As California’s first-ever surgeon general, how do you hope to shape the position?
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris: Governor Newsom established the position of California Surgeon General with the understanding that some of the most pernicious, but least-addressed health challenges are the upstream factors that eventually become chronic and acute conditions that are far more difficult and expensive to treat. As the first California Surgeon General, I have prioritized early childhood development, health equity, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and toxic stress.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many new challenges, but the work around health equity and ACEs and toxic stress is more important now than ever.
What is toxic stress, and what led you to concentrate on it?
NBH: Exposure to repeated, severe, or chronic stressors, without the buffering protections of trusted, nurturing caregivers and safe, stable environments, can lead to prolonged activation of the biological stress response, which can alter the structure and functioning of children’s developing brains, metabolic, immune, and neuroendocrine systems, and even the way our DNA is read and transcribed.
Stress is a normal, and even essential, part of human development. However, several decades of scientific research have identified toxic stress as a key mechanism by which adverse childhood experiences lead to increased risk of serious acute and chronic health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.
To Read more: https://alumni.berkeley.edu/ca...ping-during-pandemic
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