It seems plausible that abused and/or traumatized children would more likely be malnourished than average, and that DOES have an effect on body and brain chemistry. But regardless of nutritional status, trauma has strong effects and there is a LOT of data to support that. Here's a page about the ACE study, for example:
In the early 1990s, Dr. Robert Anda, then an epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), collaborated with Vincent Felitti, MD, at Kaiser Permanente to investigate child abuse as an underlying cause of medical, social, and public health problems. This effort led to a large-scale study funded by the CDC to track the effects of childhood trauma on health throughout the lifespan. Called the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE Study), the findings were reported in more than 70 publications in major medical and public health journals. Data collected from more than 17,000 patients showed that ACEs:
Were common, with 28 percent of study participants reporting physical abuse, 21 percent reporting sexual abuse, and many reporting that they experienced a divorce, parental separation, or having a parent with a mental and/or substance use disorder.
Had a profound negative effect on health and well-being, including significant increases in alcoholism, heart disease, and cancer.
Were a prime factor of past, current and future health behaviors, social problems, and early death in the study population. Examples include an increase in the rates of obesity, drug abuse, smoking, chronic depression, and attempted suicide.
The “ACE Score” Is the number of ACEs a person experienced. The ACE Score serves as a proxy for the level of adversity and has a “dose” relationship to adult health issues: The higher the ACE score, the more likely a person is to experience serious health challenges. Individuals with ACE scores of 4 or more were 12 times more likely to have attempted suicide, 7 times more likely to be alcoholic, and 10 times more likely to have injected street drugs. People with ACE scores of 6 and higher have an almost 20‐year shortening of lifespan.
Treating children with love and respect really IS critically important.
No one said it did? You're talking about depression and never mentioned the nutritional aspect of it, only the behavioral. Nutrition is critical, ask any doctor.
Necessary addition: You're exactly right that no amount of love GIVEN LATER ON will fix neurosis (no matter the symptoms: depression, addiction, whatever).
Can't fix trauma from childhood with warmth and love IN ADULTHOOD. Plenty of people try to do that; sex addiction is an obvious and extreme example.
Old traumatic events MUST be brought to full consciousness to resolve, otherwise they remain, pristine, waiting to BE experienced -- and the system can only handle them in fire-alarm mode because they were, by definition, serious and threatening. THAT is what's being repressed.
Absent bringing the events to full consciousness (actually "becoming as a little child" -- the child that was being traumatized; letting oneself become weak in order to feel pain, draining it OUT of the system so that one can be strong in the present) -- absent that, what is left is trying to strengthen defenses (better nutrition can help) and to strengthen them in ways less damaging -- getting into exercise and sports instead of drinking a lot and getting into fistfights; studying [anything non-toxic] instead of consuming junk media; taking up boxing or martial arts instead of taking old feelings out on the wife or kids.
Just shifting to more positive actions in life can be very effective -- for MANY people, but far from all. Each person is different.
It seems plausible that abused and/or traumatized children would more likely be malnourished than average, and that DOES have an effect on body and brain chemistry. But regardless of nutritional status, trauma has strong effects and there is a LOT of data to support that. Here's a page about the ACE study, for example:
https://pinetreeinstitute.org/aces/
Treating children with love and respect really IS critically important.
Check out what iron deficiency does to the brain.
No amount of love will fix some things.
That's true! And no amount of iron, or anything else, can replace love in the life of an infant and child. Trauma cannot be fixed by diet.
No one said it did? You're talking about depression and never mentioned the nutritional aspect of it, only the behavioral. Nutrition is critical, ask any doctor.
Necessary addition: You're exactly right that no amount of love GIVEN LATER ON will fix neurosis (no matter the symptoms: depression, addiction, whatever).
Can't fix trauma from childhood with warmth and love IN ADULTHOOD. Plenty of people try to do that; sex addiction is an obvious and extreme example.
Old traumatic events MUST be brought to full consciousness to resolve, otherwise they remain, pristine, waiting to BE experienced -- and the system can only handle them in fire-alarm mode because they were, by definition, serious and threatening. THAT is what's being repressed.
Absent bringing the events to full consciousness (actually "becoming as a little child" -- the child that was being traumatized; letting oneself become weak in order to feel pain, draining it OUT of the system so that one can be strong in the present) -- absent that, what is left is trying to strengthen defenses (better nutrition can help) and to strengthen them in ways less damaging -- getting into exercise and sports instead of drinking a lot and getting into fistfights; studying [anything non-toxic] instead of consuming junk media; taking up boxing or martial arts instead of taking old feelings out on the wife or kids.
Just shifting to more positive actions in life can be very effective -- for MANY people, but far from all. Each person is different.