Kari Sturt has spent six years facing and overcoming bulimia. What started as a desire to loose weight in high school quickly became an obsession.

"'I had to have something to control,' said Sturt, noting that the same is true of many others with eating disorders."

In college, Sturt began attending a support group. She recently began leading the group, and has conversations with girls who have had eating disorders symptoms since they were as young as six.

Read more at OroVillemer.com.

Labels: overcoming bulimia, support

At the time this article was posted (in 2001), Emily was 21 years old and had struggled with an eating disorder for six years. She had also been in recovery for a year.

"And after months and months of searching for that one big break through that would explain to me why I rather spend a Friday night in bed from exhaustion or over a toilet, than out with my friends, I began to realize that it is the tiniest revelations that will help you in your struggle to overcome an eating disorder."

Her simple words of experience offer advice and hope for those still battling to overcome. Read more at Something-Fishy.org.

Labels: advice, support

Pauline Powers has spent years teaching medical students and residents at the University of South Florida about eating disorders. She's recently added a new endeavor to her educational and treatment efforts.

"Her latest effort is as director and driving force behind Hope House, a USF community project that will establish a comprehensive outpatient program for eating disorders. Based on another facility, Sheena's Place in Toronto, it will be the first of its kind in the United States."

Operations have been funded through a grant for the first three years, but the house must eventually become self-sufficient. Powers estimates that the cost of treating just one person with an eating disorder is about $100,000. Read more at SPTimes.com.

Labels: education, support, treatment

"Dance Dance Revolution," a video game that makes children jump and dance, is going to be used as exercise in every West Virginia school. The game's manufacturer, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., has agreed to help schools attain the game after a study showed it benefitted overweight children.

Reseachers working with West Virginia University and the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency tested the game on overweight children. The children played the game in their homes for a half hour a day for 24 weeks. The majority improved aerobic capacity, blood vessel function, and overall fitness levels. Some of the children even lost weight.

Labels: children, exercise

A ten-year long study funded by the National Institute of Health has found that some people may be genetically predisposed to anorexia nervosa. The study found that someone who had a family member who struggled with anorexia was 12 times more at risk of developing the illness.

"'Genetics loads the gun. Environment pulls the trigger,' said [Craig] Johnson, the director of the eating disorders unit at Laureate Psychiatric Hospital in Tulsa..."

The study's authors acknowledge that genetics doesn't guarantee that someone will develop anorexia, but that it could make a person more sensitive to the environmental conditions which often trigger the illness. Read more online.

Labels: anorexia, genes, research

A father's attitudes and comments are important factors in whether his daughter will develop bulimia and other eating disorders, a new study by Stanford University shows.

If a father is overly critical of his little girl's weight or if he himself is trying to lose weight, his daughter is more likely to develop an eating disorder in adolescence. The research also indicated that both parents could raise their daughter's risk by being overly controlling about what she eats, putting pressure on her to be thin, and placing too much emphasis on weight control.

A research team led by Dr. W. Stewart Agras followed 134 boys and girls from birth to age 11. Parents filled out annual questionnaires about their children's eating habits and weights.

One key finding was that concerns about being thin could start as early as third grade. This study appeared in the February 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Labels: children, parents, support

In recent months, there has been a tremendous amount of collective finger-pointing at the fashion industry as a cause of eating disorders among young people. Organizations like the National Eating Disorders Association have been calling for regulations and restrictions on the size and weight of fashion models. Though fashion images may sometimes reinforce an eating disorder, it's important that we remember that the true causes run much deeper.

"People with eating disorders share certain personality traits: low self-esteem, feelings of helplessness, and a fear of becoming fat. In anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, eating behaviors seem to develop as a way of handling stress."

Forcing the fashion industry to stop using models that are too thing and/or unhealthy may eliminate images that reinforce eating disorders, but we cannot forget that the fashion industry isn’t the root cause of them. Read more at SelfHelpMagazine.com.

Labels: causes of eating disorders

Anorexia and bulimia may get all the publicity, but the most common eating disorder in the United States is binge eating.

Binge eating is uncontrolled eating that occurs at least once a week. Afterwards people usually compensate for their binge by dieting, fasting, using laxatives or "exercising it off."

Researchers at Harvard University Medical School and McLean Psychiatric Hospital interviewed 9,000 people all over the United States about their eating habits and mental health. They found that 3.5% of women and 2% of men are binge eaters. Their disorder tends to last more than eight years. It puts them at a higher risk for obesity and diseases like stroke, heart attack, and diabetes.

All three eating disorders are more common among young people ages 18 to 29, and especially among people who were anxious and depressed.

