The recent events of this past year have caused higher levels of stress than most of us have been accustomed to in quite a while. Our practice has observed an increase in cracked, more sensitive teeth, more complaints of headaches, and elevated occurrences of mouth ulcers.  Without a doubt, mental stress increases your chances of cardiovascular problems and causes undesirable weight gains due to higher levels of cortisol. Even worse, weight gains may cause one to try dangerous fad diets or even contemplate “purging” to lower calorie intake. This anxiety can lead to bigger eating disorders like bullimia or anorexia nervosa.

Furthermore, the stress ultimately takes a toll on your appearance beyond just a bulging waistline:

HERE’S THE GOOD NEWS!

You can do something about it!

Here’s a few suggestions from:

I know it’s a tough world out there. But taking care of yourself and addressing the stress will help you feel and look better.  That new and improved attitude will also allow you to attract better solutions and opportunities to make your life better again.

Let us know if we can help.

Keep smiling right,

Hugh Flax, DDS, PC

Cosmetic Dentist

http://www.FlaxDental.com

Technorati Tags: Address, Good, healthy, Keep, Looking, stress

Eating disorders are one of the unspoken secrets that permeate many families. Millions of Americans are afflicted with this disorder every year, and most of them — up to 90 percent — are adolescent and young women. Rarely talked about, an eating disorder can affect up to 5 percent of the population of teenage girls.

Why are adolescent and young women so susceptible to getting an eating disorder? According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it is because during this period of time, women are more likely to diet to try and keep a slim figure and/or try stringent dieting. Certain sports (such as gymnastics) and careers (such as modeling) are especially prone to reinforcing the need to keep a fit figure, even if it means purging food or not eating at all.

These eating disorders carry serious health risks and can sometimes result in death. Medical and Dental complications can occur as a result of starvation, vomiting and abuse of exercise. A small but significant number of eating disorder patients die from their disorder, convinced that it is better to starve to death than to be fat. It is vital that eating disordered people receive treatment for their disorders. Appropriate treatment includes medical attention and psychotherapy, both from professionals specializing in eating disorders treatment.

Preventing Eating Disorders

Cognitive-behavioral strategies may help prevent the development of eating disorders in adolescent women, particularly those who are overweight. A 2006 study in the Archives of General Psychiatry reported success with an Internet-based cognitive-behavioral program that targeted at-risk college-age women. The women were taught how to become more comfortable with their body weight and image. The program also provided education on healthy eating and weight management.

Eating Disorder Types

In Anorexia Nervosa, the sufferer shows a desperate fear of weight gain and a desire to be abnormally thin, and severely restricts her diet in an attempt to achieve this. Some sufferers also use excessive exercise and sometimes self-induced vomiting as a means of weight control. This behaviour leads to a wide variety of harmful physical and psychological consequences and can be life-threatening; in fact anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychological illness.

Bulimia is characterized by eating excessive amounts of food in short periods of time,

Usually in secret, and is followed by some form of purging behavior. Most individuals suffering with bulimia realize that their behavior is abnormal and try to keep it a secret. Individuals are either slightly over, or at average body weight.

While bulimia is not as physically harmful as anorexia, the psychological effects can be devastating, leading to depression and even more serious outcomes including suicide in the worst of cases. The physical signs of bulimia which can be observed tend to be related to the purging methods used, and include regularly bloodshot eyes, swollen glands, and dental erosion. In the long term, the dangers include digestive system problems such as ulcers, weakness and exhaustion, and even heart problems.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is a type of eating disorder not otherwise specified and is

characterized by recurrent binge eating without the regular use of compensatory measures to counter the binge eating.

Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by:

1. Frequent episodes of eating large quantities of food in short periods of time.

2. Feeling out of control over eating behavior.

Technorati Tags: About, disorder, eating, Information, Types

Product Description
Dr. Sacker and Dr. Zimmer explain in full detail the causes and symptoms of these disorders and how and where to find help. Using case histories and first-person accounts by patients, their families, their physicians and friends, Dying To Be Thin is the complete resource for anyone concerned with these dangerous disorders…. More >>

Dying to Be Thin: Understanding and Defeating Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia–A Practical, Lifesaving Guide

Technorati Tags: Anorexia, BulimiaA, Defeating, dying, Guide, Lifesaving, Nervosa, Practical, thin, Understanding

Does the media have a negative influence on body image? Do you suffer because of a negative body image? Learn how to cultivate a positive body image and begin to love the body you have. When you learn to love the body you have you can begin to live with the health and vibrancy that you deserve. Let Sarah Maria talks about the path of loving your body and living your dreams.

