Many people who have sought treatment for an eating disorder have heard that there are potential medical complications associated with the disorder. But he or she may not know the specifics of those complications or may have, at best, been given a list of potential problems. An article at www.healthyplace.com goes into a little more detail about how the body reacts to various eating disorders.

"Individuals with eating disorders who use drugs to stimulate vomiting, bowel movements, or urination may be in considerable danger, as this practice increases the risk of heart failure."

Not intended to frighten, but inform, the article explains how eating disorders can cause various medical complications.

Most information on eating disorders focuses on anorexia and bulimia. But there's a little known eating disorder out there that could affect as many as 28% of people who are significantly overweight: night-eating syndrome.

"Those who skip breakfast, eat more than half the day's calories after dinner and sometimes wake up and snack likely have this condition. It's characterized by hormonal imbalances that lead to disturbed patterns of sleep and eating."

Factors that contribute to night-eating syndrome include skipping meals (especially breakfast), forming habits like eating in front of the television, and possibly hormones. Read more online.

Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty is making it's mark. Many psychologists, counselors, parents, and teens are joining this campaign, which seeks to promote healthy ideas of beauty and refute the ideas promoted by many in the "heath and beauty" industry. In February, Dove hosted three live chats focused on self-esteem. Questions were submitted from people all over the United States.

Questions included things like "How do I improve my self-esteem?", "What can I do as a father, to help...?", and "Is it important to have a role model?". The chats can open up great discussions about self-esteem and body image.

In an attempt to offer hope to those struggling with eating disorders, the web site Mirror-Mirror.org has, for nearly ten years, been collecting and posting stories of recovery and survival on their on-line "Survivor's Wall". Comments are from both men and women. Some are just beginning the recovery process. Others have been in recovery for years. The wall provides hope, encouragement, and the reminder that - though an eating disorder can make someone feel like their alone - no one is alone is their fight to recover.

Dawn Beye's 16-year-old daughter is recovering from an eating disorder. Dawn's insurance allows for just 30 days of inpatient treatment, but doesn't offer coverage for long-term care. Dawn sought help - first from the courts, then an independent review board - in getting her insurance to cover long-term care for her daughter. But her appeals have been denied because New Jersey insurers are only required to cover "biologically based" mental illnesses, and eating disorders are not designated as such.

At a meeting Sunday "several [parents] reacted angrily and said their children should be treated the same as those with schizophrenia, depression or bipolar disorder."

More than forty people were present at a meeting on Sunday, and plans for lobbying and other efforts were discussed. Read more from nj.com.

Most girls begin to struggle with eating disorders in their high school and college years. But if the eating disorder isn't appropriately treated, it can carry on into adulthood. More and more therapists are seeing older women who have either relapsed or never fully recovered from eating disorders.

"Renfew [Center of Philadelphia], for example, created separate group therapy sessions for women over 35 after they went from constituting 10% of inpatients in 2001 to 17% two years later."

For older women, the eating disorder can become a coping mechanism, as it did for Sorelle Marsh, who continued to binge and purge even after 14 years of marriage and two kids. Learn more online.

Researchers at Brigham Young University believe they've found a scientific way to determine if someone has an eating disorder. Examining just 5 strands of hair for carbon and nitrogen can reveal important information about someone's day-to-day nutrition.

"Kent Hatch, a biologist and the lead author of the study, said clinicians could use this as a tool to help diagnose such disorders as anorexia or bulimia because many sufferers lied or did not recognize their problems."

The study has been shown to be 80% accurate in determining whether a person had anorexia or bulimia. Some eating disorder specialists hope this evidence will help patients who are in denial to realize they have a disorder that is affecting them physiologically. Read more from ABCnews.com.

While it may not be the root of all evil, it is certainly the root of the evils that cause eating disorders. The National Women's Health Information Center has a section on their web site that addresses the importance of a healthy body image.

"Developing and nurturing a positive body image and a healthy mental attitude is crucial to a woman's happiness and wellness!"

The web site offers suggestions for building a healthy body image. You can also download a BodyWise Handbook that has fact sheets for recognizing eating disorders and suggestions for treatment and for building a healthy body image.

Joe Cucchiara has written a book titled "What All Little Girls Need and What Most Women Never Had...", about the negative effects caused when a girl doesn't have a healthy relationship with her father. The book is based, not only on years of research, but on Cucchiara's own personal experiences in raising his own daughters.

"'Without a father's loving guidance, girls have a greater chance to grow up with low self-esteem and self worth, make poor choices when it comes to choosing men, hate their bodies, and often develop eating disorders.'"

Cucchiara offers seven tips to help fathers invest in the lives of their daughters, and some tips for repairing broken relationships as well.

Read more online.

A new documentary, titled "Thin", follows the lives of four women who struggle with various eating disorders. The film takes a painfully honest look at the effects of eating disorders and the psychological and emotional reasons behind them.

"'Thin'... was directed by photojournalist and 'Girl Culture' author Lauren Greenfield, who has also published a book to accompany the film."

First screened at the Sundance Film Festival, it will also screen at the Ojai Film Festival before airing on HBO. Read more about the documentary film on eating disorders and the causes and effects at VenturaCountyStar.com.

Some women who gathered to hear University of Kentucky professor Susan Bordo talk about eating disorders admitted to being surprised when they learned that women of other races also struggled with eating disorders.

"Anorexia isn't just a curse of affluent white women in modern America...'Eating disorders are spreading across race, class and gender borders.'"

Bordo went onto to say that the seemingly conflicting messages of obesity and anorexia aren't as diametrically opposed as some may think. Regardless of the image, the media and entertainment industries are selling an ideal, and both "ideals" are dangerously unhealthy. Read more from dailypennsylvanian.com

Ellie Dalziel has struggled with an eating disorder for over 30 years. The Mirror, out of the United Kingdom, published an interview with her in which she shares her struggles, and the sorrow of loosing her best friend to the same eating disorder which has controlled her life for so many years.

"Ellie's case is certainly extreme. She hasn't eaten at all for six years and hasn't had a proper meal for more than thirty."

Though Ellie's case is an extreme one, it is none-the-less a powerful reminder of just how damaging eating disorders can be. She hopes her story will serve as a warning to young girls who may be considering extreme measure like anorexia to control their weight.

It's becoming a growing trend in the medical profession: doctors whose primary focus is adolescents. By focusing on an age group that is often overlooked by the general medical community, specialists in adolescent medicine are more informed and better equipped to handle things such as eating disorders.

"'This is a group of patients that can kind of get lost in the health-care system,' [Dr. Joel Brenner] said. 'We need to take care of them better and also help pediatricians and other doctors be more comfortable with them.'"

Dr. Brenner is head of an adolescent medical clinic at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia. For a child struggling with an eating disorder, a doctor who specializes in adolescent health-related issues can be of tremendous help, and an excellent ally.

Read the full article online.