Author: frivvy89

A new study published in the Journal of Eating Disorders revealed high rates of adverse childhood experiences among patients with eating disorders. Different diagnoses were linked to specific patterns of trauma. For example, patients with binge eating disorder were especially likely to report a history of physical and emotional abuse.An adverse childhood experience (ACE) is a negative experience occurring during childhood that can result in lasting physical and emotional trauma. These stressors include emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and negative family experiences like parental alcoholism or intimate partner violence. A history of ACEs has been linked to psychiatric diagnoses in adulthood, including…

Establishment of the national expert panelA cross-sectional study was conducted during 2016 and 2017 with 64 public health and nutrition experts from the civil society of Guatemala (National expert panel). Experts were involved in three different phases: 1) an online questionnaire to assess the extent of implementation of public policies on healthy food environments against international best practices benchmarks; 2) an on-site workshop to recommend and reach consensus on government actions; and 3) a questionnaire to prioritize the actions recommended based on both, importance and achievability.We consulted the governmental Food and Nutrition Security Secretariat (SESAN), charged with coordinating the National…

JUNE 30, 2018 — School districts are partnering with their communities to serve healthy, locally harvested food to children during school. Involving children in gardening is a great way to support physical activity and healthy eating, as well as build a sense of contributing to their community. Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, Tyonek — Growing community gardens to support the school food program Tebughna School is a K-12 school in the small community of Tyonek, which is across the inlet from Anchorage and part of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. The Tyonek Tribal Conservation District (TTCD) worked with the…

Today we’re going to hear from a parent who is worried all the time about her daughter’s eating disorder. Her loved ones are getting annoyed, and she is wondering if her worry makes sense. Worry always makes sense, but how we handle it can make the difference between feeling supported and loved and feeling even more worried. So I’ll talk through what this mom should think about as she deals with her worry.The letterDear Ginny, I’ve been working so hard to help my daughter recover from an eating disorder, but nothing seems to be working, and I’m worried all the time. I…

The Mental Health Act and Anorexia. In the last 14 years, I have been under some form of the Mental Health Act for 13 years and 4 months. Since 2008, I have only had 8 months not under the Mental Health Act. I had 4 months not under the Mental Health when I was discharged from my first eating disorder admission in 2009. Within those 4 months, I rapidly relapsed and had to be readmitted to hospital. I was again placed under Section 3 of the Mental Health Act because of anorexia. I had another 4 months not under the…

I was obese for most of my life. At 13 years old, I weighed 200 pounds. By the time I hit high school, that number was more like 230. By 21, I was fed up with being “the fat girl.” When I set out to lose weight, I used a few different tools: I meal-prepped healthy food, exercised, and used a calorie-counting app to keep track of what I was really putting in my body. Still, I wasn’t militant about the process—I even recall eating half a jar of Nutella once and just shrugging it off. Fast forward eight or…

For Amanda D’Ambra and Joan Zhang, the idea of starting and co-founding an eating disorder care startup was personal: Both struggled with an eating disorder, along with other mental health issues, and received treatment — a treatment they hope more people will be able to access. D’Ambra and Zhang previously worked in digital health spaces before deciding to found Arise, a New York–based virtual eating disorder care company. Arise is looking to provide education, care and long-term support from licensed providers and personalized care plans for those afflicted with any disordered eating. The one thing the founders wish they saw…

For those who get snappy when they miss out on lunch, it may be the perfect excuse: researchers have confirmed that a lack of food makes otherwise bearable people “hangry”.In one of the first studies to explore how hunger affects emotions as people go about their daily lives, psychologists found that the more hungry people felt, the more angry – or hangry – they became.The study came about after Prof Viren Swami, a social psychologist at Anglia Ruskin University, was told – on more than one occasion – that he was hangry and should do something about it. The challenge…

Sometimes parents are told to “back off” eating disorder treatment so a child can choose to recover. I’ll tell you why this all-too-common advice is terrible, and what you can do instead.The letterDear Ginny,Our 16-year-old son has an eating disorder. He has been seeing a therapist for anxiety and participating in an eating disorder group. The group was recommended by and is covered by our insurance. There are not currently any medical complications, and he is not considered underweight or at risk. Despite this, we see the eating disorder getting stronger and more intense. The group seems more dangerous than helpful. He…

Today we will work on rewiring a common limiting belief – “People will judge me if I gain weight” In this post we will talk about: Fear of weight gain or fear of what others *think* about our weight gain? Why do we worry so much about what others think? How to change this limiting belief   Most often fear of weight gain is one of the primary fears in eating disorder recovery. But I would argue that it’s actually more about the fear of what others think. Because if there would be no other people in this world would we…