From Trauma to Inflammation: How Your Nervous System Fuels Chronic Disease | Dr. John Kim

What if your symptoms aren't dysfunction—but a survival response? In this powerful episode, Dr. John Kim reveals how trauma, toxins, and mitochondrial dysfunction keep the body stuck in chronic illness and what it really takes to heal.

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👇 CHAPTERS & KEY MOMENTS
00:00 – Intro trailer
00:42 – Welcome to The Dr. Brighten Show
01:10 – Meet Dr. John Kim: Functional Medicine Pharmacist & CDR Expert
03:02 – What is the Cell Danger Response (CDR)?
05:01 – 4 types of danger that activate inflammation
07:45 – Dr. Kim’s personal health crisis at age 33
08:55 – The link between trauma, nervous system dysregulation, and chronic disease
10:40 – What cortisol patterns reveal about emotional trauma
12:30 – Why your body stays inflamed (even after treatment)
13:56 – Mitochondria’s real job during illness and trauma
16:10 – Why your immune system won’t shut off
17:55 – Methylation mistakes that backfire in chronic illness
19:15 – When B vitamins make symptoms worse
20:55 – The hierarchy of healing: foundational steps
22:10 – Why artificial light is disrupting your nervous system
24:45 – Real strategies to reset your circadian rhythm
26:40 – Mold, EMFs, and environmental safety in healing
27:35 – Heart coherence breathing: what it is & why it works
29:00 – Omega-6 isn’t your enemy—this is
30:25 – What happens when proteins misfold
31:20 – Why your DNA may be delivering the wrong instructions
32:00 – Autism, mitochondria, and maternal trauma connection
34:30 – Why the mother’s mitochondrial DNA matters most
36:00 – The perfect storm: trauma, toxins, and unhealed stress
38:20 – Zinc deficiency, sperm quality, and autism risk
40:55 – A pharmacist’s turning point: witnessing a nonverbal child speak
43:05 – The cost of healing as a neurodivergent woman
45:00 – Should we be using plant medicine and psychedelics?
47:30 – The #1 healing tool Dr. Kim recommends (and it’s free!)
49:00 – What is heart coherence breathing & how to do it
52:00 – Final story: A mother heals her nervous system—and her heart

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📚 Mentioned in this episode:
-- The Cell Danger Response research by Dr. Robert Naviaux: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31877...
-- HeartMath® for heart coherence training: https://www.heartmath.com/
-- Iris software for red-light screen filtering: https://iristech.co/
-- 🎙️ADHD Burnout: Why Women Are Always on the Edge of Exhaustion:    • ADHD Burnout? Your Hormones Might Be Sabot...  
-- 🎙️ Dr. Navaz Habib’s episode: Stimulate the Vagus Nerve Daily: The Key to Reducing Inflammation & Anxiety:    • Stimulate the Vagus Nerve Daily: The Key t...  
-- The ADHD Hormone Sync: https://drbrighten.com/sync/

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Instagram:   / john.pharmd  
Website: https://www.kimwellness.co/

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Instagram:   / drjolenebrighten  
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#TraumaHealing #ChronicIllness #Mitochondria #NervousSystem #ADHDWomen #DrBrighten #FunctionalMedicine #WomensHealth #Inflammation #CellDangerResponse #HormoneHealth #Autoimmunity