Nadine Burke Harris identified a correlation between traumatic experiences suffered as a child and negative health outcomes, both mental and physical.In researching this apparent connection Nadine found that the impact of an “adverse childhood experience” (ACE) was not only linked to immediate health implications, but corresponded with mental and physical illness through adulthood.

An ACE includes:
- physical, emotional, and sexual abuse
- physical and emotional neglect
- growing up in a household where a parent was mentally ill, substance-dependent, incarcerated
- growing up in a household where there was parental separation or divorce, or domestic violence

In the 1998 study by Kaiser Permanente and the CDC which formulated this list it was shown that ACEs were associated with heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, and Alzheimer’s.

Mechanistically this happens because ACEs result in frequent releases of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Blood pressure is raised, as is heart rate and blood sugar levels. This is associated with changes in the structure and function of children’s developing brains, in their developing hormonal systems, and even in the way their DNA is read and transcribed.