Black Wellness Barriers: Understanding the Root Cause of Disease Vulnerabilities as a Pathway Towards Restoring Health($23.26Value)

Description

Why do African Americans experience some of the highest rates of chronic illness, stress-related disease, and premature death? The answer extends far beyond biology. It lies in the cumulative impact of history, structural racism and health , chronic stress and disease , and generations of systemic inequities that continue to shape Black public health today. In Black Wellness Barriers , Dr. Tawainna Houston—a licensed Naturopathic Physician, author, and cultural wellness educator—examines the root causes of chronic disease through the lens of Black health disparities , African American wellness , social determinants of health , and Black history and health equity . Blending historical research, public health, and holistic medicine, she reveals how centuries of racialized oppression have become biologically embedded, contributing to present-day disease vulnerability across generations. From the myth of Black biological inferiority to the disproportionate burden of hypertension, reproductive cancers, autoimmune disease, and metabolic disorders, Dr. Houston connects the dots between historical trauma and health , anti-Black racism in healthcare , chronic stress and health , and the emerging science of epigenetics and health . She demonstrates how lived experiences, environments, and inherited stress responses influence intergenerational health , offering readers a deeper understanding of why health outcomes cannot be separated from historical and structural context. But this book is more than an explanation—it is a pathway toward restoring Black health . Grounded in cultural wellness and wellness through historical understanding , Dr. Houston offers a compassionate, evidence-informed framework for healing rooted in ancestral resilience, community restoration, and holistic well-being. She also explores the importance of racial trauma healing , empowering readers to move beyond narratives of blame and toward a more complete understanding of health, healing, and human potential. Whether you are a health-conscious reader, healthcare professional, educator, caregiver, policymaker, or Black professional seeking answers, this book provides a transformative perspective on the forces that shape health and the possibilities for restoration. In These Pages, You Will Learn How To: Understand the root causes of chronic disease beyond genetics and personal lifestyle choices. - Recognize how historical trauma , racial stress , and systemic inequities contribute to disease vulnerability . - Explore the relationship between epigenetics and health and how stress can influence future generations. - Understand how social determinants of health continue to shape Black health disparities . - Break intergenerational cycles of illness without ignoring history or blaming yourself. - Embrace racial trauma healing and culturally grounded approaches to wellness. - Reclaim wellness as a birthright through cultural wellness and holistic healing practices. Black Wellness Barriers is a groundbreaking exploration of Black public health , health equity , history, and healing that challenges conventional narratives about chronic disease while offering a hopeful vision for the future. Recipient of the International Impact Book Award , Black Wellness Barriers is helping readers, educators, and healthcare professionals rethink the relationship between history, biology, and wellness while inspiring a more comprehensive approach to healing. Editorial Review - IndieReader " Black Wellness Barriers is 'insightful, rigorous, and long overdue. Every reader who encounters it will come away changed." "This is a harrowing book to read, but it's highly informative . Each section is so clearly explained that the reader comes away with a completely different understanding of health conditions relating to individual behaviors or genetic vulnerability." "It is 'both scientific and humane, written without the objective distance of an academic text." " BLACK WELLNESS BARRIERS is an exceptional book for Black readers, allies, people wishing to learn more about social injustice, medical practitioners, and community leaders who wish to enact change. Given how these injustices are ongoing, one may even go a step further and say it's urgent reading ." — Nicci Attfield, IndieReader Dr. Tawainna Houston, ND, MDiv is a licensed Naturopathic Physician, author, keynote speaker, and cultural wellness educator whose work bridges medicine, history, sociology, and human behavior to reframe how we understand chronic disease and health disparities. She is the author of Black Wellness Barriers: Understanding the Root Cause of Disease Vulnerabilities as a Pathway Towards Restoring Health, an award-winning book that challenges conventional narratives by examining how historical, structural, and lived experiences shape biological health across generations.Dr. Houston is the creator of the Racialized Hierarchy of Needs