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Eating Disorders & Mental Health

Our physical and mental health, relationships, and day-to-day life are all affected and challenged by disordered eating habits’ pervasive nature. When someone suffers from an eating disorder, the risk of health consequences, such as brain damage, could occur. Disrupted eating behaviors negatively affect adequate nutrition absorption; thus, the brain does not get the nutrients it needs to function properly. This is especially concerning in adolescents, as brain development occurs through early adulthood – meaning that significant periods of growth could be disrupted.

One of The Emily Program – Cleveland‘s adolescent clients traveled internationally to Cleveland seeking eating disorder treatment, taking on challenges not just in her recovery, but in the simple logistics that most in treatment take for granted.

By Lucene Wisniewski, PhD

Without effective treatment, eating disorders can be chronic and life-threatening. Therefore as patients, we should be well-informed consumers of the treatment we receive. In fact, being armed with accurate information about what constitutes best practices in treatment could be the difference between life and death.

The Emily Program is excited to announce that our Pittsburgh location is now open and accepting new clients.

Eating disorders disrupt the lives of some 130,000 males and 296,000 females in Pennsylvania every day. The Pittsburgh office is being led by eating disorder expert Liz McCabe, who is committed to helping individuals in the area recover.

Photo by Caroline Yang 

Each statement about beauty is representative of that person’s unique perspective. Some statements include descriptive language about body types and body shapes. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

It’s eating disorders awareness week and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Saint Paul Ballet again this year. Last year’s Take Back the Tutu (part 1 and part 2) helped bring awareness to appreciating our bodies for what they can do. This year, Saint Paul Ballet is talking about how they personally define beauty. 

A message from Brittany Adams, St. Paul Ballet Company Member

Diversity within our company is at our foundation. Our differences make us stronger as a family and help define our goals and confirm our dedication to the trade. Our art is our number one priority – and presenting it genuinely without covering up any part of who we are has become our focus.

We are excited to bring you part 2 of the What is Beauty? series and statements from more dancers at Saint Paul Ballet. If you missed part 1, you can read it here.

Each statement about beauty is representative of that person’s unique perspective. Some statements include descriptive language about body types and body shapes. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

Shamira

Beauty comes from your soul. It comes from accepting your beauty within and becoming comfortable with it. Then it becomes contagious and radiates into the world.

By Lisa Diers, RD, LD, E-RYT Director of Nutrition and Yoga Services Manager

Many of us are familiar with the phrase “trust your gut” and now science is starting to show us why that saying couldn’t be more relevant or important. In fact, the gut has been coined as “the second brain” because we are beginning to fully understand the complexity of the gut, the important role it plays in communication to the brain, and the mechanisms by which the two are linked — driving many bodily functions from nutrient absorption to serotonin production. As the importance of gut health and its relation to overall health continues to unfold, you may find yourself both curious and confused about your own gut health. When it comes to the complexities of the gut, I equate it to the complexity of our galaxy. I know my spatial orientation and I can identify the big and little dipper. Beyond that, I need to stop, pull out my astronomy guide and consult with someone more knowledgeable in this area. If you are suspecting you are suffering from gut-related distress, it is important you track your symptoms and find a resourceful navigator like a registered dietitian, physician, gastroenterologist, or another trained health care provider as you start your journey to healing your GI tract.

This is one person’s story; everyone will have unique experiences on their own path to recovery and beyond. Some stories may mention eating disorder thoughts, behaviors, or symptom use. Please use your own discretion. And speak with your therapist when needed.

By Dallas Rising, a former The Emily Program client and woman in recovery

My eating disorder, like so many others, loves numbers. It loves everything from calories to weight to clothing size. But the numbers it really gets worked up about are numbers associated with exercise.

When my eating disorder was at full volume, it would make unending noise about “exercise numbers.” If these numbers didn’t grow (as opposed to the smaller set of numbers that I wanted to shrink), my eating disorder would pummel me with horrible self-image beliefs and I would feel the need to punish myself in order to appease it.

It won’t come as a surprise, then, that part of my recovery plan was to cancel my gym membership.