"Coming Out:' Gay Men and Eating Disorders
So it was difficult to grasp why my struggle to come forward, to come out, about an eating disorder fell on deaf ears. The promise of support that had been there a decade earlier, when I announced I was gay, seemed forgotten, cowered under the shame of a having a woman's illness. I knew eating disorders affected women disproportionately (a 1997 study suggests a 1:6 ratio), but I knew from the most cursory scan of the gay community that we were a body-obsessed bunch.

Misleading Health Information Flows Onto YouTube
Social networking sites like YouTube are delivering a tide of pro-anorexia messages, according to a recent review of 140 videos containing about 11 hours of video content. After three physicians reviewed the content, nearly 30% of the videos were found to be pro-anorexia (J Med Internet Res 2013; 15(2):e30) doi 10.2196/jmir2237).

How to Become a Body Image Outcast
Never diet. It is clinically documented that dieting is the gateway to eating disorders. We have a $40 billion diet industry in this country that sells us a product that fails 95% of the time. We should all be much smarter than that.

Self-Esteem and Social Anxiety in Teens with Eating Disorders
Social anxiety is defined as fear of being negatively evaluated by others while in a social setting. Some 15% of the general population have levels of social anxiety that disrupt daily functioning and symptoms of social anxiety tend to increase throughout adolescence.

Recovery is Character Building
If one thinks of temperament as the genetic wiring of personality, then character consists of the circuit boards that route, suppress, or facilitate the messages carried by those wires. In other words, character is one of the mechanisms by which we manage temperament.

Missouri Bill Proposes Mandatory Coverage for Eating Disorders
Missouri State Senator David Pearce (R-Warrensburg) introduced a bill during a recent committee hearing that would mandate health insurance coverage for Missourians with eating disorders. If approved, eating disorders patients in Missouri with insurance would be covered for diagnosis and treatment of their eating disorder as well as for residential, medical, and psychiatric treatment

Low Plasma Sodium and Bone Less in Women with Anorexia Nervosa
Dr. J. G. Verbalis and colleagues at Georgetown University, Washington, DC, were the first to report that chronically low levels of sodium can lead to a substantial reduction of bone mass

Q & A: Anorexia Nervosa and Alcohol Abuse: Which Comes First?
The fact is, a high percentage of patients with AN do seem to have alcohol use disorders (abuse/dependence) with varying degrees of severity.

Unexplained Hoarseness
Acid reflux, or exposure to acidic gastric contents to the upper portion of the gastrointestinal tract, causes a well-known syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux, or GERD. Symptoms found in GERD include heartburn, chest pain, regurgitation, an acidic taste, belching, difficulty swallowing, and bad breath. GERD affects about 20% of the general population.

Amenorrhea: Not a Good Gauge of Prognosis
After treatment for their eating disorder was completed, a large portion of the women resumed menses, but very few recovered completely from their eating disorder.

Skipping Insulin
Warning signs for diabulimia include low energy, high blood sugar levels, and weight loss despite eating more. Frequent urination is another signal. When blood sugar is high, the kidneys work overtime to filter excess glucose from the body; this purging is similar to the pattern in a person with bulimia, who binges and then purges.

Medical Issues and Eating Disorders
Eating disorders can last for as little as one year or less, to decades or more. They usually get progressively worse unless they are faced and treated.

Do Different Sweeteners Alter Satiety?
In a small study of 37 volunteers aged 20-29, Dr. Pablo Monsivais and colleagues evaluated the relative effects of commercial beverages containing sucrose or HFCS on hunger, satiety, and energy intakes at the next meal. They used a within-subject design for the study.

Six Tips for Grocery Shopping in Recovery
Eating healthy is an important habit, but it can be difficult to get a balanced meal when your biggest fear is food.

Bulimia and Your Teeth
As a dentist, I am hyper-aware of people's teeth and smiles. Over the years, I've noted how people try to hide what's going on inside their mouths. I understand how the general public's apprehension about the painful side of dentistry can make some people unwilling to sit in the dental chair and undergo treatment. This is especially true for those who are also bulimic

Restricitve Feeding Can Make Children Overeat
Often the very efforts parents make to help their children limit "junk foods" only increases the children's desire for these very foods. A recent study at Penn State has provided some new data about how restrictive feeding by mothers can produce a pattern of eating without hunger in their daughters

About Body Image
For someone with an eating disorder, whose body is the battleground where daily wars are fought, improving body image is essential. Your recovery is not complete by simply stopping the food-related behaviors; you must also make peace with your physical self. It’s a package deal. This is because body image and self-image are so closely tied. The approach you take with your body is a reflection of the approach you take with yourself.

