Your advocacy efforts are needed on Capitol Hill
Please support the Eating Disorder Coalition's advocacy efforts on April 26th & 27th! Your voice is needed to help eating disorder sufferers obtain the treatment they need to recover and live productive and fulfilling lives!
Check out: EDC Advocates Wish List @ www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org/advocateWishlist.htm

The EDC warmly welcomes all of you who care about eating disorders from across the United States to attend our April Lobby Day to advocate for the Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders Act (the FREED Act).

Advocates from the states below are in particular high demand as you may be able to convince your Representative to support this bill. We need your voice!

If you are from any of the states listed below, or know someone who is, we need YOU to come to the April Lobby Day.

Click your State to find your representative and please join us on April 26th and April 27th for our first Lobby Day of 2010 in support of the FREED Act...read more @ http://www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org/advocateWishlist.htm

Learn More About the EDC's Lobby Day

Eating Recovery Center, situated at the foot of the Rockies in beautiful downtown Denver, Colorado, provides individuals 17 and older sustainable recovery from eating disorders. Our comprehensive program offers patients from across the country a continuum of care that includes inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient and outpatient services.

Founded by Kenneth L. Weiner, MD, CEDS, and Emmett R. Bishop, MD, CEDS, renowned experts with more than 50 years of combined experience, Eating Recovery Center proves to be the culmination of their vision and expertise.


Medical Management

Eating Recovery Center is a licensed Joint Commission accredited behavioral hospital, Eating Recovery Center's 24/7 medical management, nursing care and clinical supervision enhance each patient's stay. Full-time psychiatrists personally oversee the treatment regimen of every patient while an internist and nursing team manage patients' medical needs. Close proximity to two major hospitals allows a seamless transition to acute care if medical intervention is necessary.

For extremely low-weight patients in a life-threatening condition, medical stabilization may be necessary prior to admission. In such circumstances, support from Dr. Phil Mehler, Chief Medical Officer and world expert on the medical complication of eating disorders at Denver Health Medical Center's A.C.U.T.E. (Acute Comprehensive Urgent Treatment for Eating Disorders) program, is readily available.

Treatment Program

Eating Recovery Center private roomEating Recovery Center's uniquely integrated treatment program cultivates lasting behavioral change and sustains long-term recovery. Putting research into practice, our treatment philosophy is drawn from innovative therapeutic methods centered on mindfulness, values orientation and collaboration with loved ones. We are committed to a seamless transition to aftercare and partnership with each patient's treating professional.

Eating Recovery Center Facility

Integrating state-of-the-art design with a warm and nurturing environment, our facility enhances the therapeutic experience through dedicated art therapy, cooking education and massage areas.

Eating Recovery Center Treatment Professionals

Our collaborative team of treatment professionals is not only highly respected for their expertise in the field, but also passionate about each patient's lasting recovery. This multidisciplinary team includes Certified Eating Disorder Specialists and iaedpTM approved supervisors.

View the Eating Recovery Center page @:
www.eatingdisorderhope.com/eating-disorder-specialist-eating-recovery-center

Visit the Eating Disorder Specialist Library

submitted by: Rader Programs (www.raderprograms.com)

Athletes and dancers may face a greater risk for the development of an eating disorder. The incidence of eating disorders among athletes continues to be on the rise especially for those involved in sports that emphasize being thin. It is estimated that up to 62 percent of females who participate in "appearance sports" such as gymnastics, figure skating, dancing, and diving are suffering from an active eating disorder. High incidence of eating disorders also occur in endurance sports that emphasize low body weights such as running, cycling and cross country skiing; sports that have weight classifications such as wrestling, horse racing and crew; and sports were the clothing is revealing such as swimming, volleyball, track, cheerleading and bodybuilding.

Many of the attributes that are part of the formula for a successful athlete may predispose them to the development of an eating disorder. Athletes' personalities tend towards being perfectionist, overachieving, competitive, and compulsive and people pleasing. These traits, when focused on the body can have devastating consequences. Athletes and often their coaches are preoccupied with controlling body weight and shape to enhance athletic performance. Weigh-ins and body fat analyses are often a weekly occurrence. The worst part is that these activities are usually done in a public setting with personal weights revealed to the entire team and staff. This can cause embarrassment and foster competition among team members to obtain the lowest weight through dangerous dieting methods. Teammates and coaches are significant people in athletes' lives and can have an inordinate amount of influence. A recent study reported that 75 percent of gymnasts who were counseled by their coaches they needed to loose weight resorted to dangerous weight control measures...

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Eating Disorder Psychotherapists Who Have a Personal History of an Eating Disorder: Exploring the Experience of Professional Ethics.
For more information, please contact Meris Williams (doctoral candidate in Counselling Psychology at UBC) at 604-321-1904, meris.williams@gmail.com, or ed.therapist.study@gmail.com, or access the following website:
http://sites.google.com/site/edpsychotherapiststudy/


Looking Beyond the Surface Acceptance-based separated family treatment for adolescents with anorexia nervosa. This is a collaborative study between Duke University Medical Center and Towson University. For whom is this study appropriate? 1) Adolescents between 12-18 2) who are medically stable for outpatient treatment 3) and who have symptoms of anorexia nervosa What can I expect? This study involves 20 sessions. In sessions 1-16 adolescents and parents are seen seperately; and in sessions 17-20 the family meets together. As this is a new treatment, participants will be asked to complete a number of questionnaires on the computer, provide feedback about the treatment, and participate in focus groups. Please call Lisa K. Honeycutt at 919-684-0353 or email her at edresearch@duke.edu.