Technorati Tags: body, image, Influence, Media

Product Description
…this book is organized as a reference resource to facilitate access to the rich and varied literature that reflects a wide range of issues and dynamic therapeutic approaches… More >>

Understanding and Treating Anorexia and Bulemia

Technorati Tags: Anorexia, bulemia, Treating, Understanding

Parents involved in their children`s bulimia therapy may double the children`s percentage to overcome binge eating after six months, according to American researchers.

The study was conducted at the University of Chicago and involved eighty teenagers, aged twelve to nineteen, who suffer from bulimia nervosa. Thirty-nine people were assigned to supportive psychotherapy and forty one to family-based treatment.

The study`s results showed that forty percent of the participants who had family-based treatment managed to stop binge eating and purging, and only eighteen percent of those who had supportive psychotherapy. Thirty percent of the participants who had family-based therapy managed not to binge or purge at six-months after treatment, while only ten percent of the standard therapy group had the same results.

Parents may play a key role in their children`s therapy, according to Dr. Daniel Le Grange, lead author of the study and Director of the Eating Disorders Program at the University of Chicago. Parents should encourage their adolescents to eat healthy and normally, and watch them during and after mealtimes to make sure they are not purging.

Parents and their follow-up role have been left out of the therapy although the family-based approach proved to be more efficient, said Dr. Le Grange. However, the researchers are still questioning whether the family involvement or the eating behavior in the family was responsible for the improved results.

Eating disorders may lead to serious health hazards and further research is needed in order to understand and treat eating disorders, said Le Grange.

(c) Project Weight Loss 2008. All rights reserved.

Technorati Tags: bulimia, Children`s, Double, Involved, parents, Success, treatment

ANXIETY

The feeling of anxiety is common to all and we have all felt it many times in the course of our lives. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it becomes a disorder.

Find out more on Anxiety Disorders and Panic Attacks

Nearly 40 million people above the age of 18 are affected by this disorder in a given year. Anxiety disorder may be caused by a mental condition, a physical condition, the effects of drugs, or from a combination of these. Some of the common Types of Anxiety Disorders are:

I PANIC DISORDER

This condition is characterized by periods of intense fear or a psychological distress that lasts for about half an hour.

II GENERAL ANXIETY DISORDER (GAD)

This condition is characterized by excessive anxiety and worry, occurring more days than not for a period of at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities. Having this disorder means always anticipating disaster, often worrying excessively about health, money, family, or work. Sometimes, though, the source of the worry is hard to pinpoint.

III PHOBIC DISORDERS

These are persistent, unreasonable, intense fears (phobias) of situations, circumstances, or objects giving rise to anxiety and avoidance. Phobic disorders are classified as general (agoraphobia and social phobia) or specific.

A) Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia literally means “fear of the marketplace”. Therefore, people with agoraphobia are afraid of open or public places. In reality, most people with agoraphobia are actually afraid of having a panic attack in these settings, especially settings in which there will be no one to help in case of panic attack or an actual emergency.

B) Social Anxiety Disorder

The person suffering from this disorder has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. The anxiety in this case arises out of the fear of being closely watched, judged or criticized by people around you.

C) Specific Phobias

A specific phobia is fear of and anxiety about a particular situation or object. Specific phobias are the most common anxiety disorders. Among the most frequent are fear of animals zoophobia), heights (Acrophobia) and thunderstorms (Astraphobia or Brontophobia).

i) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

OCD is a type of disorder involving two elements: obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are repetitive unwanted thoughts that make you feel anxious. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors and rituals that the patient feels compelled to perform as performing them temporarily reduces the anxiety.

ii) Separation Anxiety

This form of anxiety is a normal developmental stage experienced by a child when separated from the primary caregiver. It typically manifests itself as crying and distress when the child is away from a parent or from home. ANXIETY MANAGEMENT & TREATMENTAt Home: In certain cases, it is possible to treat anxiety at home. However, these cases are limited to ones where the attack is of a short duration and where you know the reason for the attack. In such cases, stress can be relieved by practicing activities such as: Meditation, Watching TV, Deep breathing , Resting in a dark room etc.

Click here for information on Drug-free TreatmentMedical Treatment: When the nature of attacks is more serious in nature then the patient has to turn to medical treatment. Medical treatment depends on the cause of the anxiety.

There are cases when the cause cannot be identified. In such cases, the only way to treat is control of symptoms.

Medication does not cure anxiety disorders, but it helps to keep them under control while the person receives psychotherapy.

With proper treatment many people with anxiety disorders can lead normal, fulfilling lives.

