What if the story behind your metabolism didn’t start with food, but with your childhood?
In this episode of Health Under the Hood, Dr. Markyia Nichols sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Brian Alman to explore a truth that’s often overlooked in healthcare: our early life experiences don’t just shape who we are. They shape how our bodies function.
At the center of this conversation are Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), a framework developed alongside Dr. Vincent Felitti that reveals how stress, loss, and adversity in childhood can drive patterns in adult health. Not just mental health, but obesity, autoimmune conditions, cardiovascular disease, digestive issues, and more.
Sadly, this isn't rare. It’s the norm.
More than 60% of people have experienced ACEs in the form of neglect, abuse or household challenges. Which means for many high-functioning, high-achieving adults, what looks like discipline or drive on the surface may actually be a nervous system shaped by chronic threat detection.
In this episode, we unpack:
What ACEs are and how they impact chronic disease development (and reversal!)
Why so many chronic conditions show up together, not in isolation
How trauma-informed patterns can drive behaviors like emotional or reward-based eating.
Why “fixing” symptoms often misses the root cause
What it really means to work with your nervous system, not against it
Dr. Alman also shares practical, accessible tools such as his “15th Row” technique to help listeners begin gently rewiring long-standing stress patterns and rebuilding trust with their own bodies. Bonus: the change doesn’t take long to see!
If you’ve ever felt like your body is working against you or like you’re doing everything “right” but still not getting answers, this episode will help you see your health through a completely different lens.
And, more importantly, show you where to begin.
Notes:
From Trauma to Enlightenment: The Four Steps to Unconditional Self-Acceptance is available on Amazon.
Follow Dr Alman on:
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