Book Review: The Impact of Toxic Childhood Stress: Understanding and Healing Early Trauma

Toxic Childhood Stress - The Legacy of Early Trauma and How to Heal by Dr Nadine Burke-Harris

ID: This picture is of the front cover of a book about trauma. It is white with a gold circle with Toxic Childhood Stress written in it. Copyright owned by Dr Nadine Burke Harris.

When you think of something that is toxic what comes to your mind? Maybe a poisonous substance like cyanide, deadly nightshade or synthetic caraboid's like Spice. No matter what the level or type of toxicity (how likely it is to kill you), its understood that some disastrous or deadly outcome awaits the user or the person exposed to it. In the early 1990's a pivotal research paper revealed that when exposed to traumas as a child - their bodies and brains will stop growing correctly and can lead to chronic health difficulties and even early death. More people around the world were suffering these dramatic health comorbidities and inequalities leading to huge financial burdens upon the sufferer and governments - more than the scourge of cancer, illnesses caused by smoking and drugs. This study was to become known as the ACE study.

ACE's stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences (Felitti and colleagues, 1990). Dr Felitti's landmark paper has started to change the way we understand and treat traumatic experiences. However Felitti and his colleagues were not the only ones to have championed this hugely important issue. Dr Nadine Burke-Harris, Surgeon General of California USA and CEO of The Centre For Youth Wellness based in San Francisco USA, has championed this health pandemic for over 20 years. Her book entitled Toxic Childhood Stress - The Legacy of Early Trauma and How to Heal has drawn worldwide attention to this massive issue of childhood traumatic experiences. Nadine skilfully utilises her patients real life experiences thus helping the reader to see the real world and real time impact these ACES are having on not just the children of the past but of today too! In England, although ACEs are recognised by the NHS, it is thought of as a mental health issue and not part of standard General Practioner health screening. You have to wait for the child to demonstrate adverse behavioural issues and then its down to the mental health professional whether they take it into account or not! This is totally unacceptable! We are letting out children down in a massive way. How so? Lets illustrate.

One patient who the book tells us is suffering numerous health problems, is little Diego a four year old boy. Dr Burke calls him a "super-cutie and a shorty" (page 3). His growth has been stunted, experiences extreme anxiety and depression, is missing his health and educational milestones amongst many other health problems. Why? A few years previous a lodger and family member sexually abused him. Although his parents found out and kicked the person out and reported it to the police - this has meant that the income this gave the family on top of his dads wages has meant housing issues, financial problems and a lack of food. He has also been exposed to domestic violence from his farther who has now been arrested and deported back to Mexico. These are just some of the problems that Diego's family suffer as do most of the patients that Dr Burke Harris sees at her community clinic day in day out. Nadine gives a whilst stop tour of how she got into medicine and public health and why she wanted to give so much to the people of Bayview San Francisco.

Why was she seeing so many children who were getting diagnosed previously with ADHD or were getting into trouble with the law and failing education? Why were some many kids so seriously ill? Nadine covers her journey in the many sleepless nights and fears for both her safety and the safety of her young patients. When she found the Felitti study on ACEs - she says it was like everything finally fitted together. It wasn't pollution or poverty, although they were having an impact, but it was the kids being murdered in the street by drug dealers and gangs, domestic violence, childhood abuse, deportation of parents, crime, homelessness, unemployment, bullying, hunger, lack of education, parental incarceration etc. Just as important as finding out about the patients previous health problems understanding there trauma history or ACEs enabled the clinicians to treat these little ones in the right way and start educating parents and the community to over come these health problems and ACEs.

ACEs are not just a Bayview issue or one that only those around the world will experience if they live in impoverished neighbourhoods. Dr Burke Harris draws our attention to the fact that the original study was carried out on a white, middle class community. These people were wealthy, had access to good private medical care, therapists, fresh good quality food, good education and clean neighbourhoods. ACEs are not the purview of the poor or ethic minority communities of the world as popular media explanations would have us believe - 'it's them - we are different - better'.

So why not give the book a go and find out why we act all different and how our childhood DOES effect us as adults - even if we don't like to publicly admit it. Understanding your ACE's is the start of your empowerment journey and life long healing. Your mental wellbeing is so important - our 'little grey cells' control our life. Find out about yours.

Toxic Childhood Stress - The Legacy of Early Trauma and How to Heal. By Dr Nadine Burke Harris and Forward by Kerry Hudson. Published in hard and paper back (2020). ISBN: 978-1-5098-2398-7. Published by bluebird books for life. RRP UK £10.99 Available at all good book stores, some major supermarkets and public libraries.

This video is of a TEDx by Dr Nadine Burke-Harris on why ACEs should be included in all childhood GP appointments as standard:

ID: The picture above is the gateway to a YouTube video about childhood ACEs. Copyright owned by Dr Burke Harris and TEDx Ted Talks (2015).