The Center for Collaborative Study of Trauma, Health Equity, and Neurobiology

INTRODUCTION to THEN SCIENCE

THEN's Vision

This VIDEO describes THEN’s VISION for a new approach to Medical Science showing the connections between a person’s experience, Brain-Body regulation and disease. 

Our Video Case Study describes the link between the disease of HYPERTENSION (High Blood Pressure) and the experience of TRAUMA, particularly DISCRIMINATION.   The Video describes why Medicine's current fragmented model prevents us from seeing the roots of disease - and blocks us from taking action to Prevent and Heal complex illness.

See Science REFERENCES below for research discussed in the Video.

RE-IMAGINING CARE:   Based on current scientific findings, what could clinical care look like?
  • Focus on Brain-Body REGULATION –  Sleep, Exercise, Emotional Healing and Regulation
  • TEAM APPROACH to understanding any disease - within the context of an individual’s life, with the patient-client being an equal member of the Team
  • Range of Treatment Modalities:  blending conventional medicine (prescription medications) with Trauma Processing and regulatory Mind-Body techniques (ancient healing practices) such as Mindfulness, Yoga, Acupuncture and more
  • Family – Community – Social Justice.  Ensuring basic needs (safety, food, and more) are met.  Plus ensuring respectful treatment in all areas (school, work, sports, etc) - and social action to ensure Social Justice and eliminate predatory policing and economic practices.
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RESOURCES

Modern Science of Hypertension

Xiao (2020) Inflammation in Hypertension.  Can J Cardiol.  For more than 50 years, evidence has accumulated that inflammation contributes to hypertension.  

Hardy  (2017)  Heterogeneity in Blood Pressure Transitions Over the Life Course:  Age-Specific Emergence of Racial/Ethnic and Sex Disparities in the United States.  JAMA Cardiology.    Tracked blood pressure readings in 17,000 people.  Found that young black men had twice the risk of hypertension compared to white youth.  Transition from normal blood pressure to hypertension in black youth started at age 8.

Teague (2017) Unraveling Vascular Inflammation.  J Am Coll Cardiol. Describes human chronic inflammatory disease models that can help elucidate the pathophysiology of vascular inflammation.  J Am Coll Cardiol

Rodriguez-Iturbe (2017)  Role of the Immune System in Hypertension. Physiol Rev.   Updated review of physiology underlying hypertension:  infiltration of immune cells, oxidative stress, and stimulation of angiotensin system, vascular relaxation, and over-reactivity of sympathetic nervous system.

Solak Y, Afsar B, Vaziri ND, et al.  (2016)  Hypertension as an autoimmune and inflammatory disease. Hypertension Research  Developments in the pathophysiology of hypertension with a focus on the oxidant stress-autoimmunity-inflammation interaction.


Maternal Mortality

Anath (2021) Historical and Recent Changes in Maternal Mortality Due to Hypertensive Disorders in the United States, 1979 to 2018.  Hypertension. Maternal Mortality Rate being almost 4-fold higher among Black compared with White women.  Chronic hypertension–related mortality increased annually by 9.2%.

Miller (2020) Maternal Race/Ethnicity, Hypertension and Risk for Stroke during Delivery Admission.  J Am Heart Assoc.  Although stroke remains a rare complication of pregnancy, Black and Hispanic women have higher risk of stroke.  Even black women without a prior history of hypertension are at increased risk.