Herbal Agents Used by Eating Disorder Patients
ndividuals with eating disorders no longer have to obtain a prescription or use over-the-counter drugs to lose weight or suppress their appetite. Instead, the whole arena of "dietary supplements" is now open for them to explore. They may come upon herbal preparations that appear to help in weight loss or appetite suppression, or that promise to raise mood or decrease anxiety. Unfortunately, they may also encounter agents that cause significant side effects and/or drug interactions. Use of such products can also delay appropriate treatment.

A Healthy Eating Rituals for You an Your Family
Creating new rituals has the potential to establish food as enjoyable and sacred. Food and the act of eating becomes our way of taking time to appreciate all that we are and all that we have. We learn to give thanks, release stress, and mindfully nourish our bodies. Below are several ritual ideas that may be used together or integrated individually into daily meals.

When Your Parent Has An Eating Disorder
There might be some information you choose not to reveal because doing so may not be in your child's best interest, or you may feel too vulnerable. Don't feel rushed to instantly provide answers. It is all right (even a good idea often) to take time to think about what and how much to say. Keep in mind that talking to an adult son or daughter is different from talking to a friend or contemporary. In any family there may be a variety of matters in which children ought not to be involved. Choose carefully what topics are appropriate.

How To Get the Most Out of Your Treatment Team
Remember that the members of your team are there to work for you. Therefore, it is important to find people that you feel good about and who are knowledgeable about eating disorders. You are hiring them and it is a matter of finding the right match. Having said this, be sure you don't run from professional to professional rejecting everyone. If you meet a few and no one seems right, you'll need to look more to yourself. Decide your requirements and whether you have any resistances to treatment.

Family Meals: One Deterrent to Disordered Eating?
Many factors can contribute to unhealthy weight-control practices and other disordered eating patterns among teenagers, according to Dr. Dianne Neumark-Sztainer and colleagues at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. These include societal pressures to be thin, parents' attitudes toward weight, family relationships, peer dieting practices, and perceptions of body image. However, the structure and atmosphere of meals at home are important as well, according to the researchers.

What Are Electrolytes?
All cells maintain an electrical charge across the cell membranes that surround them, which permits cells to perform their normal functions, such as allowing nerve cells to control muscles and allowing muscle cells to contract and relax. The electrolytes in the serum (blood) produce this electrical charge, which is literally the energy of life. If electrolytes exceed their normal, tightly controlled range, normal functions will cease. Muscles may weaken and cramp, nerves may fail to conduct impulses correctly, or the brain (which, after all, is a collection of nerve cells) may not function correctly, leading to confusion, lethargy, or even seizure

Anorexia Nervosa: Curious Past, Hopeful Future
AN is a prototype of disorders of motivated behavior, all of which serve as a final common pathway for a variety of developmental, familial, intrapsychic, and societal conflicts. At its core, AN arises from a conflict between the individual's neurobiological forces, which regulate weight stability, and social norms, which mandate thinness. The probabilistic nature of a single person developing AN from multiple risk facts may mean no single causative factor will ever be found.

Bridging the Gap between Science and Evidence-Based Practice
A number of misconceptions exist about evidence-based practice, Dr. Lilienfeld stressed, including the belief that it stifles creativity and that it requires a cookie-cutter approach to patients. Other misconceptions are that the approach is not helpful because all individuals are unique; or that evidence-based practice isn't needed because "we can judge the effectiveness using our clinical experience and intuition."

Life Transitions Can Trigger Eating Disorders
Traumatic life events, such as relationship changes, the loss of a loved one, or a sexual assault, can trigger eating disorders, according to the results of a small study of 26 women and 1 man ranging in age from 17 to 64 years (median age: 27 years). As Dr. Jerica M. Berge and colleagues at the University of Minnesota recently reported , even a small change, such as moving to a new home or enrolling in a new school, may trigger anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa .

