My observation over the years as friends and family members encounter illness is that there are things that don’t quite add up, and I had come to the conclusion that one important thing missing from the equation was the affects of racism on the whole being. The results of research have been slowly trickling out. Please click the link to the article: Racism Experienced In Childhood Lasts a Lifetime.
Excerpt:
“the effects of discrimination and enforced segregation, particularly when experienced in childhood, were significantly greater than that of traditional health risk factors such as diet, exercise, smoking, and low SES [socioeconomic standing]. While addressing SES/risk factors is important, the study suggests it is insufficient, as the impact of exposure to racism during childhood is a powerful predictor of serious, chronic, life-threatening illness in adulthood.”