Cathy M. Ross

Technorati Tags: anxiety, attacks, disorders

Eating disorder is getting prevalent in the cities of today. We may call it as psychiatric disorder. It is caused mostly by no regular exercise, no control over consumption of food and eating junk foods containing high calories and cholesterol. Because of these habits people also suffer some serious problems like blood pressure, diabetes other than eating disorder.

Most of the people assume that eating disorders occurs in peoples with excessive weight only but the fact is average weight people can also face these types of problem. Depression can also lead to eating diseases; in fact it is the main cause of binge eating disorder.Symptoms of Eating Disorders:

Eating disorders are prevalent in many types –

Technorati Tags: disorder, eating, Tips, treatment, Types

Binge eating is when you consume unusual large amounts of food. You also may want to stop eating but can not resist the urge and continue to keep eating. Normally a person will eat 1500 calories to 3000 calories a day. When a binge eater eats there are times when they can consume as many as 10,000 to 20,000 calories at one time. Binge eating is a disorder that has only recently been getting diagnosed as an illness in fact many experts are still trying to disclaim binge eating. However, new estimates say now that 4% of the US population has a binge eating disorder. They also say that girls and women are slightly more likely to develop the disorder than boys and men. Both children and adults can develop this disorder but it is found most commonly in people in their 40’s and 50’s.

What Causes Binge Eating Disorder? The causes of binge eating disorder are still unknown. Up to half of all people with binge eating disorder have a history of depression. Whether depression is a cause or effect of binge eating disorder is unclear. It may be unrelated. Many people report that anger, sadness, boredom, anxiety or other negative emotions can trigger a binge episode. Impulsive behavior and certain other psychological problems may be more common in people with binge eating disorder. There are major complications of a binge eating disorder. These include diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, gallbladder disease, heart disease, and certain types of cancer.

How do I know if I have binge eating disorder? Most of us overeat from time to time, and some of us often feel we have eaten more than we should have. Eating a lot of food does not necessarily mean that you have binge eating disorder. Experts generally agree that most people with serious binge eating problems often eat an unusually large amount of food and feel their eating is out of control. People with binge eating disorder also may:

1. eat much more quickly than usual during binge episodes

2. eat until they are uncomfortably full

3. eat large amounts of food even when they are not really hungry

4. eat alone because they are embarrassed about the amount of food they eat

5. feel disgusted, depressed, or guilty after overeating.

Binge eating also occurs in another eating disorder called bulimia nervosa. Persons with bulimia nervosa, however, usually purge, fast, or do strenuous exercise after they binge eat. Purging means vomiting or using a lot of diuretics (water pills) or laxatives to keep from gaining weight. Fasting is not eating for at least 24 hours. Strenuous exercise, in this case, means exercising for more than an hour just to keep from gaining weight after binge eating. Purging, fasting, and over exercising are dangerous ways to try to control your weight.

Binge eating generally isn’t an illness you can treat on your own but you can do things at your home to try and control the disorder. Here are some examples. Stick to your treatment. Don’t skip therapy sessions. If you have meal plans, do your best to stick to them and don’t let setbacks derail your overall efforts. Avoid dieting. Trying to diet can trigger more binge episodes, leading to a vicious cycle that’s hard to break. Eat breakfast. Many people with binge-eating disorder skip breakfast. But studies show that if you eat breakfast, you’re less prone to eating higher calorie meals later in the day. Don’t stock up. Keep less food in your home than you normally do. That may mean more-frequent trips to the grocery store, but it may also take away the temptation and ability to binge eat. Get the right nutrients. Just because you may be eating a lot during binges doesn’t mean you’re eating the kinds of food that supply all of your essential nutrients. Talk to your doctor about vitamin and mineral supplements. Stay connected. Don’t isolate yourself from caring family members and friends who want to see you get healthy. Understand that they have your best interests at heart. Get active. Talk to your health care providers about what kind of exercise is appropriate for you, especially if you have health problems related to being overweight.

What if I think I have binge eating disorder? If you think you might have binge eating disorder, it is important to know that you are not alone. Most people who have the disorder have tried but failed to control it on their own. You may want to get professional help. Talk to your health care provider about the type of help that may be best for you. The good news is that most people do well in treatment and can overcome binge eating.

Technorati Tags: Being, binge, Causes, eating, Leading, Obese, Over, weight

Sarah’s testimonial of her treatment and recovery from Shades of Hope Treatment Center. Join Sarah in her mission to help others that are suffering from eating disorders and other addictions find help and hope. Visit www.shadesofhope.com

Technorati Tags: center, Hope, recovery, Shades, Testimonials, treatment