Signs and Symptoms of Breast Cancer
The most common sign of breast cancer is a new lump or mass. A lump that is painless, hard, and has uneven edges is more likely to be cancer. But some cancers are tender, soft, and rounded. So it's important to have anything unusual checked by a doctor.

Scientists Identify Brain Circuitry Associated with Addictive, Depressive Behaviors
“The physical symptoms that affect people with Parkinson’s — including tremors and rigidity of movement — are caused by an imbalance between two types of medium spiny neurons in the brain,” said Kreitzer, whose lab studies how Parkinson’s disease affects brain functions. “In this paper we showed that psychiatric disorders — specifically addiction and depression —might be

Strategic Initiative #1: Prevention of Substance Abuse and Mental Illness
Most adult mental and substance use disorders manifest before age 25, and many of the same risk and protective factors affect physical health. The focus on preventing mental health and substance use disorders and related problems among children, adolescents, and young adults is critical to the Nation’s behavioral and physical health now and in the future.

Meth use linked to Parkinson's: Study
Parkinson's disease occurs when not enough dopamine — a chemical produced by the brain is generated. Previous animal-based studies have shown amphetamine use causes damage to the part of the brain responsible for dopamine production.

Antidepressant could help meth addicts kick habit
Researchers have for years been trying to find a drug to help alleviate dependency on methamphetamine, much as methadone can be used to help people quit heroin, but multiple studies of many different drugs have failed. Addiction experts said they're cautiously optimistic that the antidepressant mirtazapine, sold under the brand name Remeron, will prove useful.

Child Abuse Leaves Mark on Brain
Reduced brain volume in parts of the hippocampus could help to explain why childhood problems often lead to later psychiatric disorders, such as depression, drug addiction and other mental health problems, the researchers say. This link could help researchers find better ways to treat survivors of childhood abuse.

Why do addicts get hooked?
“Think of addiction as a chronic medical illness, such as high blood pressure or diabetes,’’ he said, adding that all have a biological basis but personal behavior and environment can influence whether the given disease develops and affects an individual’s life.

Managing Weight Across the Spectrum of Eating Disorders
The increasing occurrence of disordered eating, as well as the personal and societal costs associated with having an eating disorder, has led to increased prevention efforts. These efforts have included delivering programs that use the Internet as their access point. Such an approach is hardly surprising given today's trends in computer use. Computers have become a staple in everyday life, and Internet technology has broadened the ways in which we communicate and learn. But, how effective are Internet-based eating disorders prevention programs?

Five Eating Disorders Groups Successfully Challenge a University
Recently, five major eating disorders organizations joined forces to speak out against a university whose practice was singling out obese students. Last December, the Academy for Eating Disorders, the Binge Eating Disorder Association, the Eating Disorders Coalition, the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals and the National Eating Disorders Association joined forces to advocate for a focus on health and lifestyle rather than weight as a measurement of well-being.

How a Need to Please Others Can Lead to Overeating
The authors found a marginally positive correlation between sociotropy and a desire to eat the same amount of candy as the peer. The degree of sociotropy also marginally predicted greater reports of basing one's eating decision on an attempt to make the peer comfortable. The results supported the hypothesis that sociotropy would be linked with eating choices, but only in cases where people believed that a peer wanted them to eat. There were no differences by gender.

Using the Internet to Deliver Therapy and Fighting Old Unhealthful Food Patterns
ndividual clinicians can have an impact on healthier lifestyles by taking a number of steps, Dr. Brownell told the audience. First, they can work with the press in their local communities to get information out about healthy eating. Next, they can write to their legislators urging changes in food regulations and content. Third, they can work to change school policies in their own communities, such as getting rid of soft drink machines in schools. Clinicians can also organize groups to protest unhealthy foods in schools.

Herbal Agents Used by Eating Disorder Patients
Herbal therapies may include ingredients that are very potent and pharmacologically active. Along these lines it should not be surprising that adverse reactions and drug interactions may follow. Uncertainty about these issues stems from the lack of data regarding effects of various herbs, concerns as to what the active ingredients may be, the lack of the practice and enforcement of good manufacturing standards and a lack of a mechanism for adverse reaction reporting.

