Previous research about adults who were born during the Holocaust indicates that they suffer health problems as a result of being exposed to starvation and stress between conception and early infancy. Medically this effect is referred to as fetal origin of adult disease.
A more recent Holocaust research study was done to determine whether exposure
to the Holocaust from preconception to early infancy is a cause of chronic
morbidity (diseased state) in adulthood. Participants included 70 European Jews
born in countries under Nazi rule from 1940-1945. This study began with interviews
to determine if they had any chronic illnesses. A similar control group of 230
Israeli-born individuals also participated. Prevalence of selected risk factors
and chronic diseases was compared between the groups.
Results indicated that the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and
morbidity was significantly higher in the exposed group with diseases such as
hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, angina pectoris, and congestive heart
failure. The prevalence of cancer, peptic ulcer disease, headaches/migraines,
and anxiety/depression was also higher in the exposed group. These results
indicate that exposure to Holocaust conditions in early life may be associated
with a higher prevalence of certain diseases in adulthood.
In this video, Betty Gold explains how she and
her family escaped from the Nazis and hid in a cave in the Polish forest. Her
family learned that their hiding place had been discovered, and they would be
murdered that night:
Frances Shani Parker, Author
Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book editions in America and other countries at online and offline booksellers.
Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog 
So can this be applied to all situations of starvation and stress between conception and infancy.
ReplyDeleteNo, this research can't be applied to all situations of starvation and stress between conception and infancy. Trauma is such a personalized experience in its causes (natural, human), intensities, effects, and treatments. Some responses may be common and some not. Even among Holocaust survivors, there are variables which uniquely define different situations.
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