Leading Experts on Trauma, Eating Disorders and Addiction Host Innovative Half-Day Conference in Philadelphia

Source: marketwatch.com
PRESS RELEASE
CHICAGO, Sept. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Timberline Knolls and Belmont Center for Comprehensive Treatment are hosting a complimentary half-day conference on trauma, eating disorders and addiction, 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 in Philadelphia. Nationally renowned experts include Kim Dennis, M.D., medical director at Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, and Susan Merle Gordon, Ph.D., clinical program manager of the Mood & Eating Disorders Unit at Belmont Center for Comprehensive Treatment.
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If you or someone you know is recovering from an eating disorder, what resources have been a valuable part of your recovery journey?

Eating Disorders and Families

An informal evening for parents of kids with eating disorders.

Eating disorders can be isolating for families as well as for those who have them. This program gives parents a chance to connect with other parents, share challenges and successes, and learn more about the positive role families can play in eating disorder recovery.

Dr. Daniel Le Grange, director of the University of Chicago Eating Disorders Program, will discuss how families can help a child or teen with an eating disorder.

Harriet Brown, author of Brave Girl Eating, will describe her family's battle with their daughter's anorexia.

Through excerpts from the book, frank talk about eating disorders, and Q&A, Brown will energize and inspire families struggling with eating disorders.

Meet us for coffee and join the conversation!
To find out more about the Eating Disorders Program
at The University of Chicago Medical Center, please
visit www.eatingdisorders.uchicago.edu.

October 20, 2011, 7 - 9 pm
The Quadrangle Club
1155 East 57th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
This event is free and open to the public,
but space is limited. Please RSVP to reserve
your place at RSVP@maudsleyparents.org
or call Leah Boepple at 773-702-0789.

Colorado Springs Professional Networking Luncheon Invitation - September 22, 2011

Join your professional colleagues and
well-known National Treatment Providers

Harmony Foundation, Hazelden Springbrook, Las Vegas Recovery Center and Timberline Knolls
for a relaxing networking luncheon

Thursday, September 22, 2011

11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
The Sunbird Restaurant
230 Point of the Pines Drive, Colorado Springs

*Please RSVP by Friday, September 16, 2011
to Christina Gorman, Timberline Knolls, 312.608.1378 or cgorman@timberlineknolls.com

Bring your business cards and other information about your practice.
Please feel free to pass this invitation to other behavioral health professionals who may wish to join us.

Your Hosts for this luncheon are:

HARMONY FOUNDATION, INC., Estes Park, CO

Harmony Foundation is the leader in alcohol and other drug addiction treatment in Colorado for over 42 years.    We offer residential treatment programs and do accept many insurance plans.   Our method of treatment is designed to address the physical, emotional, spiritual and social aspects of the disease. We feature separate men’s and women’s treatment on a 42 acre campus in a wonderful therapeutic environment at the foot of Rocky Mountain National Park.  Harmony has 24 hour nursing care, medically managed detoxification, family program, cost free intervention services, and lifetime cost-free aftercare.  Admissions: 1-866-686-7867    Local Contact: Duke Rumely.

HAZELDEN SPRINGBROOK, Newberg, Oregon

Hazelden Springbrook is recognized as a leader in the treatment of physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals. Hazelden high quality treatment includes a gender specific, abstinence-based program including comprehensive mental health services for dual-diagnosis, family program, and innovative continuing care services. Hazelden Springbrook is a preferred provider with Aetna and Value Options insurance—call today for an assessment. Admissions: 866-866-4662 – Local Contact: Betsy Haverlandt 503-798-3235 – betsyh@hazelden.org

LAS VEGAS RECOVERY CENTER (LVRC), Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas Recovery Center is a provider of innovative and comprehensive treatment services for addiction to alcohol or other drugs. Our programs include medical detoxification, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, and a family renewal program. We specialize in treatment of chronic pain with expertise in opioid-free pain management and rehabilitation. Admissions: 1-800-790-0091 - Regional Contact: Jan Alberti 360-593-7636 – jalberti@centralrecovery.com

TIMBERLINE KNOLLS, Lemont, IL

Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center is located on 43 beautiful acres just outside Chicago, offering a nurturing environment of recovery for women ages 12 and older struggling to overcome eating disorders, substance abuse, mood disorders, trauma and co-occurring disorders.  By serving with uncompromising care, relentless compassion and an unconditional joyful spirit, we help our residents help themselves in their recovery. Facility: 877-257-9611 – www.timberlineknolls.com Christina Gorman at 312-608-1378 or cgorman@timberlineknolls.com

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!! PLEASE RSVP EARLY - SPACE IS LIMITED

Please Join Eating Disorder Hope in Celebrating the initiation of Eating for Life Alliance

Our mission: To ensure colleges have access to educational resources for the prevention and treatment of eating disorders.
The Issue: College administrators report a 24.3% rise in reports of eating disorder behavior among college students (2010 National Survey of Counseling Center Directors).
The Hope: Eating disorders and their associated conditions; disordered eating, negative body image, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, are very treatable with the right interventions.
The Challenge: Eating disorders are of the most secretive of mental health issues and often go untreated because of the lack of awareness, education, and resources available.
The Mission: Eating For Life Alliance is dedicated to making user-friendly information, resources, protocols, and the wisdom of the nation's experts- available to everyone. College is not only a time when eating disorders often develop - but an excellent time to address and heal from them.