Yoga: A physical path to reshaping your mind and moving your spirit
The early founders of AA recognized that Alcoholism is a 3-fold disease affecting us physically, mentally and spiritually. The 12 step program has proved to be highly effective in addressing both the mental and spiritual aspects of the disease, while relatively little emphasis has been placed on the physical aspects. The ancient yogis knew that in order to sit and meditate for long periods of time, our bodies need to be in good physical condition, thus yoga is a natural complement to the 12 step program.

Personal Growth: How to Align Your Values and Your Life
There are several questions you can ask yourself to help you figure out what values will make you happy. First, what do you choose to do in your life? Assuming that you choose activities in your life freely, such as cultural, spiritual, or athletic activities, specifying these activities is a first step in identifying the values that create congruence between your values and your life. Second, what activities do you have a great passion for and that bring you true joy in your participation? There is no better clue to what you deeply value than activities such as these. Third, what activities, experiences, and people cause you to feel deeply engaged and connected with? This absorption can only occur when your values and life are one.

Fitness Lovers More Prone to Eating Disorders
Female athletes and exercisers tend to exhibit eating disorder symptoms more often than those who don't exercise as regularly, says researchers from the University of Denver. The study is one of the first to document that women who worry about performing well at sports or exercise are far more likely to feel dissatisfied with their bodies and experience eating disorder symptoms.

Help! I am a College Freshman
College is not meant to be an arduous struggle with eating disorders. It is meant to be a time of self-discovery, with learning about yourself and meeting people, with taking risks and trying new directions. College has the potential to be some of your most exciting years yet, or some of the most miserable. For me, it has been both.

A Unique Treatment Program for Couples
As Cynthia M. Bulik, PhD, and colleagues report, a substantial proportion of people presenting for treatment are in committed relationships. Patients also often emphasize the importance of their partners in the recovery process. In one study of 70 women treated for 10 years, the one factor patients felt contributed most to their recovery was having a supportive partner. Many other studies have attested to the importance of other factors, including communication and sexuality.

Heart to Heart: Taking Risks in Recovery
he good news is that taking risks is a skill that can be practiced. Smaller, less challenging tasks can be rehearsed. For example, learning to add one “forbidden” food to your meals without purging, rather than a whole new meal, is a small, but empowering, step. So is saying, “Hi” to one new person rather than mingling with many in a crowd. By breaking down the situations that cause the most panic into smaller, more manageable actions, a person gradually gains the skills necessary for those bigger tasks. Each success, no matter how small, cultivates a little more confidence and a desire to try more daring behaviors.

Confessions of a Father
I was introduced to eating disorders (ED) about midway through my daughter Jena's ninth grade year. Prior to this introduction, my wife and I were unaware of the extent of the eating disorder epidemic. Compounding the initial feelings of helplessness was the fact that Jena was attending a boarding school in northern Maine. We went from a family structure of continual contact to one that consisted of phone conversations, e-mails, and letters. I was completely unprepared for the prolonged grip the ED would have on us.

Family-Based Treatment: New Directions
Two decades ago Christopher Dare and Ivan Eisler laid out the principles of their groundbreaking Maudsley method of family based treatment for adolescent anorexia nervosa at the University of London's Maudsley Hospital. This approach, which disregards the idea that parents are to blame for their child's self-starvation and instead views them as key players in restoring their child's weight and health, has increased in popularity in America.

Silence the Food Critic
The things we say to our friends and loved ones in an effort to "help them make good choices" can often be destructive. Have you ever eaten something you didn't enjoy because you didn't want to hurt the cook's feelings or be labeled as "picky"? Have you ever chosen not to order a certain food off the menu because someone else might not approve? If so, the food critic is doing the talking.

Emotion Acceptance Behavior Therapy
EABT model assumes that emotion avoidance poses two main problems for persons with AN. First, although AN symptoms may be effective at reducing emotions over the short term, long-term efforts to avoid emotion may have the paradoxical result of increasing the frequency and intensity of aversive emotional reactions. In their efforts to avoid emotion, patients with AN may find themselves trapped in a cycle of emotional vulnerability, avoidance, and disordered eating. Second, because patients spend so much time focused on AN symptoms, valued goals in other parts of their lives are often neglected.

Using Your Voice
Once you have told someone you have an ED, your relationship with that person may change dramatically. He or she may not be able to spend time with you any more without focusing on the fact that you have an illness. Or, you may find that the other person refuses to believe you are sick since you may "appear" well. But most people want to help and will be supportive in getting you the treatment you need. I have also encountered family members who seemed to have no reaction to my illness and this, too, can be incredibly painful to come to terms with. It is important to bring your feelings about whatever reactions you get into your treatment and work through them in that safe space.

