By OJ Bushell It might be surprising to some who know me that I actually do most of the cooking and meal prep for my two-year-old child. I say this, because well, just a couple of years ago, I could barely feed myself. Instead, I was in and out of treatment for anorexia. Having lived and living experience of eating disorder recovery places me and all other parents with these struggles in a unique position to figure out how to not only feed ourselves, but also how to nourish our children without “passing our struggles” onto our kids. Eating struggles are so commonplace in adults that the usual ..read more

From our friends at Within Health Many professionals and people in need of care may still believe myths that remote care is an  inferior level of treatment for mental health concerns, like eating disorders. In truth, studies show remote care for eating disorders is a helpful and proven option that offers wonderful benefits that in-person care cannot match. (1,2) Keep reading to learn more about remote care of eating disorders and the reality behind the myths. What is remote care for eating disorders? Remote care is a general term used to describe any treatment method that does not depend ..read more

These organizations make it easier for people with eating disorders to get treatment. The post Check out MEDA Listed as One of the Best Eating Disorder Support Organizations appeared first on MEDA - Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association ..read more

3 Ways to Tune Out New Year’s Diet Ads by our friends at Center for Discovery The coming of a new year is highly anticipated and often brings with it soaring expectations of the all too familiar phrase “new year, new you.” The expectation with this phrase may be accompanied by feelings of stress and anxiety around how you’ll achieve this so-called “new you”—will you need to embark on a new diet? Adopt an intense exercise routine? Or give up something you enjoy? What brings the belief that with a new year you must change some part of who you are or what you look like? There isn’t one single gro ..read more

How to Prioritize Your Health and Eliminate Negative Self-Talk During Holiday Meals Written by Jacqui Cooper-Morgan (Center for Discovery) Prioritizing your health during the holidays can look different for everybody. Whether you are in recovery from an eating disorder or not, you may feel guilt or shame about eating during the holidays. The first and foremost thing for prioritizing your health through the holidays is eating enough. This is regardless of your body size, what you ate yesterday or what you ate today. You need to eat enough food and a variety of food. But with all the chaos that ..read more

Using Trauma-Informed Yoga To Treat Eating Disorders & Substance Use Disorders by Timberline Knolls Many people struggle with the effects of trauma during their lives. But this can be especially true for people who are working toward healing from certain behavioral health conditions, including eating disorders and substance use disorders. For those who are struggling with these concerns, trauma-informed yoga can be a powerful component of the healing process. Trauma-informed yoga is a gentle and person-centered approach to yoga practice that strives to empower participants and help them re ..read more

Why Family Therapy Truly Matters in the Treatment of Eating Disorders By the Klarman Center at McLean Hospital Eating disorders are time-consuming, soul-crushing, and insidious to your suffering loved one…and to you! Watching helplessly as your child/partner/sibling puts themselves at life-threatening risk can result in the ping-ponging between terror, frustration, and fury. By the time someone has gotten into residential care, everyone is worn out. The secrecy and what can feel like a cat and mouse game around eating, food, and other problematic behaviors may have eroded trust. Your loved one ..read more

How Dialectical Behavior Therapy Can Effectively Treat Eating Disorders  From our friends at Timberline Knolls  Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that teaches people effective coping skills to help them live happier, more fulfilling lives. Through DBT, individuals can learn that it’s possible to simultaneously accept where they are on their recovery journeys and work toward positive change. The unique combination of these seemingly opposite concepts can help people who are battling an array of mental health disorders find healing. While it was orig ..read more

As a member of the Collaborative of Eating Disorders Organizations (CEDO), the Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association Inc (MEDA) strongly opposes the new clinical guidelines introduced by the @Ameracadpeds. We do not support intentional weight loss in children via the methods included in the guidelines, especially the recommendation of bariatric surgery and pharmaceutical products for children. The AAP’s guidelines for childhood “obesity” are harmful, may increase or exacerbate eating disorders or disordered eating, significantly contribute to medical weight stigma and fat phobia, and are ..read more

Ethics in Eating Disorder Treatment From Our Friends at Veritas Eating disorder clinicians are guided by ethics to ensure the best for every patient that comes into their care. In general, ethics help clinicians determine appropriate clinical decisions and behavior. They provide a compass for what is “right” and what is “wrong,” although determining that is not usually so simple. Treatment providers will encounter a variety of moral dilemmas in their careers, and ethics can provide a general framework for navigating these situations. In this blog, we will cover key ethical principles in the tr ..read more