Childhood Trauma Is America’s No. 1 Cause of Death — Killing 1,401 People Per Day

Inventor and former Johnson & Johnson executive reveals the hidden epidemic destroying more lives than tobacco

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Childhood trauma kills 1,401 Americans every day. That’s one death every 61 seconds — more than tobacco, more than car accidents, more than diabetes. It’s the number one cause of addiction, suicide and incarceration. And until now, no one connected the dots.

Michael Menard did.

In his new book, Greater Than Gravity: How Childhood Trauma Is Pulling Down Humanity (UACT Press, March 19, 2026), Menard applies the analytical rigor of an engineer to decades of public health data — and exposes a pattern the medical establishment missed.

“We’ve been looking at mortality the wrong way,” Menard said. “Death certificates record what people die from — heart attacks, overdoses, cancer. They don’t record what people die because of. When you trace these deaths back to their root cause, childhood trauma is number one.”

Menard isn’t just a researcher. He’s a survivor.

One of 14 children raised in poverty in Kankakee, Illinois, Menard lost two brothers to addiction, which he now understands was rooted in their shared childhood trauma. He went on to become a global VP of Engineering at Johnson & Johnson, an inventor with 14 patents, and an advisor to NASA and the United Nations.

“I spent my career solving complex problems,” Menard said. “This is the most important one I’ve ever worked on.”

Dr. Glenn Schiraldi, author of The Adverse Childhood Experiences Recovery Workbook and faculty member at the Pentagon and University of Maryland, wrote the book’s foreword. He calls childhood trauma “the largest threat to the well-being of humanity known today.”

Greater Than Gravity goes beyond diagnosis to deliver hope. Menard outlines concrete solutions and introduces readers to the emerging field of trauma-responsive care. The book validates the 180 million American adults carrying unresolved trauma while sounding an urgent alarm for the 50 million children being traumatized right now.

Menard founded United Against Childhood Trauma (UACT), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to turn awareness into action.

“Today, 1,401 people will die from the effects of childhood trauma,” Menard said. “This book is my refusal to let them die in silence.”

Greater Than Gravity: How Childhood Trauma Is Pulling Down Humanity releases March 19, 2026.

Greater Than Gravity: How Childhood Trauma Is Pulling Down Humanity

Publisher: UACT Press

Pre-Order Date: December 1, 2025

Release Date: March 19, 2026

ISBN-13: ‎978-1968559007

Available from: Amazon.com

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About the Author

Michael Menard’s journey from trauma survivor to the man who exposed the United States’ leading cause of death marks one of the most significant discoveries in modern public health. Born into a family of 14 children in Kankakee, Illinois, Menard learned early that survival required both resilience and innovation.

As Vice President of Engineering at Johnson & Johnson, his 14 patents transformed global manufacturing. His problem-solving expertise has been sought by the United Nations, NASA and Fortune 100 companies, including Coca-Cola and Pfizer.

He is the founder of United Against Childhood Trauma (www.uactnow.com) and the bestselling author of four books.

For more information, please visit www.Michaeljmenard.com, or find him on Facebook (Michael.Menard.1690); Instagram (michaeljmenard), TikTok (thekitethatcouldntfly) and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemenard/).

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