About 1.5% of men and 0.5% of men suffer from bulimia or vomiting to control one's weight. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that can cause people to diet until they are starving to death. The researchers found that it affects less than l% of American women and only 0.3% of men.

This study appears in the February issue of Biological Psychiatry.

Labels: anorexia, binge eating, bulimia

Getting the treatment necessary to fully recover from an eating disorder costs money. It often costs a lot of money. Because the costs are not adequately covered by insurance, some people have had to rely on second mortgages; others have had to file for bankruptcy.

"Insurers often will cover the medal complications that arise as patients - nearly all of them women or young girls - starve themselves or vomit up their food... But when the heart rate stabilizes, when enough weight is gained, the patient is released right back into her old eating habits with little support."

Currently, just 11 states require insurers to cover eating disorders as mental illnesses. The good news is that the overall opinion of the medical community is changing - albeit slowly. Read more at ContraCostaTimes.com.

Labels: health care, treatment

A study published in the January 2007 issue of Pediatrics found a link between diet articles and eating disorders in girls.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that young girls who read magazine articles about dieting are more likely to develop eating disorders five years later. There was no similar effect on boys who read such articles.

Scientists at the University of Minnesota surveyed 2516 middle schoolers in 1999 and then again five years later. About 44% of the girls were reading diet articles in 1999. This group was more likely to develop bulimia and other eating disorders by 2004. It did not matter if the girls were overweight or even if they thought that losing weight was important.

Did their mothers' interest in dieting affect the girls? Did pictures of thin models cause them to develop eating disorders? The researchers did not answer such questions.

COPPER CANYON ACADEMY helps teenage girls who are experiencing behavioral and emotional programs. COPPER CANYON ACADMEY offers a comprehensive therapeutic program, a fully accredited academic program, and a nurturing residential environment. COPPER CANYON ACADEMY helps girls with low self-esteem and poor body image learn to make healthy decisions and to take better care of themselves emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

Labels: Copper_Canyon_Academy

Some psychologists think it will. Ann Kearney-Cooke has been treating girls and women with eating disorders for 25 years, and she thinks the current "skinny-model" debate may help young girls start to develop a healthier body image.

"[Janice] Min [editor of US Weekly] notes that at least it's a step. 'For once, an establishment has set forth that there is something wrong with this,' she says. 'Things may not change completely, but women may look at say 'maybe there's something wrong with THEM, and not me.'"

The current fashion model debate, along with things live Dove's Campaign for Beauty, may begin to turn the tide. They are excellent tools for helping young girls improve their body image and self-esteem. Read more at APP.com.

If your daughter is experiencing body image or self-esteem issues, then an all girl boarding schools might be the solution. Bromley Brook enrolls girls who are passionate, but do not yet have the strength of character to confidently pursue their passion. Bromley’s graduates grow into confident, strong, and motivated young women able to lead a fulfilling and productive life. Learn more about girls boarding schools at www.bromleybrookschool.com.

One key to fighting or preventing eating disorders is to develop a healthy body image. Unfortunately, in this day and age, it's often harder than it sounds.

"Children watch and imitate what they see. They can pick up on their parents' attitudes and concerns about food and eating. Teach them to like themselves the way they are, and to enjoy healthy food and exercise in moderation."

Teaching positive self-talk is another great tip. Read more online.

Labels: body image

Or at least... that's how they feel. A recent study in London found that 92 percent of young people who struggle with eating disorders felt that they couldn't tell anyone. Some young people who participated in the study told of how their disorder was dismissed by physicians who called the disorder a "phase".

"This report comes close on the heels of a strong reaction by the US based National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) and a number of scientists to an Associated Press story on 21st January where the supermodel Gisele Bundchen said of anorexia, 'the parents are responsible, not fashion.'"

The report calls for more accurate reporting and asks that the media report some of the good news, too. Read more at MedicalNewsToday.com.

Labels: support, treatment

The fashion industry has thrust eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia into the media spotlight. But a recent study by Harvard University-affiliated McLean Hospital has found that binge eating is more widespread and should be considered a "major public health burden".

"'Everybody knows about anorexia and bulimia, however, binge eating disorder affects more people, is often associated with severe obesity, and tends to persist longer,' said study lead author James Hudson."

The study was conducted for two years, and included more than 9,000 people. Of those 9,000, 3.5 percent of women and 2 percent of men admitted to having frequent uncontrolled eating binges, compared with 2.5 percent of women and 0.8 percent of men who reported struggling with anorexia or bulimia. Read more online.

Labels: binge eating, research