Speedy Eating, Less Frequent Eating and Highr Body Mass Index
The old slogan "You are what you eat" might be amended to "You are what you eat, how fast you eat, and when you eat," according to results of studies in New Zealand and the U.S.

Love is Gentle, Love is Kind
As we go through our days, we get to choose the way we behave. If we choose a loving path, our lives will be the richer for it. Loving the people around us is a familiar idea, but loving our bodies is foreign to most of us. We have been taught to hate our bodies and to vigilantly subdue and control what we perceive as our lazy, gluttonous urges. This judgmental attitude helps keep our dieting and disordered eating patterns alive and well.

Leaving Inpatient Treatment: "Good as New?"
Remember, leaving treatment is not equal to being stitched up and coming out as "good as new." Recovery is a process experienced in community with others helping you break the destructive ways of an eating disorder, one day at a time. Make sure you take the time before you leave treatment, or if you are now out of your treatment, to set a plan for a successful recovery.

Weight 'Cutting' Waning Among College Wrestlers
The NCAA and the American College of Sports Medicine both urge greater cooperation among coaches, exercise scientists, physicians, dietitians, and wrestlers to use research and education to determine the best medically sound system for selecting a weight class. Their hope is that harmful weight loss methods will one day be a thing of the past among collegiate wrestlers.

Who Else At the Game Is at Risk?
Based on the results from the EAT-26, the investigators estimated a 29.7% prevalence rate of disordered eating among the auxiliary unit members. The test results also revealed that 21% of the participants used purgatives, and 14% vomited to control their weight or shape. As for irregular menses, 15.8% of the young women reported having irregular periods and 12.5% were amenorrheic. The group at greatest risk for disordered eating was majorettes, followed by the color guard and the dance line. The color guard members reported the greatest frequency of binge eating (20%) and vomiting (14.3%), whereas majorettes reported the highest frequency of using laxatives or diet pills (26.3%).

How to Know When a Young Athlete's Exercise Is a Problem
However, this approach to identification is not always straightforward. Coaches are often looking for the athlete who will train harder than her teammates. It is difficult for a coach (and sometimes a parent) to view an athlete who works harder and longer than the others as having a problem. On the contrary, these athletes are more often valued because of their "work ethic." Their extra training may be rewarded and reinforced. It is difficult to know if the athlete is simply a good, hard-working competitor, or a person with a problem. Nonetheless, this is a good place to start the identification process.

The Basics of Disordered Exercise
Studies have shown that between 33% and 80% of anorexics and bulimics engage in excessive exercise—the wide range probably due to inconsistencies in defining the term “excessive.” However, regardless of the statistics, a strong connection between eating disorders and overexercise exists, resulting in serious psychological, emotional, and physical consequences (in addition to those previously described for food-related behaviors). Exercise also has an addictive component because of neurochemical changes in the brain, which make recovery more difficult.

Recogninzing and Responding to Binge Eating in Children
By the age of two, many children have developed damaging eating habits that may persist throughout their lives. Like their parents, they are eating too few vegetables and fruits and too much highly processed food laden with sugar, fat, and salt. They have already learned to prefer, and sometimes even to demand, french fries, soda, pizza, hot dogs, sugary desserts, and candy.

Puberty and Body Image
During puberty, many "tweens" feel out of control with the changes. At this stage, they are neither children nor teenagers and keeping up with the transition can be a challenge. This is not surprising given that more developmental changes occur during puberty than in any other life stage, other than the beginnings of life. And puberty starts earlier now than ever before.

Treatment for Adolescents & Young Children
A growing concern in the field of eating disorders is the increasingly earlier onset and prevalence of these illnesses in the childhood and young adolescent populations. Historically, anorexia nervosa tends to have a higher occurrence at approximately 14 and 18 years old, whereas bulimia nervosa tends to manifest in the late teenage and young adult years. Unfortunately, however, the ages of onset have shifted downward to younger and younger children. What is important to understand is that the nature of eating disorders in young people is somewhat different than their older counterparts and distinctly different in the pediatric population. The origin of eating disorders is as unique as the individual themselves, but among the historically classic cases, there are many common diagnostic characteristics.

