US health officials link childhood trauma to adult illness
U.S. health officials estimated that millions of cases of heart disease and other illnesses are linked to abuse and other physical and psychological harm suffered early in life.In a report released Tuesday, Nov. 5, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tried to estimate the impact of harmful childhood experiences on health in adulthood.Health officials acknowledged the study does not prove that these experiences directly cause certain illnesses. And they were not able to rule out other possible factors, such as the stress caused by financial family problems.But the link is strong, and is bolstered by many other studies, Jim Mercy said, who oversees the CDC’s violence prevention programs.“There’s a lot of evidence connecting these things,” and it’s become