Laxatives and Eating Disorders - The Things You Should Know

It was in the news a few weeks ago that moves were afoot to stop laxatives from being available off the shelf in pharmacies and, presumably, supermarkets.

Apparently, as with paracetamol-based products and cough medicines, we need to be protected from ourselves and our addictions.

I fail to see how taking it off the shelf and making it dispensary-only is really going to stop people from using them for nefarious purposes, specifically those suffering with eating disorders.

What we really need is for more information to be available on the subject. For those of us who have trodden this well worn path over many years to educate those who follow in our footsteps. And, hopefully, to prevent them from making the same mistakes and suffering the same long term health consequences.

For anyone who thinks that laxatives are a good idea for dieting, the many years of intestinal difficulty that I suffered as a result of taking that route to facilitate my own eating disorder should provide a stark warning.

In my late teens and early twenties, I was both bulimic and anorexic. Mostly, I would eat nothing and use the laxatives to lose more weight but, if I did binge, I went through purging myself by putting my fingers into my mouth and activating the gag reflex until I vomited.

This is a totally disgusting process, which rots your teeth and just makes you feel permanently nauseous.

After several months of this, I could bear it no longer and moved onto laxatives to do the job more discreetly.

As a result, my poor bowels never really knew where they were.

Sure, it seemed to work for a while but then my system just became totally confused.

I was either completely constipated, with the waste building back up through my system and causing terrible bloating which only added to my distorted perception of my own body.

Alternatively, my stools were so loose that I was terrified to go out for fear of soiling myself.

However, my body dysmorphia meant that I persisted in this ridiculous routine of starving and purging myself.

Then followed the worst symptoms. The acute stomach cramps every time I did try to eat something. These were so painful that I couldn't walk. My gut would go into spasm, causing my belly to distend. I wanted to be sick and to defecate to ease the painful swelling but was unable to do either.

Although I only used the laxatives regularly for a year or so, these problems continued for decades afterwards, even during the time periods when I thought my anorexia was under control.

IBS and Crohns Disease were all suspected at various times, but now I know that a lot of it was triggered by my reliance on laxatives.

The damage this did to my intestinal walls was exacerbated by my predominantly bread-based diet and stressful lifestyle. The candida (gut bacteria) proliferated and leeched through into other parts of my body, causing thrush and other yeast infections.

After suffering with this for many years, I have chosen to try the anti-candida diet for the last few months and start making my gut more healthy by taking probiotics.

I haven't used a laxative for over twenty years, but only now that my diet has improved have I actually started to recover from the damage that my prolific use of them caused.

Autor: Joanna Cake

This article can be used on other relevant websites but a reference to the author and a live web link to the sites in this resource box MUST be displayed. For information on treating thrush, candida and yeast infections, visit: http://www.treatthrushcandidaandyeastinfections.com

Joanna Cake is a life blogger who writes about health, parenting, sexual relationships and intimacy. For more articles like this, visit: http://www.havingmycakeandeatingit2.wordpress.com

Added: December 31, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

A Support System For Eating Disorder Recovery - What is It?

A woman asks: Would a boyfriend be a good support system or do you recommend that I find a female to confide in? I'm ready to finally get over my bulimia."

Answer:

A support system is more than one person. It's a whole system of people, activities, classes, treatment professionals, spiritual centers, etc. who support your eating disorder recovery.

Sometimes people get confused and think that support means agreeing and supporting whatever they think or want or whatever their perception is in the moment. But if you have an eating disorder, sometimes your perceptions are distorted. Your emotions can go haywire. Your thinking can be confused or unrelated to reality.

The people in your recovery support system will support your efforts to get clear and reality based. Yes, they will help you with structure when you are flailing emotionally or mentally. They will do their best to help you find a way to experience soothing so you can learn to soothe yourself.

But you might not like what they say if you are in the grip of eating disorder thinking or emotions. A good support system will be clear and firm about healthy and necessary boundaries, reasonable expectations, honoring commitments, following through on your word, being honest and perhaps most difficult, postponing immediate urges.

A good supportive system will offer you alternative explanations and perspectives on an issue that you feel is black or white and requires your immediate reaction. A good support system will give you a safe place to go, healthy activities to do, learning and creative exercises to grow by.

A good supportive system will tolerate you when you are in an irrational state that you believe is rational. Yet that support system will not be pulled into your unrealistic passions that you believe are completely justified. (You are most likely to feel this kind of unralistic passion when you are slowing down and finally stopping your eating disorder behaviors.)

A good supportive system does not support your eating disorder or your e.d. thoughts and feelings. A good support system supports the genuine you and supports your health and recovery.

A boyfriend or a girlfriend or a relative can't do this. They can love you, but they don't know about the real experience of living with an eating disorder. They don't know the suffering, pain and creative defenses you experience when you are doing your recovery work. In fact, they may try to help you by soothing you and, without realizing it, offer you suggestions that lead right back to your eating disorder. If you accept this help you move back to your eating disorder life. If you recognize the dangers of their suggestions you may get angry with them. Either way leads to pain and suffering where everyone involved can be hurt and bewildered.

So, building your support system requires that you begin to learn what recovery means to you and gather people around you who support that recovery.

A psychotherapist who knows about eating disorders can be a positive bases where healing begins and where you can learn to build an authentic support system beyond your therapy appointments.

Overeaters Anonymous and eating disorder support groups can be part of your forming support system. A spiritual practice with people who may know nothing about eating disorders but who do know about honoring body, mind and spirit can help.

So can a yoga class and other classes like art, writing, gardening, sculpture. They give you a place to go and put you in contact with people who are working to develop their skills and talents. Such activities can provide you with much needed structure and foster development in the right hemisphere of your brain.

A good support system does not give you a place to hide. It does give you a place from which you can grow and heal.

Creating your genuine eating disorder support system is a wonderful and necessary endeavor to help you on your recovery path.

I wish you and all who need a solid recovery support system good luck, courage and kindness within to listen to your wisdom voice that will lead you to your health and real recovery.

Autor: Joanna Poppink

Joanna Poppink, MFT
psychotherapist in private practice specializing in eating disorder recovery
Eating Disorder Recovery book in progress through Conari Press
10573 West Pico Blvd. #20
Los Angeles, CA 90064
http://www.eatingdisorderrecovery.com
joanna@poppink.com

Added: December 30, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

How to Avoid Binge Eating Or Compulsive Overeating

I recently read about someone who was having problems with binge eating and wanted advice. They were doing great with the weight loss and actually hit their first major milestone successfully. And the very next day they found themselves buying cookies and a candies and eating them all in one sitting. Has this ever happened to you? It certainly has happened to me.

Having been on the weight loss journey for a while, this is one of the most common experiences I have seen others talk about and even experienced them myself. So, how what causes binge eating or compulsive eating and how can you prevent it from happening?

a) When you lose weight and feel successful, you feel inclined to celebrate. And we are brought up to celebrate mostly with food. I have noticed that if I am not losing weight like I am supposed to I become even more watchful and strict with the diet but if I am losing weight like I am supposed to, I subconsciously switch gears and tend to coast or even take a few liberties with my nutrition. This could also be due to the fact that we get over-confident due to success.

b) If you went from bad nutrition all the time to ONLY good nutrition all the time in a short amount of time, your mind and body will try to retaliate and go back to "things as they were". This is why having at least 1 or 2 cheat meals a week, is a way for our mind and body to balance out from one extreme to the other.

So if you are constantly depriving yourself of foods that tempt you then you are likely to lose control on impulse and overeat. If you do, then consider your binge as your cheat meal, lose the guilt, and go for an extra long walk tonight to burn those extra calories. Guilt can lead to further binging because guilt is essentially hating yourself for your actions ( or non-actions ).

c) Making a "lifestyle" change as opposed to a 30/60/90 "program". If you change your frame of mind to view yourself as a healthy person ( as opposed to your old self ), you can start living like one. So as a healthy person, you would enjoy the treats like above once in a while, wouldn't you? As a healthy person you wouldn't feel guilty or bad because its' a minor transgression to your daily healthy lifestyle and would be treated as such. And as a healthy person you would also know that such splurges can also be counter-balanced with daily exercise.