Research Study using MRI to examine Bulimia Nervosa in adolescent girls
Would you like to participate in a research study?
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE: *12-21 yrs old *Females *All ethnicities
WHERE: The study will take place at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive in Manhattan.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN: Participation in our study will include a visit that will require 5-6 hours of your time and include interviews, games and puzzles, and an MRI. The total compensation will be $100 per person. For more information please call the Eating Disorders Clinic at (212) 543-5316 and mention the BN MRI study.
Contact: Rachel Marsh, Ph.D. @ (212) 543-5316 or
Email: marshr@childpsych.columbia.edu or lb2518@columbia.edu

More Research Information

by Emily (Rader Programs)

Recently, I have noticed a positive trend in the media (for a change!). Men seem to be much more often depicted expressing their emotions appropriately through tears and words, rather than through aggression and destruction. First, allow me to applaud this important step....

Now... As with many things, it seems to be one step forward, two steps back. Males are also being subjected to similar negative, damaging messages that have long been inundating females. From the covers of magazines, muscular, bare-chested male models and actors are appearing more and more, representing a standard of attractiveness men are now striving to meet. Commercials and infomercials for hair restoration or removal; penis enlargement or performance enhancement pills; home gyms, workout tapes, fat burning/muscle building shakes, powders, and supplements; sprays, deodorants, and a plethora of self-care products have all been popping up.

If obliterating millions of women's self-esteem created multi-billion dollar industries (in cosmetics alone! Nevermind diet products, clothing, etc.!), why not try to jump-start the economy by doing the same to men? Why not?!

Well... The term "Manorexia" has been used to describe a type of eating disorder now affecting men and boys. The main claimed differentiation is that males that develop this eating disorder were often overweight at some point in their lives, rather than perceiving themselves to be overweight or fearing becoming overweight. Also, it is asserted that athletic ability, prowess, or performance is often a major contributing factor, whereas with females, the focus tends to be more on appearance and "being thin".

Follow Emily's insightful blog

Do you regularly deprive yourself, succumb to temptation, feel guilty, and then start the process all over again? If so, you need this book.

Dr. Michelle May will guide you out of the food-focused, diet-driven downward spiral that leads you to eat, repent, and repeat. She offers a powerful alternative: end your love-hate relationship with food and start eating mindfully and joyfully.

After twenty years of yo-yo dieting, physician Michelle May discovered a peaceful, joyful relationship with food. With down-to-earth language and uncommon sense, she offers a rare prescription for optimal health of the body, mind, heart, and spirit. Dr. May will help you:

· Stop obsessing about food and start loving it

· Resolve mindless and emotional eating

· Rediscover when, what, and how much to eat without restrictive rules

· Learn the truth about nutrition in clear, practical terms

· Stop using exercise as punishment for eating

· Experience the pleasure of eating the foods you love—without guilt or bingeing

· Develop powerful patterns of thinking to live the balanced, vibrant life you desire

Stop Obsessing About Food and Start Loving It!

Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat is the antidote to ineffective dieting. No more rigid rules, strict exercise regimens, questionable drugs, or food substitutes. This book will soon have you eating the foods you love without fear, without guilt, and without bingeing. With your new, powerful patterns of thinking, you'll create the vibrant, healthy life you deserve.

Available: Barnes & Noble, Borders, Amazon, and independent book sellers everywhere. Read more or order: http://www.amihungry.com/eat-what-you-love-book.shtml

Enter Drawing Here!

The Binge Eating Disorder Association held its first national conference March 4th-6th, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland. It was a spectacular success with fascinating presentations, excellent materials and invaluable information regarding binge eating disorder.

Be sure to mark your calendars for the March 30-April 2, 2011 conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the Firesky Resort and Spa.

Learn more about BEDA

ENTER DRAWING
Please complete the contact form, enter book title in message, and you will automatically be entered into our May 15th, 2010 drawing!

*Compulsive behaviors, such as overspending, are often issues for eating disorder sufferers, this book may be of help.

The Secret Language of Money
By David Krueger MD
McGraw Hill Publishers, 2009
A Business Bestseller, Translated into 9 languages

The Secret Language of Money is a guided tour to the subconscious meanings we give money, the conflicted ways our brain deals with money, the reasons we tend to make the same money mistakes over and over – and most importantly, how you can change all that.

Even though we talk about money regularly, think about it daily, we may not know how to clearly and simply tell our money stories to our selves to see what needs to change. This book guides an understanding of our relationship with money and how to change our money stories. Former Psychiatrist and current Executive Mentor Coach David Krueger brings together the worlds of neuroeconomics, psychology, and neuroscience to help you figure out your own relationship to money, and fix it if it's flawed.

