Author: frivvy89
By Ethel Wai As the year creeps to an end, the holiday spirits are lifted through colourful lights and winter wonders. This time of cheer also coincides with the hectic hustle of gift planning, family gatherings and social festivities. As eventful as they may be, the rush often gets in the way of self-care. Personally, whenever December rolls around, I often struggle with being present in the moment. My mind becomes a to-do list, where there are endless boxes to tick off every hour of the day. From buying the right gift boxes to making sure the tableware is clean…
Tess Holliday Tess Holliday. In May 2021, Holliday shared her own journey on social media after receiving comments about her weight. “I’m anorexic and in recovery. I’m not ashamed to say it out loud anymore,” Holliday posted on Twitter. “I’m the result of a culture that celebrates thinness and equates that to worth, but I get to write my own narrative now. I’m finally able to care for a body that I’ve punished my entire life and I am finally free.” “To everyone that keeps saying ‘you’re looking healthy lately’ or ‘You are losing weight, keep it up!’ Stop,” she…
Sometimes, we eat a little too much. And while that extra slice of cheesecake (or two) may have sounded like a good idea at the time (and was absolutely delicious), eating too many calories can force your body into overdrive as it tries to digest a high volume of food. “Just metabolizing food—especially fat- and carbohydrate-rich fare—causes the body to produce free radicals, which attack cells and can promote the development of chronic conditions including heart disease, diabetes and cancer,” says Ronald L. Prior, Ph.D., research chemist and nutritionist with the USDA at Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center. And, of course,…
If your child has an eating disorder, you want to get support for yourself as a parent. This is because eating disorders don’t only affect the person with the diagnosis – they affect everyone. And often parents becomes overwhelmed, stressed, and burnt out with the caregiving required when a child has an eating disorder. These parents deserve and need support. But while we know it’s important, getting support as a parent who has a child with an eating disorder can feel tricky. First, there are privacy concerns. Some parents worry that they shouldn’t share their child’s struggles with anyone outside…
Headaches. Trouble sleeping. Chest pains. Chances are, everyone has felt the physical symptoms of stress. But in people with Crohn’s, stress can also exacerbate the symptoms of the disease, worsening abdominal pain and diarrhea and possibly triggering a flare, according to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.While no one can stave off stress forever, people with Crohn’s disease can be especially at risk for mental health conditions. According to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, depression rates are higher among people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) than in people without IBD. Anxiety is also common. A review of 77 studies published in The Lancet…
AMA News Wire What doctors wish patients knew about ultraprocessed foods Dec 16, 2022 For people on the run, ultraprocessed food may become their go-to diet, sacrificing nutrition for convenience. While it may be convenient, consuming ultraprocessed foods on a regular basis increases a person’s risk of health complications including cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, obesity and type 2 diabetes. But it can be hard to tell when these foods are on your plate. The AMA’s What Doctors Wish Patients Knew™ series provides physicians with a platform to share what they want patients to understand about today’s health care headlines. In this…
How one rural school community is taking action to support food and nutrition security. Americans in every state struggle with the complex and persistent challenge of food insecurity, which is defined as the lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in the household to live an active and healthy life. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated food insecurity, especially among rural communities and households with children. In places like Munising in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, there is a bounty of natural beauty that include waterfalls and the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and challenges like food insecurity may be invisible, to…
Jane Fonda is opening up about her recovery from an eating disorder and what helped her change her unhealthy relationship with food. The 84-year-old actress and activist was recently a guest on an episode of Paramount Plus’ The Checkup With Dr. David Agus. During the filmed interview, she shared that her eating disorder recovery was “really hard,” noting that it took place at a time when fewer resources were available to combat bulimia and anorexia, both of which she struggled with. “Nowadays, I’d probably go to a 12-step program or something,” she said. “But I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t…
In my last blog (Top 5 things I missed most about being an inpatient in an eating disorder unit) I discussed the things I missed about being an inpatient in an eating disorder unit. It was really important for me to share those things because it is something that is generally never discussed or even “allowed.” But in thinking about the things that I missed from being an inpatient, it also reminded me of the worst things about being an inpatient in an eating disorder unit.There were some things I found really hard about being an inpatient in an eating…
I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a warm day and I was at a friend’s house after school, soaking up the sun. Then came the inevitable time that every overweight child dreads—it was time to go in the hot tub. I felt confident on that fateful day, though there was still considerable trepidation, and I was last to get in the tub. As I got in, everyone started snickering, exchanging knowing glances with everyone but me. Any confidence I had immediately vanished, and I felt not just completely alone, but also utterly disgusted with my fat body.I’m…