In a nutshell, be careful how you label your overeating experiences ("failure", "sabotage") and how you see yourself (healthy vs. unhealthy). These two things will determine your long-term success (or lack of it). I have a couple of friends who are very lean and very fit. And I model their habits as much as I can since they are already successful in that area. What I have noticed with them is that

1. They exercise regularly and are very active.
2. They watch little TV and are always doing something ( even if its fixing a broken door handle or planting a new tree or even going for a movie ).
3. They are never stationery for too long.
4. They don't count calories or obsess over certain food.
5. They eat whatever they want but are also conscious of their overall food choices. ( For e.g. One friend wont drink too much beer...the other friend usually has salads for lunch and then eat whatever he wants for dinner. )
6. They are very in tune with their body. This is the MOST common trait I have noticed in people who are lean. If they don't feel hungry, they won't eat. Earlier, I would have lunch whether I was hungry or not, completely out of habit ( and possibly unreasonable fear that I might go hungry if I don't eat ). If they have a huge lunch, then they will balance it out by having a salad for dinner. Or if they have had a week of going to too many parties, they will cut down on eating out for the rest of the week or workout longer to burn those extra splurges off. So without having to think about it they are always maintaining an overall caloric balance.

Doing so, allows them to eat whatever they want. This leads to no binge eating because they are not deprived. They also exercise regularly so they are conscious about portion sizes. So the takeaway here is that deprivation most certainly leads to binge eating. Guilt also leads to further compulsive eating. So if you crave a cookie, have one. And then make sure you burn it off with exercise. You do not want to be a prisoner of your "diet", cause you will be thinking about the "escape" all the time.

Autor: Harsh Desai

Hi this is Harsh Desai and I invite you to visit my website http://www.harshathlete.com for weight loss information as well as fitness advice. I invite you to follow my quest, to get six-pack abs as well as my current 50 day weight loss challenge that ends by the first week of January 2010.

Added: December 28, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Wage War Against Bulimia and Anorexia - And Win!

In society today we have so much pressure put upon us to be thin, many people are under the illusion that thinness will bring about beauty, power and success in general. Weight control pills, crash diets and exercising like someone possessed have become so popular in order to achieve what's considered to be our ideal weight. However, the physical toll taken on our bodies whilst doing all these things seems to have been completely overlooked.

Due to the desire to be thin, anorexia nervosa and bulimia, both of which are serious illnesses pertaining to eating disorders and distorted opinions on weight and eating, are becoming widespread. There is concern for the youth of today and their obsession with weight and body shape which can be put down to many factors including media influence, societal dictates, peer pressure and a low self esteem.

Regrettably, whilst many people are worried about this, they are unaware of how to wage war against these eating disorders and come out triumphant. Listed below are some practical tips to help fight this battle.

Definition
Anorexia and bulimia are eating disorders but they are different from one another. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder where the person involved has distorted views about body image and is terrified of putting weight on. In severe cases where the condition is not treated, death may be the result. On the other hand, bulimia is when a person binge eats and then vomits, purges, fasts, uses laxatives or enemas and over exercises to make sure they don't put on weight.

So, how can we fight against such conditions?

1. We have all heard the saying "home is where the heart is" and this is very true. Healthy relationships among family members should be encouraged and children should be taught proper values ensuring they are less at risk of these types of illnesses. Longing for perfection and a lack of self esteem will not happen if parents give the necessary support, love and guidance to their children from the start.

2. Be aware of the signs and symptoms of anorexia and bulimia in order to recognize and treat them accordingly.

As far as anorexia is concerned the general symptoms include the following:

A deep fear of obesity
A distorted body image where the sufferer sees themselves as being fat when they already weigh less than they should
A loss of hair
A lack of menstrual cycle
Flaky and dry skin conditions
Hypothermia
Hypertension
Hyperactivity
Irritability and mood swings
Practicing perfection
Eating food cut into very small pieces extremely slowly
Spitting food out
Discarding or hiding food
Obsessive calorie counting
Following strange food rituals
The wearing of baggy clothes to hide the body
Becoming socially isolated
Suffering with depression

The bulimic person is likely to show these signs and symptoms:

Regular binge eating
Fluctuations in weight
Loss or deterioration of teeth
Purging
Abusive use of laxatives
A high liquid intake
Eating large pieces of food very quickly
A distinct lack of will power
A distinct lack of energy
A swelling of the parotid glands due to induced vomiting
Feelings of guilt
Irritability
Body shape and weight obsession
A mindset switching from depression to great happiness and back to depression again.

3. Use Psychotherapy - Engaging in psychotherapy is a vital step as far as treating bulimia and anorexia is concerned. Sufferers of these disorders may not know about this kind of treatment and some of those who do know about it may not be willing to give it a try without encouragement from others. Cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy are used in Psychotherapy treatments.

4. Medical treatment - this goes hand in hand with psychotherapy and it allows for a doctor to keep an eye on the vital signs of the patient, their hydration level and to help with the general negative effects forced upon the anorexic or bulimic body.

5. Put together a healthy eating plan. Enlist in the help of a licensed dietician in order to formulate a healthy eating plan with the right amount of calories to maintain a strong body.

Both anorexia and bulimia are complex problems affecting today s society. The first step to wage war and win against them is, without doubt, to raise awareness of the conditions and become knowledgeable about what can be done to help the sufferer.

Autor: Sunnez Madsen

Sunnez enjoys researching and writing articles on vast and varied subjects from massage chairs to teeth whitening

Added: December 27, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

The Perfect Body to Die For

While we were exercising, Jessica collapsed. Immediately I dialed 911 and help was on the way. I tried CPR but she wasn't breathing. I prayed to God to let her be alright. In no time help arrived on the scene. Unfortunately, she died of cardiac arrest because she was anorexic. I couldn't believe it. I went over that day so many times to figure out how I could have saved her. I realized sharing her story can hopefully safe someone else.

Is it possible to have the perfect body? We put ourselves through so much stress trying to obtain an unrealistic goal. What is the perfect body and according to whom? Many individuals resort to anorexia as the solution which could have a traumatic ending. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes low body weight from starvation. The individual has a distorted view about their body and an ultimate fear of gaining weight.

Signs I've learned to look for:

Extreme weight loss without a medical condition is a huge indicator. Do you notice that person eating less? A lot of talking during meals is distracting. Did you notice that you've just had dinner and that person just shuffled their food around not eat anything?

Obsessive exercise. Do you notice exercising numerous times throughout the day? Are they constantly weighing themselves? Unfortunately, you may not be around that person all the time so you don't know what their habits are?

Denial. Does the individual believe the thinner he/she becomes the closer they are to achieving their goal? Jessica and I would weigh ourselves each week to document changes. Later I found out she weighed herself a lot more often than that.

Negative self esteem. How does the individual talk about their self? Do they lack self confidence? A low self esteem is experience by those suffering from depression, delusional thinking, or illness. Jessica always felt she wasn't good enough for a relationship with a man or even a high power job.

Hind sight is always 20/20. When I reflect on my relationship with Jessica I've seen the above signs so I'll share them with others so they're mindful about loved ones suffering from such a horrible disease. There needs to be a balance with nutrition and exercise. A healthy beginning to losing weight is a good nutritional program combined with a good exercise plan will result in weight loss. Be mindful of those in your lives so they don't fall victim to a life threatening situation.

Autor: Alexys James

Alexys created Locker Room Chatter to discuss topics that exfoliate your life and create healthy living. Locker Room Chatter's foundation is self acceptance and self knowledge which are key to creating positive self-esteem. You can find more information at http://www.lockerroomchatter.com.

Create Your World

Alexys

Added: December 26, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

What Are Eating Disorders - Part 2

Like I said in Part 1, eating disorders are disorders of feelings, emotions and self-control. But they are also disorders of thinking and coping. In this article we look at these two more closely.

1. Eating disorder is a disorder of thinking (or the disorder of thought processes). People start thinking in a distorted way about themselves, the world, and their place in it. They thought that gaining even 1 kilo invariably leads to gaining 10 to 20 kilos.

Their misconception about how they look is called body image distortion. People think that they are fat although they are actually very thin. This is also called "broken eye syndrome" because people who have this syndrome see themselves in a mirror differently from what they really are. For instance, a skinny person sees a fat person look back at her/him.

This happens because the brain processes information received by the eyes in the wrong way. When their eyes see the image of a human body, the impulse goes from the eyes to the brain for interpretation of this image and this is where the mistake occurs - a wrong interpretation process in the mind is the result.

When people come to their therapists and asked to write their thoughts in a diary, they often write something like this: "I can't eat because I will get fat. I can't eat because what if I get out of control and it turns into a binge. I can't eat because I just had a binge last night. I can't eat now because I may as well wait until later when I can eat all I want and purge."

You can see their thought processes are far from being remotely normal: there is a strong preoccupation with food and the fear of becoming fat if they keep anything down.

All sufferers thoughts are related to food, eating or starving. Many sufferers also admit that they dream about food at night. Before they fall asleep they are dreaming of what food they could eat the next day and what these foods would taste like.

Sufferers have a strong fear of becoming fat. They always agonize about it and worried that this fear will never go away.

