Dr. Leah Hollon, ND, MPH: How Generational Trauma Rewrites Your Hormones

Dec 23, 2025

Dr. Leah Hollon, a naturopathic doctor and author, joins the discussion on how intergenerational trauma impacts hormone health. She explains how early stress and family history can influence cortisol patterns and lead to chronic issues in adulthood. They explore links between adverse childhood experiences and autoimmune diseases, as well as the effects of maternal stress during pregnancy. Practical strategies for resetting the nervous system and addressing hormonal imbalances are shared, highlighting the profound connection between trauma and health.

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INSIGHT

Trauma Extends Beyond One Lifetime

Intergenerational trauma combines epigenetics, learned behaviors, and unresolved PTSD to shape descendants' physiology.
Severe childhood trauma or PTSD in a parent can leave measurable biological imprints in offspring.

INSIGHT

PTSD Can Flatten Cortisol Rhythms

PTSD often produces an early cortisol spike followed by a long-term flatline cortisol pattern in affected individuals.
That flattened cortisol rhythm in parents can be mirrored in their children and influence metabolism and immunity.

INSIGHT

Famine Imprints Metabolism For Generations

Famine and large-scale stressors produced epigenetic 'famine genes' that altered fat storage and metabolism across generations.
These metabolic imprints can persist for at least three generations and resist typical weight-loss strategies.

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Have you ever wondered why your body reacts so strongly to stress on days that should feel completely normal?

In this episode, we're joined by naturopathic doctor and educator Dr. Leah Hollon to explore how early stress, family patterns, and even the pregnancies we grew in can shape our hormones decades later. We talk about cortisol patterns, histamine overload, immune shifts, stubborn weight changes, and why so many women hit perimenopause already running a nervous system that's been on high alert for years.

And yes, we get practical. Think nervous system resets, smart cortisol support, histamine-calming strategies, and the small daily practices that genuinely start to retrain your stress response.

Dr. Leah Hollon is a naturopathic doctor, international speaker, and author of Unwinding the Imprints of Disease. She teaches integrative medicine, pharmacogenomics, and epigenetics at multiple universities and co-owns Richmond Natural Medicine.

It's a grounded, eye-opening look at how stress imprints show up in midlife hormones and what you can do to shift the system starting today.

What's Discussed:

(02:00) What intergenerational trauma is and how it affects hormones
(08:09) How PTSD flattens cortisol and shows up in perimenopause
(11:46) The link between ACEs and autoimmunity, allergies, and migraines
(15:24) What famine studies teach us about metabolism and weight
(17:49) Why chronic stress makes weight loss harder and cardio tricky
(20:23) How your birth story shapes stress, immunity, and hormone patterns
(39:36) Why histamine flares, sleep issues, and wired-tired energy connect
(41:22) Tools that regulate the nervous system and support midlife hormones

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✍️ FREE GUIDES:

Hormones 101 Cheat Sheet: https://drcarriejones.kit.com/hormones101
The Perimenopause & Menopause Labs Test Checklist: https://drcarriejones.kit.com/labtestchecklist
The Symptoms of The Perimenopausal Transition (WTF…) Ebook: https://drcarriejones.kit.com/perimenopausesymptom
Which Stage of Perimenopause Am I In? Ebook: https://drcarriejones.kit.com/stagesofperimenopause

LETS CONNECT:

Dr. Carrie Jones: Website: www.drcarriejones.com Newsletter: www.drcarriejones.kit.com/newsletter IG: @dr.carriejones TikTok: @drcarriejones Youtube: @drcarriejones

Dr. Leah Hollon, ND, MPH: Website: www.drleahhollon.comIG: @leah.hollonYoutube: @DrLeahHollon

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