Bone Loss in Anorexia Nervosa: Mechanisms and Treatment Options
Malnutrition itself may be a critical element in anorexia-related bone loss. In women with anorexia nervosa, bone density correlates directly with nutritional indices such as BMI, caloric intake, fat mass, and leptin levels.3, 12 Weight gain correlates with increased bone density in women with anorexia nervosa prior to resumption of normal menstrual function.6 Furthermore, short-term fasting, such as over 4 days, results in a marked decrease of 50% in bone formation markers in healthy normal volunteers.18

Medical Symptoms and Complications Associated with Anorexia
Any child who undereats is at risk for the conditions we will describe. The longer the undereating goes on, the more likely it is that it will turn into full-blown anorexia nervosa. We use the term "anorexic" here, recognizing that bulimics and binge eaters can also experience the same medical complications and symptoms from bouts of undereating. Anorexia nervosa, in severe cases, can affect almost all the major organ systems. In this section, we will discuss the symptoms of anorexia, which we have organized by different functions and areas of the body

Anorexia Nervosa: 11 Areas of Advancement
Although the origin, treatment, course, and outlook of anorexia nervosa (AN) have remained a puzzle, advances in at least 11 areas have helped us better understand this disease.

Regaining Weight in a Healthy Way
Regaining weight can be a very frustrating process for persons with anorexia nervosa. Often what looks like weight gain turns out to be fluid retention, or edema. (Edema is swelling of any part of the body due to collection of fluid in the spaces between the cells.) We talked with Dr. Wayne Callaway, a well-known endocrinologist and eating disorders expert in Washington, DC, to see what one can do about regaining weight safely and comfortably.

Intimacy and Anorexia Nervosa
In Western culture, intimacy is considered an essential indicator of healthy romantic relationships. Unfortunately, intimacy has been largely unexamined in the relationships of women with anorexia nervosa. Why is this oversight important? Anorexia is an eating disorder that goes beyond the classic symptoms of self-starvation and the attainment of an idealized thin physique to include afflicted women struggling with who they feel they are, who they feel they should be, and what others in their relationships expect of them

Profiling Midlife Eating Disorders
One significant difference between women who developed eating disorders early in adulthood and those who did so in midlife was that those with early-adult-onset eating disorders had higher novelty-seeking scores than did older adults. Both early-adult onset and midlife-onset eating disorder patients had higher-than-normal scores on harm avoidance measures. Persistence was slightly higher in young adults.

Anorexia Nervosa in The Elderly
All his life my father had been a big man. Oversized. I often heard people crack jokes about his weight and tell him to stop eating so much. But now, I was worried. At 80 years old, he was depriving himself of food. He had fallen a number of times this past year and had sustained a fractured shoulder and a few broken ribs. Many times when I had phoned him, he told me he felt dizzy, weak and light-headed. Now I understood why. He was refusing food.

What is Anorexia?
Anorexia nervosa, in the most simple terms, is self-starvation. Anorexics (anorectic is also correct usage) are typically described as "walking skeletons", a graphic image that depicts the pallor and frailty of these struggling individuals. Anorexics are also often characterized as stubborn, vain, appearance-obsessed people who simply do not know when to stop dieting. But anorexia nervosa is much more than just a diet gone awry, and the sufferer more than an obstinate, skinny person refusing to eat. It is a complex problem with intricate roots that often begins as a creative and reasonable solution to difficult circumstances, and is thus a way to cope.

Why do People Become Anorexic?
One common misconception is that people become anorexic because they are self-absorbed, vain individuals who place too much importance on their looks. While the culture of thinness in which we live is certainly an influential factor in the development of anorexia, it is by no means the sole cause. In fact, there is no sole cause. Anorexia is a response to a complex mix of cultural, social, familial, psychological, and biological influences unique to each person. The answer to the question "Why?" is an individual one requiring deep introspection on a personal level. Some possibilities are discussed below.

Doctors Treating Older Eating Disordered Patients
Eating disorders have long been considered diseases of the young, but in recent years more women have been seeking help in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and older. According to Holly Grishkat, who directs outpatient programs at The Renfrew Center, women over 30 who seek treatment tend to fall into three categories. Some have had an eating disorder for years. Others had a disorder in remission that resurfaced because of new stress in life, such as a divorce or loss of a parent. A third group, the smallest of the three, includes women who develop an eating disorder late in life.