Another element of people's disordered thinking was a tendency toward rigid "black and white". For example, I am either perfect or I am not. There was no middle ground for them. One hour they may think they are the best and the next they feel like they were so bad that they even don't deserve to live.

Often sufferers think about other people this way too, for them they were absolutely great or horrible and low. There is no grey area for people with eating disorders.

It can take a long time to make them understand and accept that there are plenty of other colours in the world and that the "black and white" are only minority colours.

Leonardo Da Vinci once said "The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions." this applies to eating disorder sufferers completely

2. An eating disorder is a disorder of coping.

For sufferers, their eating disorder is the way they cope with everyday stress such as school, homework and pressure from their friends. Their eating disorder becomes their coping strategy. Most people do different things to relax and enjoy themselves (relieving stress) like knitting, gardening, decorating, reading, watching movies, but for eating disorder sufferer it is their ED.

Sufferers often have difficulty managing strong emotions, such as anger, sadness, boredom, and anxiety. They use food and starving or binging to help them manage their emotions; but it is possible for them to learn other coping strategies for the management of stress instead of abusing food.

There are much more to understand about eating disorders like, disorders of identity, values and lifestyle, relationships and behaviour. But that would be a next article.

Autor: Irina Webster

Dr Irina Webster MD is the Director of Women Health Issues Program. She is a recognised authority in the eating disorders area. She is the author of the published book "Cure Your Eating Disorder: 5 Step Program to Cure Your Brain - Neuroplasticity Approach". To learn more about Eating Disorder Books Cure Your Eating Disorder: 5 Step Program to Cure Your Brain" go to http://eating-disorders-books.com

Added: December 23, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

What Are Eating Disorders - Part 3

In the previous two articles we looked at eating disorders as disorders of feelings, emotions, self-control, thinking and coping. But there are much more to know about these disorders.

Eating disorders are also disorders of identity, values and lifestyle.

1. Eating disorder are disorders of identity.
People's self-identity is rooted in their subconscious beliefs; in what they associated themselves with. Sufferers often have a poor sense of self because of their perfectionist nature and their eating disorder becomes a substitute for their own self worth.

They described that being without their disease would be like going without air to breathe. When in hospital, some are afraid that if they recovered, they would "cease to exist."

Sufferers are nearly always concerned about what others think of them, rather than what they think of themselves. This is because they don't know who they are and only associate themselves with their ED. They often describe the sense of emptiness inside or a numbness which are all symptoms of "lost identity".

By changing the sufferers subconscious beliefs they can manage to improve their self-esteem. And after improving self-esteem their sense of identity becomes stronger and more powerful. Anyone with an eating disorder should really focus on these two things: self-esteem and identity, as I believe they are the key to real recovery.

To help regain self-esteem the sufferer should make a habit of setting goals and planning to follow them through, this will help a lot with their identity problems. Keeping to a plan will make them feel like achievers, and solving problems along the way will make them feel like they are problem solvers. But it has to be other interests not about food.

2. Eating disorders are disorders of values and lifestyle.
For many sufferers spending time alone and binging is much more important than going out seeing friends and socializing.

The eating disorders become their lifestyle, their entertainment, and their total interest in life. At the moment the sufferer's main priority is to allocate time for their eating disorders - time for counting calories, reading labels, making a diet plan as well as time for preparing a binge.

Starving themselves for a whole day and then eating enormous amounts of food at night and purging it all up are seen as great accomplishments and a boost to their self-esteem. But of course this has nothing to do with accomplishment and is just another sign of being totally controlled by their eating disorder.

Many sufferers describe what they do. They describe that their pattern for years can be just to eat nothing all day except coffee and some water. Then they may start cooking at about 5 p.m. in preparation for a dinner binge which usually lasts about 6-7 hours. Their stomach obviously cannot handle all they cook so they vomit to make space for more: eat, vomit, on and on for hours.

To fix this cycle sufferers may have to spend many days, months and even years to re-train their mind and their heart to value other things in life not just things related to food and eating.

For the sufferer during the re-training process it is important to recognize that it is not what they feel it is more what they do that counts.

There is an interesting fact that an average person thinks from 30 000 -70 000 thoughts a day. Some thoughts are good, some of them are bad, most of them are neither good nor bad and it differs from person to person. But we don't act on all these thoughts. We choose which thoughts to act on and which ones we should just ignore depending on our values.

And this is what eating disorder sufferers need to understand. They must learn to differentiate good and bad thoughts and the ones upon which they can act.

Deep inside their mind they understand that what they are doing does not make sense but they continued doing it because it is their obsession. After learning focused training and focused attention sufferers can teach themselves to get better and better.

Eventually they can differentiate their thoughts between destructive and constructive, and act on the constructive ones only. Also sufferers will be able to identify their own values in life and hold them in their mind constantly. As a consequence they will be able to identify false messages that come into their head and not act on them, but just ignore them altogether.

There is more about eating disorders in the next article where you will learn that eating disorders are also disorders of relationships and behaviour.

Autor: Irina Webster

Dr Irina Webster MD is the Director of Women Health Issues Program. She is a recognised authority in the eating disorders area. She is the author of the published book "Cure Your Eating Disorder: 5 Step Program to Cure Your Brain". To learn more about Eating Disorder Books Cure Your Eating Disorder: 5 Step Program to Cure Your Brain" go to http://eating-disorders-books.com

Added: December 21, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

What Are Eating Disorders - Part 4

This is a last article on "What are eating disorders ". In previous articles we looked at ED's as disorders of feelings, emotions, self-control, thinking, coping, identity, values and lifestyle. In this article we look at problems with relationships and behaviours.

1. Eating disorders are disorders of relationship.
Many sufferers often describe their eating disorders like their best friend. It is a common phrase to hear sufferers say "My best friend is always there for me." This comment is about their eating disorder not a person.

Sufferers perceived it like their "best friend", unlike the hurtful and rejecting people in real life.

This way they don't have to face reality. They are often withdrawn from their family as well as from their peers. It also seems they avoid building personal intimate relationships with people. They have a fear of being too close to anyone.

Sufferers want understanding from others but are scared to open up. Romantic relationships are difficult or impossible for many patients. All relationships are normally based on who you are as a person. But because eating disorder people associate themselves with their condition a lot, their relationships suffer. The more they associate with their ED - the bigger their relationship problems are.

Sexuality is often inhibited or distorted especially in those who developed their ED earlier in life. Many are scared of sexual relationships or associate them with something bad and dirty.

The main problem is that their relationships with themselves are wrong or do not exist. Sufferers should start working on developing a healthy "I am" first and start thinking they are worthy. Then the "I am" concerning other people second. This will help them to focus on other people in their life and not the self centred eating disorder.

Through the right training it is possible to re-focus their attention and re-structure their brain so they can have better relationships with others and with themselves.

2. Eating disorders are disorders of behaviour.
The extreme unbending and compulsive nature of unbalanced eating behaviours is the main feature of the disease. People do not know how to stop. If they eliminated one meal, it would be preferable to eliminate two. If they lost some weight, they would feel that they needed to lose more.

It gives people a kind of control which they don't have in the real world. Most ED sufferers share personality traits and behaviours seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

These are a tendency to be especially rigid, inhibited, ritualistic, and a perfectionist.

Many patients show impulsive, suicidal and aggressive behaviours. Problems with impulse control are common amongst bulimics and anorexics. Sufferers may have other addictions which co-exist with their ED such as drug addiction, nicotine, alcohol and the like.

People with ED get obsessed or addicted easily - mainly because they all share a gene which predisposes them to addictive behaviours. True understanding and realization of this problem can make people aware of the nature of their condition. This realization sometimes can be enough for people to get better because they recognise and change their abnormal behaviours and keep the old bad behaviours under control.

To conclude eating disorder sufferers have multiple disorders in the one person. These are disorders of feelings, emotions, self-control, thinking, coping, identity, values and lifestyle, relationships and behaviours. In order to overcome an eating disorder the sufferer should address all these aspects.

Fortunately, because our brains are plastic, positive change is possible. The wonderful ability of our brain to change itself which is called neuroplasticity can help people with Ed's beat their disorder and stay healthy for the rest of their life.

All it takes is the will and the dedication to address their personality problems in a concise way. By addressing their feelings, emotions, self-control, thinking, coping, identity, values and lifestyle, relationships and behaviours one at a time, will eventually free them from their ED.

Autor: Irina Webster

Dr Irina Webster MD is the Director of Women Health Issues Program. She is a recognised authority in the eating disorders area. She is the author of the published book "Cure Your Eating Disorder: 5 Step Program to Cure Your Brain". To learn more about Eating Disorder Books Cure Your Eating Disorder: 5 Step Program to Cure Your Brain" go to http://eating-disorders-books.com

Added: December 20, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Anorexia and Bulimia - I Don't Know How to Approach My Eating Disordered Daughter

When you talk to your daughter about her eating disordered behavior, focus on the behaviorial changes you have seen and not on how you feel. When I say focus on behavior, I mean give specific and concrete examples of what you have seen and are seeing in her behavior that concerns you.

