03/09/2022
One of the best studies done about the affects of stress and its correlation to diseases (DIS-EASE) was the ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study. The ACE Study findings suggest that adverse childhood experiences are major risk factors for the leading causes of illness, disability and death as well as poor quality of life in the United States.
ACEs are incredibly common — two-thirds of study participants had experienced at least one ACE category and one in eight individuals had experienced four or more ACEs. The higher your ACE score, the higher the likelihood of developing long-term health problems like heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes.
The Study is an ongoing collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente. Begun in 1994, the Study includes over 17,000 adults enrolled in the Kaiser HMO in San Diego, CA. 2/3 of the study participants reported at least one adverse childhood experience such as abuse, neglect, or family separation (divorce) with most reporting more than one. By bringing awareness of the origins of the many health and social problems that develop over a lifespan, this study shows that prevention of ACEs, such as abuse and neglect, can have enormous impact on the health of our society. This should be a big duhhhh! But apparently we needed to crunch data on thousands of participants to come to a conclusion that should just be obvious.
ACEs are linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance misuse in adulthood. ACEs can be prevented, and just because you have had an ACE doesn’t mean you will develop one of the potential risks or diseases associated with high stress. Preventing ACEs can help children and adults thrive and potentially lower risk for conditions like depression, asthma, cancer, and diabetes in adulthood.
It’s never too late to work on changing your physiology! You are not what happened to you.