Listen to the recorded "An Evening With The Author" and sign up for the Blog at the book site: www.TheSecretLanguageofMoney.com

Also available by David Krueger MD: Your New Money Story™: ROADMAP for Money Mastery
A Seminar Series on 5 CDs + Workbook at: www.NewMoneyStory.com

Enter Drawing by completing contact form and mentioning book title!

"Girl, you look like you've gained weight." Her words were asphalt against my newly developed skin. It had been four months since I had seen my friend, and I can honestly say this was not the kind of greeting I expected. I expected excited conversations and maybe a word or two about how great I looked. Not the dreaded self-esteem killer. Our time was cut short because of that one remark. As we talked, my eyes traveled to and fro across the art hanging behind her. I could not bear to meet her eyes for fear that she would see an additional five pounds lurking in the depths of my soul. In an instant my friend became just another negative voice beckoning me to give in once again to the all-consuming quest of thin. Every time I looked into the mirror that night, her words echoed through the glass: "You've gained weight." It was like a death sentence had been spoken over me. I began second-guessing the people in my life, wondering why they never commented on my obvious failure. I looked people in the eyes when they saw me, waiting for that moment of weight-gain recognition to reflect in their face. My mind made assumptions that my reality hesitated to believe, and I was left battling out the situation in my head. The truth is, real-Alexis was not all that bothered by the comment. I had finally reached a place in my life where I was happy with my body. The number on the scale did not hold the key to my happiness, and I cared more about the health of my body than the shape of it. Eating disorder-Alexis, on the other hand, was wrecked by the comment. Eating disorder-Alexis places her whole identity in appearance. If the number on the scale rises, she freaks. If someone points out a flaw in her appearance, she avoids the world until that flaw is fixed to perfection. Eating disorder-Alexis places way too much responsibility on the opinions of others. In order to move past my friend's comment, I had to make a choice. I could accept my friend's comment as merely her opinion and continue to live my life, or I could hold tight to her words and slowly construct my destruction zone. I chose to keep living. I chose to keep believing what God says about me and embrace truth. I chose to keep placing one foot in front of the other and continue my journey of recovery. People will always have their own opinions about your appearance, but if you want to live in full recovery, you can't depend on their opinions. Being in recovery means dealing with the good comments and the bad comments. It means moving past the eating disorder voice and evaluating your own health before thinness. It means refusing to let anyone change your opinion of yourself in the time span of five minutes. Eating disorder recovery is not about ignoring the negative comments of others. Recovery is not denial; it is facing the truth. Recovery is listening to those comments with a stable mind (hard- I know!) and deciding what to do with the comments when the other person has walked away. It is a stable state in a rocky boat. It is the hand you cling to when everything else seems so uncertain. I don't have this process anymore figured out than you, but I know the One who paves the path and shows us the way. God has not abandoned us to fight these battles on our own. He has equipped us with the armor we need, and He stays by our side when we let the enemy's taunts pierce our hearts beneath the armor. His truth heals the wounds and gives us the strength to face the world again. He gives us the courage to look into the eyes of those around us without fearing their thoughts. Because most of the time, you will be met with eyes that accept you just as you are, no matter what you weigh.

Check out Alexis' new blog

Eating disorders and the Media
Author: alice morrison published @ articlestudy.com

Everyday one is exposed to the media in every front. Whether it is through television, magazine, billboards, radio or newspaper, the media's presence is widespread making it the most efficient means of changing opinion, creating controversy, exposing scandal and setting standards. Media can dictate what products are good by portraying them positively and they can also expose products in a negative light leading to their unpopularity. It is no secret that the advertising and marketing companies are billion dollar industries and large corporations such as computer companies and fashion moguls pay millions of dollars yearly to hire the best advertising agencies to represent their brand, knowing that exposure is the key to setting trends and making their product coveted. Even seemingly neutral or objective media mediums such as news broadcasting agencies can influence public opinion though exposing certain sides of controversies over others or giving more air time to certain stories. In every aspect of one's life, the influence of the media can not be underestimated and whether desired or not, one's opinions are formed and changed by the dictates of the media.

This prevalence of the media in forming opinion has in latest years become especially detrimental in the issue of self-image, especially that of women and how they perceive themselves. The images continually shown in the media of the "ideal" woman is always that of an overly thin woman, a super model who is supposed to represent the average woman and set the standard of beauty for women everywhere. However these models used in the media represent the top 2% of women in their build and the standard of beauty that they set is unattainable for the majority of women. This had led to an increase in the number of women who develop eating disorders in an attempt to cope with living in "a society that demands women so thin"(Davies, 2000), most women will fall short their whole lives regardless of how little they eat and how strictly they exercise. Although eating disorders have in the past been limited to the models themselves, these days average women in all walks of life develop eating disorders. In this day and age the media is a main cause of eating disorders in women who are made to feel unwanted and worthless by continuously falling short of the images media uses to portray the "average woman."
The media perpetuates the image of women and sets the standards for how women should look. Whether it is fashion spreads directly showcasing a beautiful woman, advertisements for products non-related to beauty or even simply news broadcasts, the media perpetuates a specific ideal for women.

Read More articles about the Media and Eating Disorders