Let her know you would like to talk and when you sit down with her, say something like, "I am concerned about some changes in you I am seeing and here is what I have been noticing." Then give examples that will probably similar to some of the following:

There are more and more foods every week you will not eat. Give specific examples like; butter, salad dressing, and any foods she asks you about when you are preparing meals. State any foods she has mentioned that she won't eat and anything that is a change in her eating habits.

Often after meals you disappear and I don't see you for a while. Be prepared for an excuse or argument with any of these observations and just keep moving. You may need to say, "I am just telling you what I am noticing," and go on down the list.

You don't want to go out to eat with us like you used to.

You are spending more time at home and not as much time with your friends. The other night one of your friends invited you over and you said no.

I don't see you eat breakfast anymore. Be prepared for any of her responses like; "I eat at school." Don't argue or try to convince her you are right. You can also say, "Right now I am talking, you can have your turn in a minute."

If you have evidence of weight loss like from a recent doctor appointment, say that too. Mention anything you have evidence of or have seen or heard.

The school nurse called me the other day and said you are not eating lunch at school. If she gets too overwhelmed and it appears she cannot handle any more, stop at any point on your list because you can always talk about those at another time. Just say one or two things if she starts getting too upset.

It is preferable if you can do this with both parents present so you communicate you are together on this issue. If that is not possible then one of you have the conversation. If one of you has a more difficult relationship with her and you are concerned she will be more defensive; then whoever has the most solid relationship can do it. You know her and your family; do whatever you think is best.

If the conversation quickly goes downhill; she gets defensive or angry, you can say, "We don't have to talk about this anymore right now. I will touch base with you tomorrow after school and we can talk more then. I just want you to know we are concerned and we need to find a way to talk about this." If she tries to argue, stand your ground and end it for the night.

It is probably best to have the conversation early in the day; right after school or during the day on the weekend. It will make bedtime a lot easier and less anxiety provoking for her if she has some time to decompress before trying to sleep.

Remember, this conversation is only to lay the groundwork for future conversations. The goal for the first discussion is to just get communication flowing, then revisit it the next day or soon after that. Don't set your goals too high of wanting her to accept or admit the problem.

Autor: Lynn A Moore

Do you want to learn more about eating disorders?

If so, download my free e-book "Eating Disorder Basics for Parents" here: http://www.why-my-daughter.com/edb.html

Lynn Moore educates, coaches, and consults parents on how to help their adolescent with eating disorder behavior. She will guide you through the treacherous waters of deciding what kind of help you need and what you, the parents need to do and can do to help your child.

Added: December 19, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Eating Disorders - The Importance of Being a United Front With Your Anorexic Daughter

Before you approach your daughter about her eating disordered behavior, make sure you and your spouse are on the same page with how to respond at meal times. The reason for this is because she will listen to whichever one is most lenient, and then the other parent has to be the bad guy. You must be united in your approach or you will impede her recovery.

Often, but not always, the fathers are the bad guys. They are naturally more firm and mom may still be trying to use the nurturing approach. The problem is nurturing alone will not do it. Nurturing has to be balanced with strength.

You can force one spouse into being the bad parent while you are the good parent; or you can work together to send consistent messages and stand united against the eating disorder. Both parents must look for the balance between tenderness and strength in all interactions with her. It will be more effective and she will respond more quickly if she knows it is not possible to manipulate either one.

If parents are not able to be on the same page, I would recommend they get coaching or counseling for themselves first. An experienced, objective party will help educate and help them work through differences.

A parent that has the most difficulty accepting that this is a problem usually needs more information. It is not that they don't care or are just being stubborn. My experience is once they sit down with someone experienced in this arena and some trust is built, they will usually get on board and not only support the process but be an active participant.

If there are marital issues already, a child's illness can raise the bar in challenging parents' ability to work together as a team. Most parents do everything they can to put their own issues on the shelf in order to be a positive support in the recovery process. The biggest thing for parents to realize is how imperative it is they get on the same page and support one another in parenting their eating disordered child. Her life is at stake. Parents must be a united front and for her sake find a way to be a team and work together as a family.

Autor: Lynn A Moore

Do you want to learn more about eating disorders?

If so, download my free e-book "Eating Disorder Basics for Parents" here http://www.why-my-daughter.com/edb.html

Lynn Moore educates, coaches, and consults parents on how to help their adolescent with eating disorder behavior. She will guide you through the treacherous waters of deciding what kind of help you need and what you, the parents need to do and can do to help your child.

Added: December 18, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Eating Disorders - Goals For Your First Conversation With Your Anorexic Or Bulimic Daughter

The first time you talk to your daughter about her eating disordered behavior do not set your goals too high. Be realistic about what she is going to be able to take in and and don't be upset if it doesn't go well. This is a high powered issue and she believes she has a lot to lose. Just take one step at a time and use the following goals for your first discussion.

1) Present evidence, observations and behaviors; not emotion, other than perhaps concern. She may try to argue about your evidence, but the reality is she will have no traction with this. The facts are the facts. Present them that way.

2) Be calm and matter of fact, the less emotion you can show the better. You almost need to treat it like a business meeting if you can, so you can keep your emotion out of it. You can express your own emotions later, behind your closed bedroom door or with your spouse or a friend.

3) Begin communication and plan to end the conversation without any resolution. It is a process and this is only the first step on a long journey. Dip your toe in the water, don't jump into the deep end with her. Let her think about it and plan to talk again the next day. This will allow her to gain some distance from it and perhaps be more objective.

4) Communicate through your matter of fact and calm manner that you are serious and in control. It is basically a warning to the eating disorder that his days of controlling your daughter's mind are numbered.

You are not communicating you have all the control and she has none. You are essentially saying you are the parent and are strong enough to step into the middle of all this with her. She is not alone. You don't tell her all of this, you show it by how you talk to her.

5) Show her you are not panicked so she cannot easily dismiss you and your concerns. Act like you have your wits about you, and that you know what you are doing; even if you don't. Then use your resources and take one step at a time. If she sees you as panicked it will be too easy for her to dismiss you. You see this as life and death, she feels threatened and wants to believe you are overreacting.

When you set realistic goals for yourself and your daughter, you will not be upset or disappointed with the outcome. Remember this is one step of many you will have to take.

Autor: Lynn A Moore

Do you want to learn more about eating disorders?

If so, download my free e-book "Eating Disorder Basics for Parents" here http://www.why-my-daughter.com/edb.html

Lynn Moore educates, coaches, and consults parents on how to help their adolescent with eating disorder behavior. She will guide you through the treacherous waters of deciding what kind of help you need and what you, the parents need to do and can do to help your child.

Added: December 16, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Eating Disorders - The Second Conversation With Your Anorexic Or Bulimic Daughter

Let's say you already had your initial discussion with your daughter about her eating disordered behavior. Whether it went well or not, the next conversation you have may be just as important as the first. This is when you tell her what plan of action you are going to take. Realistically, this conversation could happen any time, but often it is the second talk where doctor visits are mentioned.

When you sit down, you may want to ask her what she has been thinking since you last talked, then how she is feeling. When she begins to talk, just listen. Once she talks a bit and she is still having trouble admitting there is a problem, ask her if she wants you to go over again the things you have noticed. Most likely she will say no. You can then say something like, "I know this is hard, and we need to deal with it. I will help you and you have to help yourself too."

Hopefully this conversation will go better, and even if it doesn't, the next step is to tell her you have made an appointment at the doctor and tell her when it is. If this escalates, just let her know she will have to go to the appointment, this is non-negotiable, but you don't have to talk about it anymore right then. Again, you'll check in with her later about it and end the discussion. On appointment day take her to the doctor.

You might want to call the doctor ahead of time and let her know what is going on and what you want from her. Sometimes physicians will unwittingly say something that will communicate to her that it is not that serious.

Let the doctor know you would like her to recommend in front of your daughter that they see a nutritionist, then a counselor. It can help to have this come from the doctor instead of from you. Then all you are doing is following doctor's orders. The doctor said this is what we need to do, so this is what we are going to do. Follow through no matter what.

You are setting the tone that in this process there are some things that are not negotiable; and these appointments are some of those things. Throughout this whole process you are laying groundwork for future conversations and expectations.