How to Keep the Weight Off
According to the Mayo Clinic, the "key to successful weight loss is a commitment to making permanent changes in your diet and exercise habits."

Teaching Children that It's Okay to Be Angry
Teaching children how to be angry in a safe and productive way.

Moving in Together Stirs up Old Fears
If you're divorced and have moved on to a new, meaningful relationship, the prospect of moving in together can stir up a lot of fear related to your past marriage and its demise. Anyone who has gone through a divorce will tell you that it takes some time to get over it and move on (understatement of the year.)

What To Do If Your Spouse Won't Go To Counseling
The scenario of one spouse recognizing that therapy might be useful to look at a troubled relationship while the other is resistant has several possible explanations.

Father
On this Father's Day, what will you to to acknowledge the man that brought you into this Earth, and who showed you the ropes about how to be the good guy you've grown into?

Solitude, Part 2: The Benefits It Brings, and the Special Strengths of the People Who Enjoy It
Here's what makes solitude so sweet

Sweet Solitude, Part 1: Two Meanings of Alone
Time spent alone is not just about loneliness

Risk of accelerated aging seen in PTSD patients with childhood trauma
Adults with post-traumatic stress disorder and a history of childhood trauma had significantly shorter telomere length than those with PTSD but without childhood trauma, in a study by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.

Why Do Bullies Bully?
We're all familiar with bullying - those deliberate, aggressive behaviors intended to cause harm to others. Chances are, if you haven't been the recipient or the doer of these hostile acts, you've at least seen bullying occur at some point in your childhood.

In The Blink of an Eye
There is no way to prepare. No way to brace yourself or let yourself down easy. When a loved one dies suddenly or their death is perceived as sudden, your entire world is turned upside down and inside out.

Expressive Mask Making For Teens: Beginning Insights
Learning new skills and rapid change can be intimidating. Even psychologically "normal," healthy adolescents, defined for the purpose of this article as adolescents who are not involved in mental health services and do not have an active Diagnostic and Statistical Manual diagnosis, experience a decline in their self-concept between the ages of 12-14 (Hadley, Harris, & Moore, 2008).

Art Therapy and Special Education
Art therapists who are interested in working in the public schools might find it helpful to understand the special education system and how art therapy services can be utilized in a special education setting. A good place to start with is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a 1990 federal law (reauthorized in 1997 and again in 2004) that ensures a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment to all youth regardless of ability.

Empowering the Traumatized Child Through The Use Of Art And Action
When a child has been personally traumatized or is part of a family, school, or community system where trauma has been experienced, the child's sense of his or her own power is generally shaken. The trauma destabilizes the world as the child knew it prior to the event(s).

Pathological gambling may be successfully treated with medications for substance addiction
Pathological gambling can be successfully treated with medications that decrease urges and increase inhibitions, according to researchers at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP).

Addiction and Recovery - Choosing the Right Level of Care For Treatment
Addiction is treated on a continuum of care principle, with a variety of treatment options available. The overarching goals of alcoholism and other drug addiction treatment is the development of abstinence and relapse prevention.

Chinese Medicine is Simple
Chinese Medicine is simple; it began with observing nature and then taking these observations and applying them to the human body. This began with the concept of yin and yang.

Teeth Grinding Linked to Sleep Apnea
There is a high prevalence of nocturnal teeth grinding, or bruxism, in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), particularly in Caucasians. New research presented at CHEST 2009, the 75th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), found that nearly 1 in 4 patients with OSA suffers from nighttime teeth grinding; this seems to be especially more prevalent in men and in Caucasians compared with other ethnic groups.Physicians (ACCP), found that nearly 1 in 4 patients with OSA suffers from nighttime teeth grinding; this seems to be especially more prevalent in men and in Caucasians compared with other ethnic groups.

Dentists can help to identify patients at risk of a heart attack
Dentists can help to identify patients who are in danger of dying of a heart attack or stroke, reveals a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy. Thanks to the study, six men who thought they were completely healthy were able to start preventive treatment in time.

