how hard one may try to forget, it always comes back around. Adults who have witnessed or was a victim to abuse, drugs, or sexual assault as young children, will never cease to remove that part of their life. While it may shape them into a more suitable person, their minds will not ever forget, leading to harmful affects of their health.

In the book, “The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity”, by Nadine Burke Harris, M.D, she brings aloud many detailed stories of grown adults and children going through surprising health issues. At first many of the patients do not realize what the reason for the heart attacks, strokes, ADHD, or stunts in growth are due to. However, once the the doctors learn about their childhood, all the answers fall into place.

Nadine Burke Harris, M.D, is the founder and CEO of the Center for Youth Wellness in San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point. She was awarded the prestigious Heinz Award in 2016, and had her own TED Talk about children trauma affecting their health. This is her first book and many love her approach to telling people about the connection between childhood adversity and health. One Book review, by Jane Ellen Stevens, mentions how she hopes readers do not get the idea that this only happens within inner-city communities. Although, Harris has worked hard to prove this notion to be untrue. Stevens believes this book will inspire millions upon millions of people about the science behind this issue.