Where the eating disorder is concerned, you need to show consistent tone, mood, and responses so she knows what to expect. If at one meal you are firm and clear in your expectations, and the next meal you get wishy washy and give in when the eating disorder kicks and screams, she will see that as a crack in your armor and take advantage of it.

She needs to know that every time she shows up to the table she is going to get the same response; firm, calm and loving expectations. She will eventually see she is going to have to eat more. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen.

Autor: Lynn A Moore

Do you want to learn more about eating disorders?

If so, download my free e-book "Eating Disorder Basics for Parents" here http://www.why-my-daughter.com/edb.html

Lynn Moore educates, coaches, and consults parents on how to help their adolescent with eating disorder behavior. She will guide you through the treacherous waters of deciding what kind of help you need and what you, the parents need to do and can do to help your child.

Added: December 14, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Name Your Best Friend - Food?

When you're feeling lonely, sad or bored do you drown yourself in a bucket of fried chicken or delve in to a huge piece of sinful chocolate?

Eating is a natural part of our body's needs, whether we like it or not our body naturally craves food in the language of hunger. When a person is hungry, he will reach to any food available in front of him even if it is a plate of plain boiled broccoli! Unsurprisingly our tongue craves for taste and flavour, and foods that are high in fat are the most desired foods when you are hungry!

So we do eat when the stomach is hungry, but what if you eat when your soul is empty? Our body interprets loneliness and emptiness as hunger and we think that it is craving food. Resorting to food in response to cravings or emotions eventually becomes a habit and you cannot stop stuffing your mouth with scrumptious goodies.

Delicious food gives almost an elated feeling as one tends to forget upsetting emotions with delectable flavours which tingle in your mouth. Some people tend to eat food to evade stress, but in fact they are doing more harm than good. The infamous phrase "fat and happy" is a superficial phrase since gaining weight leads to other problems which can vary from depression to heart diseases. It is a vicious cycle.

The best advice to overcome this incomprehensible habit is to first of all be conscious of it. You need to identify this problem in yourself and analyse what are the situations which tend to trigger this hunger attack. Make a conscious effort to avoid those situations or if you are helpless in avoiding, you may learn to relax and try to get busy with another engrossing activity until the craving passes.

Yoga and meditation as well as rewarding hobbies such as gardening, walking, or listening to music etc, help a great deal in refusing to feed your emotions.

And if you do give in to your comfort eating once in a way, you should at least make it a point to chew well and in fact, try to enjoy, savour, recognise the flavour, texture and smell of your absolutely favourite food; eating slowly and chewing longer, signals the brain to feel full and satisfied in a shorter while than by gulping down dollops of food!

Autor: Dave Vower

Dave has been writing articles online for nearly 3 years now. Not only does this author specialize in health, fitness and relationships you can also check out his latest website on Wilson Softball Gloves which reviews and lists Tpx Baseball Gloves as well, for safe summer fun and enjoyment.

Added: December 13, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Eating Disorders - How Do I Help My Anorexic Daughter If She is in College?

Distance obviously makes a difference in how much you can support your anorexic or bulimic daughter when she is in college. If she is in close proximity, you can be more available for support and more involved depending upon her willingness to have you participate in treatment. If she is hundreds of miles away it is much more difficult as you are well aware.

Neither situation is easy, and both require your daughters willingness to share information. No matter which situation you are in, I would ask your daughter if she would be willing to sign a Release of Information for the treatment team who is working with her. This would allow them to share important information with you, especially in regard to her health.

You can explain to her that this does not allow you to ask detailed questions about what she is talking about in therapy. Also that she can tell her therapist what information she does and does not want shared. The goal is only to have open communication when necessary between you and those who are helping your daughter.

If she is not progressing or is even regressing at school, you may have to step in and work with the school and her treatment team to assist in her transition home. You do not have to wait until your daughter is in the deepest hole with her eating disordered behavior to intervene. You may decide she needs to come home before others involved in her care believe it is necessary.

I am not saying coming home is always the answer, but it is not uncommon for parents to require their daughter to attend college closer to home until she is well on her way to recovery. The more communication you can have with her treatment team, the more assistance you can have as you decide whether or not this is necessary.

Your daughter obviously has a say, but due to the illness she may not be in the best position to be objective about this. You have to do what you believe is best for her even if she is not happy with your decision.

The reality is if your daughter had another serious illness, she would most likely come home to be treated so you could care for her. An eating disorder is no different and you should not be afraid to consider this even though you know it will meet with opposition. Remember she is your daughter and you know her best. You are her best advocate whether she realizes this or not.

There are times when girls are not ready to be out on their own, at least not far from home. They don't know it and probably won't admit it, but that doesn't mean it isn't true. You have to do what you believe is best for her and her health.

Ideally, depending upon how open your daughter is with you about her illness and progress, you can go to her first and request increased involvement. Often girls are scared to have parental involvement, but are also relieved when the gap is bridged between you and her treatment team.

If she is unwilling or unable for a reason you don't understand, to allow you into the process, contact the school and/or her treatment team. Her therapist may not be able to tell you anything without a Release of Information, but can still listen to what you have to say.

Autor: Lynn A Moore

Do you want to learn more about eating disorders?

If so, download my free e-book "Eating Disorder Basics for Parents" here http://www.why-my-daughter.com/edb.html

Lynn Moore educates, coaches, and consults parents on how to help their adolescent with eating disorder behavior. She will guide you through the treacherous waters of deciding what kind of help you need and what you, the parents need to do and can do to help your child.

Added: December 11, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

4 Steps to Overcoming Binge Eating

Just about everyone is guilty of overeating from time to time, but if you overeat on a regular basis, you might have an eating disorder called binge eating. This disorder goes undetected in many people because they do it when they're alone.

If you suffer from this eating disorder and find yourself eating huge amounts of food while feeling out of control to stop, then you need to get help overcoming binge eating. It won't be easy, and you might need to consult a professional therapist to get help learning to control this behavior.

These 4 steps can help you in overcoming binge eating.

Learn to Meditate. This might sound like an unlikely first step towards getting over the need to binge eat, but meditation can make a huge difference in your stress level and general outlook on life. Studies have shown that meditating lowers stress, one of the precursors to eating disorders. If you find ways to lower stress, chances are the binge eating will lessen too. The practice of meditation can help elevate mood, too. Start out meditating just 5 minutes a day and work up to 15 minutes daily.

Exercise Daily. Walking just 30 minutes every day can reduce stress and elevate mood. In some cases regular walking works as well as antidepressants. Exercise has also been found to reduce appetite. Try walking 30 minutes every day and see how much better you feel after just a few days. If you aren't used to getting exercise, be sure and get your doctor's permission before starting any exercise program.

Eat Healthy Foods. When we binge eat, it's usually on junk food and fatty foods. No one ever stuffs themselves with fresh fruits and vegetables. The foods we are tempted to overeat include such foods as cookies, cake, pizza, and chips. Get rid of these types of foods from your home and keep healthy foods around. If healthy food is the only thing in your house to eat, chances are that's what you'll eat and you won't find yourself tempted to binge.

It's also a good idea to make sure you eat something before going to the grocery store. When you shop for food when hungry, that's when you pile cookies and processed foods in the cart.

Spend Time with Family and Friends. Most people do their binge eating when they're alone. Loneliness could be part of the problem and might be contributing to the disorder. Make an effort to be around people you care about every day, and look for ways to spend more time with others. Human beings have a basic need to be around other people, and when we don't get enough human interaction it makes us feel empty and alone.

Try these 4 steps to help you in overcoming binge eating and see if it helps you feel better and have less bingeing episodes.

Autor: Ruth Hendrickson

To learn about treatments for binge eating, go to Treatment for Binge Eating

Added: December 10, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Meditation For Eating Disorders

Meditation for eating disorders is an important part of the healing process. Whether you have anorexia, bulimia or binge eating meditation will bring you enormous benefits if practiced regularly on daily basis.

People who meditate regularly are able to re-focus their mind which is important to recovery. Although it sounds easy to do it is not simple to learn especially for beginners and this is why some people say that they tried to meditate but gave up because it didn't help them.

The point is that they didn't do it correctly. They didn't focus while meditating and allowed their brain to wonder and allowed other thoughts to come into their mind while they were meditating. This was their biggest mistake.

There is no point in doing meditation if your head is full of other thoughts during the meditation exercise. When you meditate (especially for stopping an ED) you should concentrate completely on the meditation and not on anything else. You must learn to let any stray thoughts flow through your mind and not get stuck in there.

Ideally, meditation should reach your subconscious mind (where eating disorders live). The subconscious mind can only be reached if the conscious mind (thoughtful, logical mind) is silent. If your mind is constantly processing thoughts, that means your subconscious is shut and is dominated by conscious mind at that time.

