Some of the Selah House team will be attending the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals conference coming up the third week in March in Charleston. If you are a professional wanting to learn more about treatment modalities for anorexia, bulimia and other eating and body image issues you might want to check out IAEDPs site at:  http://iaedp.com/ .

If you are already planning to attend, come by our booth and say hello.

In June of 2011, the American Medical Association called for standards in the altering of photos printed in magazines and used in media. They indicated that exposing people, especially children to advertisements portraying models with body types only attainable with the help of photo editing software is damaging and can lead to poor body image and eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. Many have recommended the use of warnings on these altered photos so that people know when the photo they are viewing is altered and therefore unrealistic.

This is Fat Talk Free Week (October 16th through October 22nd) sponsored by the Delta Delta Delta Sorority. Their focus with the project is to raise awareness of how often people in society discuss the issue of fat and body dissatisfaction as it pertains to themselves and others

If you are waiting for recovery to be easy, pull up a chair. You will be waiting for a long time. Ed (aka “eating disorder”) will gladly sit by your side and wait with you. To sabotage your success, Ed will even act like he supports certain aspects of your recovery.

by Jenni Schaefer

It’s my body. If I am overweight by societal standards or some height/weight chart, my body does not need to be starved in order to fit in. My body will be the size it is supposed to be if I am taking care of myself. I will not fight it.

It’s my body. If I go out on a date and a guy buys me dinner, I do not owe him a kiss or anything else. A simple, “thank you,” does the job just fine. Despite what society might say, my body is not my currency.

It’s my body. If I overeat at a party today, because the food is just so good, I do not need to restrict or over-exercise tomorrow. My body needs to be nourished, everyday, and never deserves to be punished.

On May 20, it will be 3 years since I entered the Selah House for treatment. When I entered, I was a shell of myself. I was smiling, but inside, I was not happy at all. I actually have JOY now. I am not always perfectly happy, but I love who I am and I am so thankful to be ALIVE instead of just living and surviving.

Thank you so much for walking with me though the really difficult days at Selah and the time that followed. Selah House staff has met me where I am so many times, and that was exactly what I needed. You all listened to me when I was mad and sat with me through meals that I ate through tears. When I hated God, you (Chaia) were patient with me and told me that He wasn't in a hurry- he would wait for me for however long I needed. And I still remember that moment-- we were on the stairs outside of the group therapy room. Now I actually love God and I am so thankful for the new life He's given me.

There is something unique about having recovered therapists who know how to show true empathy...

There is a recent article on the Web MD website regarding a study that was done and printed in the Archives of General Psychiatry on mortality rates in patients with eating disorders. This shows that eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia and ED NOS should be taken seriously and treated. The main premise of the article is that eating disorders increase mortality rate significantly and the earlier the intervention the better.

Here is an excerpt: "The study found anorexia to carry twice the death risk of schizophrenia and three times the death risk of bipolar disorder. Although anorexia is by far the deadliest eating disorder, death rates are also higher than normal in people with bulimia and ‘eating disorder not otherwise specified’ (EDNOS, a common diagnosis for people with a mixture of atypical anorexia and atypical bulimia)."

Click Here to go to the article on Web MD.

Exercise Bulimia, sometimes known as exercise addiction is a type of bulimia where purging is done through exercise rather than vomiting. Many who use exercise to purge or their friends and family members often think they or their loved one is just excessively health focused, but it is important to understand when the situation has actually become an eating disorder. Exercise bulimia just like other types of eating disorders need treatment to promote recovery. There is an interesting article on cbnnews.com that covers what exercise bulimia is and how to identify it.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

"Common warning signs of exercise bulimia, according to Rafanan, include:

- inflexibility as to time of day and mode of exercise

- exercising even when sick or injured

- prioritizing exercise over social dates, family functions, work and/or school

- intense fear at states of rest

- intense anxiety at situations where preferred method of exercise is unavailable

- intense guilt when forced to stray from exercise routine

- refusal to eat if unable to exercise"

 

Click here to go to the article.

An article was recently published on the PR Newswire exploring the connection between eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia and oral health. Dentists can be very helpful in recognizing and diagnosing these health problems since they show up on the teeth. Eating Disorders can cause long-term damage to one's teeth if the problem persists over time, and dentists could be a help in encouraging sufferers to seek recovery. To read more about this important issue, follow the link below.

Here is an excerpt from the article: "While the connection between oral health and systemic health has been well-established, what most people don't know is that dentists often are in a position to detect systemic conditions. According to an article published in the October 2010 issue of AGD Impact, the monthly newsmagazine of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), dentists may be the first health care providers to notice evidence of an eating disorder, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and pica." Click here to follow the link to the article.

An article in an online internal medicine joural discusses a study published in The British Journal of Ophthalmology by Marilita M. Moschos, Ph.D. The small study showed an increase in damage to the eyes in eating disorder patients suffering from anorexia or bulimia. Many feel this has shown there is a need for more extensive research on this topic. Below is an excerpt from the article.

“The good thing is that the [anorexic and bulimic subjects] still had good vision,” Dr. Moschos said in an interview. “But there is a crucial moment where if they lose more photoreceptors – for example, with untreated disease – “this will cause an irreversible vision loss.”

Click here to go to the website with the article.

There is another article on this subject at the online British paper, the Telegraph. Click here to go to the website.