Why the Holidays can Bring More Conflict than Joy
Help with the emotions around the holidays typically focuses on the "Holiday Blues", but there is very little press regarding the tension and conflicts that erupt during this time of year. Relationships are like the proverbial canary in the mine shafts, in that they are the first to be affected by stress and tension.

How Can I Get It All Done?
Most of us know that we should consistently make time for Self-Care, but often we do not seem to find the time.Our fast-paced culture teaches us that "slowing down to smell the roses" is a luxury we cannot afford - there is always more to do than time to do it all.

Positive "Peer Pressure"?
I recently heard an audio clip of Mrs. Nancy Reagan speaking to a group of inner-city youth back in the early 1980's. Her message was short and clear: "When someone offers you drugs, Just Say No".

What is Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture?
Used as early as the Sung Dynasty (960AD-1270AD), Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture is a non-surgical method of reducing the signs of the aging process and renewing the body from within. More than just a cosmetic procedure, the rejuvenation process helps the whole body look and feel better. A gentle, soothing facial massage follows the treatment.

Is Massage Supposed to Hurt?
Research has well proven that massage can be very effective in reducing the pain that accompanies many conditions. But is massage supposed to be painful to receive? How much pain is too much pain when you are receiving deep tissue massage techniques for muscle knots and spasms? Is the saying, "No pain, no gain" true? What about post-massage soreness? Is that expected and normal?

Breast Cancer and your Environment: There is a Connection
It is expected that approximately 1.5 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the United States during the year 2008. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 600,000 Americans are expected to die of cancer in 2008, or more than 1,600 people per day.

Plants that clean the air
Air quality is an important and well known factor when it comes to our health. Living in the Phoenix valley we have all heard the government warnings during a "high pollution day". The government understands and recommends that people with any lung disease or very young or geriatric persons should limit their outdoor activities that day.

Various Types of Dentures
An overview of various denture options that are available in dentist offices today.

What causes bad breath?
Bad breath plagues just about everyone at one time or another. Bad Breath is devastating for ones social life. Many people have been denied employment, failed in business and social engagements and relegated to low social status because of it.

Swine flu - is Tamiflu the answer?
The first swine flu related death in London was reported today. This follows several reports over the past few weeks of other deaths caused by the H1N1 virus: 3 deaths in New Zealand, 3 in the UK, 2 in Virginia, 4 in Washington state, 3 in Florida, 1 in Hawaii, 1 in Spain, 9 in Australia, 6 in Thailand and now 43 in Argentina! (127 deaths total have been reported to the CDC).

Early Childhood Tooth Decay (Baby Bottle Tooth Decay)
Decay in infants and children is called baby bottle tooth decay. It can destroy the teeth and most often occurs in the upper front teeth. But other teeth may also be affected.

General Dentistry vs. Cosmetic Dentistry
There are quite a few differences between general dentistry and cosmetic dentistry, but what you need to keep in mind is that general dentistry is for fixing problems and resolving painful issues. Cosmetic dentistry, on the other hand, is all about making you look great and turning that smile into a dazzling one that you'll be more than proud to show off.

Chronic Vertigo Sufferers Find Relief With Chiropracti
Many people aren't aware of the relationship between upper cervical (neck) trauma and vertigo. With all that modern science has accomplished, there are still more unanswered questions than answered ones.

TRACYS KIDS ART THERAPY PROGRAM
Tracy's Kids employs six art therapists in four treatment centers, helping patients with cancer and blood disorders cope with the emotional stress and trauma of illness and treatment. Art therapy is built into the treatment setting, engaging young patients, their siblings, and parents in creative work that helps them express feelings and reflect on their treatment experiences.

How to Deal With an Angry Spouse
It is important to differentiate the spouse whose anger is a healthy response to various partner insufficiencies, such as lack of attunement, inadequate empathy, neglect, poor partner functioning -in short anger as a protest to loss of love and safety – and anger which is more...

HCG Diet
Weight loss may be the biggest reason people attempt a change in diet/lifestyle. So many people wake up and look in the mirror, and discover they don't like what they see and want it to change.

6 Keys of Assertive Communication
Communication is so important that it can make or break a relationship, is critical to success, and instantly reflects your self-esteem to listeners - for better or for worse. Assertive communication commands respect, projects confidence, and inspires influence. It is respectful, direct, honest, open, non-threatening and non-defensive. It is not demanding, aggressive, or manipulative.