Healing from an eating disorder occurs when your brain works on the subconscious level and let me state here: only the subconscious level not the logical level. Why is that? - You may ask. It is because your subconscious mind is responsible for all your feelings and emotions.

It does not work on logic or rationalizing, you can not rationalise your way out of an eating disorder: if you could no one would have an ED. Eating disorders are a problem of your feelings and emotions and these are the domain of the subconscious mind.

ED sufferers normally don't have problems with their logical part of the brain. Many of them are very intelligent and even high achievers. They understand that what they do in terms of eating does not make sense and is harmful to the body: but they still continue to abuse it because of their problem with the subconscious part of the mind.

The subconscious part of the brain works on pictures, senses and emotions. People have a certain picture of themselves in their mind and that's why they are driven so much to achieve this image, whether it is factual image or not.

When people starve themselves or binge and purge they do it not because of logic, they do it because of the strange internal sensations they have which leads them to perform these abnormal behaviours based on food abuse.

The subconscious mind also holds your belief system, your memories, your automatic responses and your programming. Eating disorders live there and that's why they become automatic - people start their abusive food behaviour automatically although they may not necessary want to do it.

So, how will meditation help recover from eating disorders?

1. Meditation will improve confidence and self-control.
2. Reduce stress which provokes ED symptoms.
3. Improve concentration on positive things and stop focusing on the ED.
4. Bring inner certainty which is important for the sufferer.
5. Improve people's relationships with others and themselves.
6. Improve immune system response and health overall.
7. Bring joy into their life.
8. Give their ability to let go negative emotions when they arrive.
9. Improve their ability to work and study.

To conclude, regular meditation should be the number 1 strategy used to get better for people with eating disorders. If you haven't mastered meditation yet - you still remain a slave of your own mind. Master meditation and you will become a master of your mind. You have a choice of who you want to be: a slave or a master. I would certainly go for a master.

Autor: Irina Webster

Dr Irina Webster MD is the Director of Women Health Issues Program. She is a recognised authority in the eating disorders area. She is the author of the published book "Cure Your Eating Disorder: 5 Step Program to Cure Your Brain". To learn more about meditation for Eating Disorders go to http://meditation-sensation.com

Added: December 8, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Mindfulness Training For Eating Disorders

Most eating disorders are linked to significant amounts of stress, mood disturbance, anxiety, phobias, substance abuse, and physical complications. All these factors have to be addressed when someone is trying to overcome an eating disorder.

Mindfulness training is a technique which can help a person to cope with all these factors. Mindfulness means a calm awareness of body functions, feelings, emotions, thoughts and sensations. Mindfulness consists of paying attention to an experience of the present moment - without moving into thoughts from the past or concerns about the future. Using mindfulness training people with eating disorders can attain control over their body and mind.

What exactly does mindfulness do for the mind and body? The main benefits of mindfulness are:

1. Calm and quiet the mind. This will bring more happiness, joy, positive feelings, appreciation and gratitude into people's lives. It will also increase kindness to yourself and others which is necessary for ED sufferers as they often behave badly to themselves and others due to their conditioning.

2. Diminish the grip of habitual responses that cause suffering. ED sufferers all have certain habitual responses to their feelings, thoughts and emotions. For example, bulimics have habits to binge-purge at a certain time a day; anorexics have strict habits and routines about their diets and exercising.
Mindfulness can diminish these habitual behaviours to the point that the sufferer is able to choose how she/he is going to behave at a particular moment.

For example, instead of realizing 10-30 minutes later that you've been lost in bad thoughts about your body, weight, food, your bad memories or fantasies from the past, a person can stop themselves after only 30-60 seconds from wandering thoughts using mindfulness training. With practise, people can increasingly observe these habitual responses and choose to respond in other more constructive ways.

3. Develop a stronger "observing self". This means to observe what one does. It is like you having a third person who sits inside your own chest and constantly watches what you do.

Mindfulness makes a person become an observer of what one does, thinks and feels. This helps to have better control over their eating disorder thoughts and behaviours.

For example, when a person gets stressed, instead of reaching for alcohol or going on a binge -purge cycle, the person could simply sit and observe the negative emotions and sensations which were brought on by the stress until they are gone.

Unlike relaxation techniques mindfulness can be developed to the point where it can be practiced in the middle of stressful situations. So instead of reacting to stress a person starts to respond wisely. While being mindful a person can still remain alert and respond appropriately to the situation at hand, instead of being over powered by it.

4. Slow down the pace of thoughts and become more attune to the present moment. Eating disorder people often complain that they have too much continual inner "chatter" and images from the past or from the future in their minds.

This chatter and images don't simply go away, because that's the nature of the human mind. But they can be settled down with practice. This settling down of the mental processes brings relaxation and freedom.

With practice one will have the ability to choose what to think about instead of being dragged along with uncontrolled thoughts and feelings. This effect can be experience after just 8-12 minutes of mindfulness state of mind. So, if one practices mindful awareness at least 10 -15 min a day, it may possible for him/her to choose what to think instead of their thoughts going uncontrolled.

Mindfulness will also increase your concentration letting you perform task , study and work with better accuracy. It also improves the immune system and general health. It regulates the autonomic nervous system which control automatic functions of the body organs. Mindfulness is a great anti- aging factor as it improves metabolism of the cells.

Most eating disorder sufferers who practice mindfulness training find it an incredible tool to beat their problem right at root of the disorder, in the subconscious mind.

Autor: Irina Webster

Dr Irina Webster MD is the Director of Women Health Issues Program. She is a recognised authority in the eating disorders area. She is the author of the published book "Cure Your Eating Disorder: 5 Step Program to Cure Your Brain". To learn more about mindfulness training for Eating Disorders go to http://meditation-sensation.com

Added: December 6, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Eating Disorders - Does My Anorexic Daughter Need to Leave College and Come Home?

If your daughter is away at college and has an eating disorder, you have every reason to be concerned. You also have every right to intervene if you feel it is necessary for her to be closer to home. She may not agree, but you have to do what you feel is best for her and her health.

Here are three indications she may need to come home or attend a college closer to home:

1) She is engaged in treatment and after several months is showing no signs of improvement or continues to regress further into eating disorder behavior.

2) Other people like her college friends are starting to contact you because they are so concerned.

3) You, your daughter and her treatment team have set a date where a certain amount of measurable progress must be made. That date arrives and she has not been able to meet her goals.

Let's define some the terms; "a few months" and "progress." A few months can be 3 months or it can be 6 months, depending upon her health. It can mean one month if her doctor says she is in physical danger.

What does progress look like? Keep in mind the eating disorder has your daughter trapped and beaten down and will not give up easily. You cannot measure progress only in terms of weight gain. Just because she is only maintaining her weight or is not gaining weight does not automatically mean she is stuck and needs to come home.

You have to evaluate issues on multiple levels and consider every aspect of your daughter's personhood. Most likely you cannot answer these questions without feedback from those involved with her care.

Here are some examples in considering her overall personhood:

- Her relationships - Is she still isolating? Is she opening up a bit more with you about the eating disorder behavior and what is going on inside of her?

- Her mood - Has her anxiety or depression decreased since she began therapy?

- Her mental state - Does she seem any less obsessed with food, calories, weight, etc? Is she more able to concentrate on school because the eating disorder is loosening its grip on her mind?

- Her interests - Is she allowing things back into her life that she abandoned because the eating disorder consumed all of her time and energy?

Two more things to consider before making this decision are:

1) Has she made enough progress that her removal from the treatment team she knows and trusts would be more detrimental than helpful?

2) Is she physically and emotionally healthy enough to remain where she is, without more support from you?

Parents are often forced to abdicate total care of their daughters to professionals. I'm not slamming professionals, I am one. I want to give you permission as her parent, the one who knows her best, to get as involved as possible in her recovery. The amount of involvement depends upon what you, your daughter, the school and her treatment team can agree on and negotiate.

All I'm saying is you don't have to sit back and watch if your daughter is battling an eating disorder. Advocate for yourselves and for her. She may resist at first, but she needs you. She may need you differently than if she were still an adolescent living at home, but she still needs you.

Autor: Lynn A Moore

Do you want to learn more about eating disorders? If so, download my free e-book "Eating Disorder Basics for Parents" here: http://www.why-my-daughter.com/edb.html.

Lynn Moore educates, coaches, and consults parents on how to help their adolescent with eating disorder behavior. She will guide you through the treacherous waters of deciding what kind of help you need and what you, the parents need to do and can do to help your child.

Added: December 5, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Anorexia - A Growing Problem in Society

Around one percent of the population is believed to suffer from anorexia, and it causes devastation to their lives and the lives of those around them. Sadly, it has one of the highest death rates of any mental disorder as it is incredibly difficult to successfully treat.

