Anorexia During Middle-Age

By Aimee Boyle
Source: http://www.empowher.com

Because most people associate eating disorders with adolescent girls, it may surprise them to learn that there are quite a few middle-aged people suffering from them as well. Middle-aged women not only suffer from anorexia nervosa but they are dying from this debilitating obsession with calorie restriction as well.

Anorexia is related to issues of control. When a young, developing girl feels that life is moving too quickly, feels tremendous pressure to become successful or to be thin (or even just to grow up), she may restrict her calories in order to feel in control. It's the one thing she can manage and make an impact upon -- her physical appearance and condition.
...Continue reading here.
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If you are a middle-aged woman struggling with anorexia, what are some of the unique challenges you may be facing?

Mommy-rexia: Pregnant women feeling pressure to be thin are paying a big price

by Shern-Min Chow / KHOU 11 News

Source: http://www.khou.com

HOUSTON—You’ve seen the pictures: Glamorous celebrities who are thin and pregnant.
But if you’re thinking you’d like to look like that, think again – that look could come at a big price.
It’s a trend that’s been nicknamed "Mommy-rexia" or "Pregna-rexia."
And one Missouri City mom was seduced into a very ugly reality by images of skinny Hollywood moms.
Ashley, who asked not to use her last name, shared stark photos of herself, thin and badly bruised, with KHOU 11 News. She looked like she had been in a fight.
But the reality was much scarier than that.
...Continue reading here.
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If you are pregnant and struggling with anorexia, what aspects of your pregnancy have been difficult?  What resources do you have available to ensure that you and your baby have the best possible outcomes?

Family Based Therapy for anorexia: excellent outcomes

Heidi Dalzell, Philadelphia Eating Disorder Examiner

Source: www.examiner.com

Jack and Susannah Pierce (names changed) from New Britain, Pa., are caring, supportive parents. They have been on a rollercoaster since their daughter Wendi, now 15, was diagnosed with anorexia almost a year ago. “It was a vicious cycle,” says Jack. “She was hospitalized twice due to very low weight. As soon as she was discharged from the hospital she’d lose all the weight and we’d be back to square one.”

Wendi has anorexia, a disorder characterized by the refusal to maintain body weight. People with anorexia severely restrict food intake due to the mistaken belief that they are “fat,” although often they are severely malnourished.
...Continue reading here.
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How can family involvement in treatment increase positive outcomes in the recovery process from anorexia?

Body Dysmorphic Disorder Makes Sufferers Think They're Hideous

By MARY PFLUM
Source: abcnews.go.com

Eugene Bata is young and handsome. The New York City resident could easily be mistaken for a younger version of dashing actors Mario Lopez and Ralph Macchio.

But until recently, Bata, 20, saw anything but Hollywood good looks when he studied himself in the mirror. What he saw, he said, was straight out of a horror film.

He saw an ugly man, with small eyes, an oddly-shaped nose and skin so wrinkled that he considered getting Botox treatments.
...Continue reading here.
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If you or someone you know is struggling with Body Dysmorphic Disorder, know that you are not alone and that there is help available for you.  What are common struggles you may face daily?

The children who fall victim to anorexia

As the new school term starts, the revelation that hundreds of children suffer from eating disorders has put teachers on alert. 

 

By Jame Feinmann
Source: telegraph.co.uk
On Gemma Jones’s ninth birthday, she and her family piled into their car and travelled the 80 miles from their Surrey home town to London for the day. The occasion, however, was far from celebratory. Having lost weight drastically in the previous few weeks, the schoolgirl had just been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa by her local hospital.
...Continue reading article here.
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With a new school year beginning and the increasing pressures that children are facing, what are warning signs to be aware of that a child may be struggling with anorexia?

Exercise Compulsion and its Dangers

by Remuda Ranch Treatment Team

Bulimia involves binging and purging and often congers the image of a woman consuming huge quantities of food followed by vomiting to eliminate the unwanted calories. This image is often accurate, but people with bulimia do not always purge through vomiting. Some elect to compensate for their binges through extreme exercise. This is true for some people with anorexia as well. Even when there are no binges and the person is eating restrictively or normally, some people still feel a need to eliminate the calories they eat. For various reasons, individuals may choose exercise as their methods. Some do so because they are simply incapable of inducing vomiting. Others find vomiting aversive. Still others choose exercise because they believe that it is more socially acceptable.

Purging through exercise may keep weight down, but this is not always the case. If an individual binges twice a week and exercises compulsively every day, weight may remain unchanged. But reverse the frequencies of these behaviors and the individual will become overweight.

Extreme or compulsive exercise is dangerous. The most significant dangers of extreme exercise are overuse syndromes such as stress fractures, low heart rate, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis.

Stress fractures are micro-fractures of the bone, typically in weight-bearing areas such as feet and lower legs. Stress fractures develop from repetitive, high-impact, weight-bearing aerobic activity. Eating disorder patients, because they often have bone loss from osteopenia or osteoporosis, are particularly susceptible to stress fractures. Often stress fractures do not show up on x-rays but require a bone scan or MRI. Stress fractures limit a woman's ability to exercise, lead to pain during exercise and long-term pain if not allowed to heal, and increase the risk of major bone fractures which may ultimately promote curvature of the spine. Treatment includes resting the extremity, use of crutches if it is painful to walk, and avoidance of the repetitive activity that caused the fracture. In eating disorder patients with malnutrition, treatment also includes calcium and vitamin D supplementation, weight restoration, and resumption of normal menstruation.--finish reading article

 

Join Team Remuda Ranch at NYC NEDA Walk

Dear Alumni, Family and Friends,

 Remuda Ranch is proud to be a Platinum sponsor of NEDA.  In our continued support of NEDA’s mission and goals, we are eager to put on our walking shoes and participate in the 3rd Annual NYC NEDA walk on Sunday, October 2,  2011.  We want you to join us! We will be forming “Team Remuda Ranch.”  We would love to have you, your friends, family, and pets join us in our walk across New York City in our fight against eating disorders.  We are so proud of our alumni  and hope that we can celebrate recovery together for this great cause.  Dr. Dena Cabrera from Remuda Ranch will be your team captain.  Please register under “Team Remuda Ranch.  For more information,  please visit www.remudaranch.com or www.nationaleatingdisorders.org

3rd Annual NYC NEDA Walk

Sunday, October 2,  2011.

Alumni, Family, Friends, Professionals

We want you to join us!

“Team Remuda Ranch.”  

An Unseen Perspective Into an Anorexic Mind

By Lucine Kozinian
Source: cranston.patch.com

The Young Actors Ensemble produces a play by local playwright Lenny Schwartz. "The Scarecrow" is a dark comedy about a college student battling with anorexia.

The impending hurricane did not scare away theater-goers from seeing the opening performance of “The Scarecrow” by Lenny Schwartz, put on by the Young Actors Ensemble.

A local playwright, Schwartz tells the tale of David Moore, a college student who is dealing with his anorexia. Based on a true story, Schwartz takes the audience on a whirlwind through the mind of a man with anorexia and his relationship with his friends and family.
....Continue reading article here.
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Promoting awareness of eating disorders, such as anorexia, is crucial to prevention.  What is something you can become involved in to contribute today?