Anorexia goes far beyond a normal desire to be thin, they have a very distorted perception of their weight. Even when their body mass becomes dangerously low it is impossible for them to look in the mirror and see themselves as anything other than fat. Anorexia completely takes over the sufferers life and everything starts to revolve around losing weight. This will predominantly be restricting calorie intake to an excessive degree, but they may also take laxatives. A person with this disorder may also exercise to extremes which is particularly dangerous in light of the fact they are not receiving sufficient nutrients and protein to function normally.

Over time, the lack of food starts to have serious effects on the body. Menstruation will stop, they will struggle to concentrate, downy hair grows over the body and bones become brittle. As the sufferer effectively starves themselves the heart is unable to function correctly and in extreme case of anorexia will eventually fail.

There is a strong correlation between certain personality traits and the likelihood of developing an eating disorder such as anorexia. Sufferers are usually intelligent, high flying achievers with a tendency towards being obsessed with perfectionism or routine. They are usually very introverted and may come from a family environment which is supportive of academic achievement but perhaps falls short when discussing emotional problems.

Combined with any traumatic life events such as a bereavement, stress such as imminent exams or personal problems such as being bullied, the person is at greater risk of developing anorexia. Because of the complex emotional issues involved when treating anorexia it is best to tackle it in the early stages, to make a good recovery more likely.

Autor: Leanne Williams

Leanne Williams is very interested in writing articles about health, but also writes about children's products. More recent articles include buying a kids digital camera and the specifications of different brands of childrens digital camera.

Added: December 3, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Stop Stress Eating Disorder

Ever felt the need to do something while you are waiting for your yearly review or the news of your raise? Most likely, you ended up going to the coffee vending machine or the snack stall for a quick bite. If you did, it's not your fault. Blame it on stress.

New research indicates that stress can trigger a strong urge to eat.

Surprised? Don't be.

For a long time, it was believed that insomnia, anxiety and loss of appetite were the symptoms of stress. But, new studies have found that excessive sleep and eating is also a way of coping with stress. In the long term, stress can lead to eating disorders.

Research shows that people crave sinfully rich food when they are under stress not only because these foods taste great but because the body is wired to find a way out of the pain of unrelenting stress. When the body is under stress, it produces a hormone called Cortisol. This allows faster responses and maintains alertness in the face of danger. Once the danger has passed, the production of Cortisol stops automatically.

But, when you are under stress for long periods of time, Cortisol is being continually produced. As you feel the unrelenting grip of anxiety over you, the body's natural response system starts searching for food as it offers small bursts of energy. This is the body's way of telling the brain to go easy. So, sugar candy, cream puffs and chocolate become the comfort foods of choice. Interestingly though, continual stress does not allow the brain to relax and victims continue the cycle of eating injudiciously.

However, these excess calories find their way straight to the abdomen where they get converted into excess fat. So, stress related eating has a damaging effect on health. It leads to weight problems (and associated health issues) and eating disorders like uncontrolled binging, nighttime eating and bulimia.

Stress related eating disorders are a common phenomenon these days. Which is the reason why we need to learn to cope with stress in a more constructive manner than eating our way through muffins, chocolates, cream puffs, burgers, fries or ice creams.

Autor: John Davenport

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John Davenport lost over 30 pounds in his twenties after being overweight most of his life. He now runs a weight loss forum and publishes a diet and fitness newsletter.

Added: December 2, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Anorexia - What Your Daughter Or Loved One Goes Through During the Deadly Stages of Anorexia

All of the mental activity leaves little time for friends and family. The anorexic has begun to detach herself emotionally from other as she turns inward in her struggle against her body's hunger. This hunger is her brain's message that to lose more weight will result in the body's inability to use calories to keep her warm and energetic, to maintain muscle tissue, a normal heart rate and blood pressure. Skin wrinkles develop in the crook of her arm and behind her knees, or where her arm meets her shoulder.She mistakes them for fat, in fact these wrinkles indicate that she has shrunk her body more than her skin can contract.Her skin has become like an oversize sweater with folds. As she becomes thinner, the anorexic is unable to think about anything but food,drink and eating day and night.

The young girl's brain adapts to what it perceives as the famine conditions that must exist in her environment. She develops a sleep disorder, haunted by thoughts of food and eating. Like her confusion about the skin folds, she mistakenly believes that she has developed an appetite that will make her fat if she starts to eat.
The young girl or woman's brain is trying to tell her to save herself from dying because of starvation. Many anorexic women develop phobias of food and liquid. The many phobias she develops begin to add up very quickly: phobia of fat, food phobia, and slowed metabolism phobia. This disorder becomes more seriouas everyday and help will be needed as soon as possible.

Autor: Keith L. Simpson

Keith Simpson would absolutely love to help ANYONE who is fighting to overcome Anorexia & Bulimia. Keith is taking surveys in order to EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS you or your loved ones deepest concerns and issues regarding Anorexia & Bulimia. Your voice is important to Keith and it will be heard.

Click Here for Anorexia Tips

Added: November 30, 2009
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Anorexia - What Goes on Mentally When Your Daughter Has Been Suffering From Anorexia?

Much of the mental activity of an anorexic leaves small amount of time for friends and loved ones. The young girl will eventually become anti social and detach herself from others. Her primary focus is to fight her body's hunger. The hunger she is trying to face is her brain's message telling her that if she keeps losing weight, calories cant be used to keep the body warm and full of energy. These calories also can't be used to keep up a normal heart and blood pressure. Skin wrinkles around her arms and knees. She mistakes the skin wrinkles for more fat and continues her excessive weight loss behavior.

The skin wrinkles are actually a sign that her body has shrunk more than her skin can even contract. Her skin doesn't seem to fir her undersized body anymore because of her behavior. As the anorexic loses more and more weight, she cant help but to think about food all the time. She may even start to develop a sleep disorder because she constantly thinks about food and eating. These thoughts lead her to think that if she gives in to eating she will become fat. The young girl's brain is trying to tell her to eat before she dies of starvation. She remains confused and continues her behavior to limit her intake and food and drinks in order to remain thin. Later on the anorexic may even develop a phobia of food and liquid along with a phobia of fat.

Autor: Keith L. Simpson

Keith Simpson would absolutely love to help ANYONE who is fighting to overcome Anorexia & Bulimia. Keith is taking surveys in order to EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS you or your loved ones deepest concerns and issues regarding Anorexia & Bulimia. Your voice is important to Keith and it will be heard.

Click Here for Anorexia Tips

Added: November 29, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

The Second Deadly Stage of Anorexia - The Signs Loved Ones and Parents Should Look For!

Stage Two: The Security Compulsive Stage

The second stage starts with the loss of two pounds a week as a goal. The thinner the anorexic gets, the more overweight she feels. The women or girl has now crossed the border into psychopathology, or mental illness. She becomes preoccupied with measuring her arms, waist, thighs, trying on smaller sizes of clothing, and thinking about nothing else. She also looks at every other girl her age and imagines she is fatter than they are. This body-size distortion is invented by her in order to maintain the mission to lose weight.If she can pretend to herself that she is fat, she can believe it is crucial to be a fat fighter, and this will become an important part of her sense of identity.

It is this thought that drives her on to intensify her weight-losing behaviors. She may start to walk more, add unreasonable amounts of stressful exercises like climbing additional flights of stairs, and using other exercise machines to excess.She may increase her weight loss goal to more than two pounds a week. Each pound loss is a reason for her to lose even more. All other girls and women seem to be thinner than she is, regardless of the reality. Her compulsion to lose weight becomes the focus. It soon becomes an obsession, something she is always thinking about. Because it has become an obsession, she must continue to find refuge in weight loss in order to reduce her anxiety.

Autor: Keith L. Simpson

Keith Simpson would absolutely love to help ANYONE who is fighting to overcome Anorexia & Bulimia. Keith is taking surveys in order to EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS you or your loved ones deepest concerns and issues regarding Anorexia & Bulimia. Your voice is important to Keith and it will be heard.

Click Here for Anorexia Tips

Added: November 28, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

The Facts of Anorexia

We as normal human beings are fun of eating, we eat what we want, then if we think that we are gaining more weight, we go to the gym have some exercise to lose all the calories and fats we gained, but we are never scared of gaining too much weight. But there are some people who are really scared of gaining weight, in medical term they are those who are called Anorexic, those people or usually teenagers who are scared of gaining weight because they are afraid to be teased, hate by family members, will not be accepted in the social group they want to be with. Here are some of the facts about anorexia.

An eating disorder characterized by obviously condensed appetite or total aversion to food. Anorexia is a serious psychological disorder. It is a condition that goes well beyond out-of-control dieting. The person with anorexia, most often a girl or young woman, initially begins dieting to lose weight. Over time, the weight loss becomes a sign of mastery and control.

The drive to become thinner is thought to be secondary to concerns about control and fears relating to one's body. The individual continues the endless cycle of restrictive eating, often to a point close to starvation. This becomes an obsession and is similar to an addiction to a drug. Anorexia can be life-threatening. Also called anorexia nervosa.

For people with anorexia, it really is true that one can never be too thin. Despite being dangerously underweight, anorexics see a fat person when they look in the mirror. What they don't see is the tremendous physical and emotional damage that self-starvation inflicts, so they continue to diet, fast, purge, and over-exercise.

While people with anorexia often deny having a problem, the truth is that anorexia is a serious and potentially deadly eating disorder. Fortunately, recovery is possible. With proper treatment and support, you or someone you care about can break anorexia's self-destructive pattern and regain your health and happiness.

Autor: Darren Blair

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Added: November 27, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

How to Stop Emotional Eating Now

Most binge eating or compulsive overeating is linked to emotional eating. People overeat when they are overcome by negative emotions. Although being an emotional eater is a hard habit to break, it is not an impossible habit to break.

The first step you need to break the cycle of emotional binge eating is to identify what emotions make you binge eat. An easy way to do that is to keep a detailed journal. In your journal you should track what you eat, how much you eat, what time of day you eat, and how you are feeling when you eat. Initially you should keep this journal for at least a two-week period.

Then analyse everything you recorded. Go through the journal with a highlighter and highlight all the times you were compulsively overeating. Then write down the emotional you recorded feeling on a separate sheet of paper. Go through each day of your journal writing down the emotions on a separate list. When you are done, look at the list of emotions. What emotion do you see over and over again on the list?

Common emotions that cause compulsive overeating include loneliness, sadness, depression, and anger. Once you identify the emotion causing you to overeat, you need to create a game plan for what you can do when you are feeling those emotions. For example, if you are feeling lonely, you call a friend or family member instead of going to the refrigerator. If you eat when you are angry, you should take up a physical activity or buy an exercise video you can throw in when you are angry. Exerting yourself physically is a great way to work through negative emotions; thirty minutes of kick-boxing can help most people get through anger.

If you can't distract yourself, and you feel you need to eat, restrict yourself to eating fresh fruits and vegetables. You will certainly be less likely to binge on them. Another good idea is to avoid having foods you commonly binge on readily available in your home or work.

Continue keeping a food journal after you have identified your emotional triggers. This will allow you to track your progress.

Autor: Irsan Komarga

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Added: November 25, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Anorexia - More Details About How Serious the Disorder Can Become With Your Daughter

When the person is losing weight, of they have reached the starvation weight, the body burns smaller amounts of calories in the attempt to keep the person alive until the next time food is available in sufficient quantities. Calories are not used to keep the body at its normal temperature so the person is always cold. Calories are not used to keep the blood pressure up to normal so that causes the person to be dizzy quite frequently.

Calories are also not wasted to maintain a normal heartbeat, so the heart shrinks and the number of beats per minute disappears. Protein stores are decreasing, so the body doesn't waste protein on such nonessentials as growing scalp hair, which seems to become thinner. Their monthly cycle requires many calories and protein, and iron.

All of these many bodily changes are most often misunderstood by the anorexic. All she seems to understand is that she is "calorically cheaper" to feed, which usually means to her " I have a larger appetite, I eat less despite it, and I don't lose weight.If I give in this strong desire, I will gain weight until I'm obese.

She eats less and exercises more, they have become the only solutions to achieve that security she looks for. It will leave the victim obsessive, compulsive, distanced from others, ashamed, embarrassed, and depressed at her state of mind. This concludes stage two of anorexia. As you have read in the previous articles the stages become more and more severe.

Autor: Keith L. Simpson

Keith Simpson would absolutely love to help ANYONE who is fighting to overcome Anorexia & Bulimia. Keith is taking surveys in order to EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS you or your loved ones deepest concerns and issues regarding Anorexia & Bulimia. Your voice is important to Keith and it will be heard. Click Here for Anorexia Tips.

Added: November 23, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Anorexia - The Dangerous Medical Conditions That Can Occur With Your Daughter Because of Anorexia

Usually if an anorexic continues to lose weight they will eventually reach the weight of starvation. The body will start to conserve calories instead of burning them in order to keep the person alive. The body will make all attempts to keep the person alive until food is available once again. Calories are no longer used to keep the body warm anymore, this will cause the anorexic to become cold all the time.

Their blood pressure is always down because calories are not used to keep the blood pressure up, this will result in the anorexic fainting and becoming dizzy often. The anorexic's behavior is starting to cause many medical issues that can lead to death and failure of vital organs.

The victim starts to experience an irregular heartbeat because calories are used to keep the heart beating regularly. The heart shrinks and the beats per minute begin to decrease as well. Protein in the individual starts to decrease as well so the body doesn't use protein to grow hair on the scalp anymore. This causes the victim's hair to suddenly start thinning.

The monthly cycle of the young girl requires calories, protein and iron, the body stops this activity in a effort to keep the girl alive. The changes in the body of the anorexic are misinterpreted by her, she thinks it's a good thing that she intakes fewer and fewer calories despite how unhealthy the behavior is. She thinks that if she gives in to the strong desire of eating she will become obese, that's her main fear.

Autor: Keith L. Simpson

Keith Simpson would absolutely love to help ANYONE who is fighting to overcome Anorexia & Bulimia. Keith is taking surveys in order to EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS you or your loved ones deepest concerns and issues regarding Anorexia & Bulimia. Your voice is important to Keith and it will be heard. Click Here for Anorexia Tips.

Added: November 21, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Anorexia - How Serious the Disorder Can Become and the Medical Effects it Can Have on Your Daughter

As anorexia progress, the individual starts to reach a stage of starvation. When this stage is reached the body burns fewer and fewer calories to keep the person functioning and alive. The person's body does this until food is available again. The young girl is always cold because her body doesn't have enough calories to burn in order to keep her warm.

The young girl's blood pressure also begins to drop because calories are not used to keep the blood pressure up anymore. This will cause them to become dizzy very often and may even faint from time to time. Hair will start to thin and even stop growing. As the disorder progresses the heartbeat becomes irregular because calories are not used to keep the heart beating at a normal rate.

A young girl's monthly period is deceased because their cycle needs calories, iron and protein so the young girls stops having a monthly cycle. The anorexic thinks this is a good thing that consumer fewer and fewer calories, whatever it takes to stay thin she will do it. She's scared that if she does start to eat she will become overweight. She eats less and exercises excessively, doing this will help her feel much better about herself.

The young girl is trying to avoid any insecurity by engaging in this behavior, by consuming fewer calories and excessive more often. She's unhappy with herself and the only way to feel better is engage in anorexic behavior. Doing all these things will give her the security that she needs.

Autor: Keith L. Simpson

Keith Simpson would absolutely love to help ANYONE who is fighting to overcome Anorexia & Bulimia. Keith is taking surveys in order to EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS you or your loved ones deepest concerns and issues regarding Anorexia & Bulimia. Your voice is important to Keith and it will be heard. Click Here for Anorexia Tips.

Added: November 20, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Anorexia - Details About the Disorder When it Gets Worse and Help is Desperately Needed!

A girl that develops anorexia has a history of being nice, sweet, and agreeable. Usually they are not very confrontational and do anything they can to avoid conflict. The third stage of anorexia starts to develop when others start to notice and comment about the anorexic becoming too thin. The comments are ignored by the young girl as people encourage her to stop losing weight and start gaining it. For the first time in life she doesn't care about the conflict, it doesn't bother her one bit. She is proud of her body and also her actions to stay thin.

The anorexic is now comfortable engaging in her anorexic behavior. She feels as if people are jealous of her being of her new weight loss. A sure way for family to recognize that their daughter has reached the third stage is to take note of her requesting special demands in order for her to eat. For example, when going out to eat she may take forever to choose a meal because it's not the perfect fat free meal. Even if a meal is perfectly healthy she will always seem to find something wrong. When someone in the kitchen is cooking a meal she will watch over them to make sure their making a fat free meal or not adding any extra calories. She will make comments like "I can't eat when you're in the kitchen" or "I can't be around when you're cooking". These are signs that the disorder is getting worse.

Autor: Keith L. Simpson

Keith Simpson would absolutely love to help ANYONE who is fighting to overcome Anorexia & Bulimia. Keith is taking surveys in order to EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS you or your loved ones deepest concerns and issues regarding Anorexia & Bulimia. Your voice is important to Keith and it will be heard.

Click Here for Anorexia Tips

Added: November 18, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/