Join the Alliance

Read more about Join the Alliance

NORMAL in Schools is the ELA Fiscal Sponsor
Donations to ELA are tax-deductible under NORMAL In Schools, Inc., our fiscal sponsor under Section 501(c)3 of the IRS Code. 20-8489636.
339 E.19th Street, Suite 2B, New York, NY 10003 
             http://www.normal-life.org/
Make a Donation to help Support ELA

National Eating Disorder Association to Move Headquarters to New York City

Published on: September 7th, 2011 12:14am by: Greenleaf

New York, NY (OPENPRESS) September 7, 2011 -- The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), the leading U.S. non-profit organization supporting individuals and families affected by eating disorders, will now wage its battle from its new home in Manhattan.

With its primary office formerly located in Seattle (and a satellite office in New York City), the relocation puts the organization under one roof, closer to a major hub for the fashion, advertising and media industries, critical areas of business that intersect with NEDA's work.

Commented Lynn Grefe, president and CEO of NEDA, "Thanks to the tremendous generosity of a donor, the move to our stellar, new office space was possible. Establishing a permanent presence in New York City is a strategic move for NEDA, not only unifying our staff in the same time zone, but placing us in the heart of the media capitol. In addition, the area's dense population provides an outstanding opportunity to welcome more volunteers to our cause. We are thrilled to be in the Big Apple and look forward to the opportunities it offers."

NEDA is now located at: 165 W. 46th St., #402, New York, NY 10036 / Phone: 212-575-6200

Other NEDA News
In October, NEDA will be sponsoring two major events:

The third annual NYC NEDA Walk will be held Saturday, Oct. 2 at Foley Square, inviting friends and family to help spread awareness of the seriousness of eating disorders so more people will receive the help they or their loved ones so desperately need. This year's event is especially exciting, as the walk will include crossing the nostalgic Brooklyn Bridge.

For more information on this walk and others across the country, visit: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/programs-events/nedawareness-week-walk.php
NEDA's ninth annual family focused conference, Reaching for the Stars! Advancing the Prevention and Treatment of Eating Disorders, will be held this year in Los Angeles Oct. 13-15. Programs are designed for individuals and families affected by eating disorders, with special tracks being presented for educators, treatment professionals and activists.

For more information on the conference, visit: http://attendesource.com/profile/web/index.cfm?PKWebId=0x21661e434&varpage=location

About NEDA
The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), headquartered in New York City, is the leading U.S. non-profit organization supporting individuals and families affected by eating disorders. NEDA serves as a catalyst for prevention, cures and access to quality care. Each year, NEDA helps millions of people across the country find information and appropriate treatment resources through its toll-free, live helpline, its many outreach programs and website. NEDA advocates for advancements in the field and envisions a world without eating disorders. For more information, visit http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

For Treatment Referrals, Visit http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
Or Contact NEDA's Live Helpline: 800-931-2237
Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (EST)
Contacts:
Greenleaf & Associates - 323-660-5800
Vicki Greenleaf - vicki@greenleafandassociates.com
Karen Brundage - karen@greenleafandassociates.com
Available for Interviews:
• Lynn Grefe, President and CEO of NEDA.
• Doctors, psychologists & other eating disorder treatment specialists throughout the country.
• Recovered eating disorder patients.
• Celebrity NEDA ambassadors.
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Professional Free Press Release News Wire
Contact Info
Greenleaf & Associates
Phone: 323-660-5800
E-mail: Click Here to Send
Web site: http://greenleafandassociates.com/
1994 Lucile Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90039

Exercise Compulsion and its Dangers

by Remuda Ranch Treatment Team

Bulimia involves binging and purging and often congers the image of a woman consuming huge quantities of food followed by vomiting to eliminate the unwanted calories. This image is often accurate, but people with bulimia do not always purge through vomiting. Some elect to compensate for their binges through extreme exercise. This is true for some people with anorexia as well. Even when there are no binges and the person is eating restrictively or normally, some people still feel a need to eliminate the calories they eat. For various reasons, individuals may choose exercise as their methods. Some do so because they are simply incapable of inducing vomiting. Others find vomiting aversive. Still others choose exercise because they believe that it is more socially acceptable.

Purging through exercise may keep weight down, but this is not always the case. If an individual binges twice a week and exercises compulsively every day, weight may remain unchanged. But reverse the frequencies of these behaviors and the individual will become overweight.

Extreme or compulsive exercise is dangerous. The most significant dangers of extreme exercise are overuse syndromes such as stress fractures, low heart rate, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis.

• Stress fractures are micro-fractures of the bone, typically in weight-bearing areas such as feet and lower legs. Stress fractures develop from repetitive, high-impact, weight-bearing aerobic activity. Eating disorder patients, because they often have bone loss from osteopenia or osteoporosis, are particularly susceptible to stress fractures. Often stress fractures do not show up on x-rays but require a bone scan or MRI. Stress fractures limit a woman's ability to exercise, lead to pain during exercise and long-term pain if not allowed to heal, and increase the risk of major bone fractures which may ultimately promote curvature of the spine. Treatment includes resting the extremity, use of crutches if it is painful to walk, and avoidance of the repetitive activity that caused the fracture. In eating disorder patients with malnutrition, treatment also includes calcium and vitamin D supplementation, weight restoration, and resumption of normal menstruation.
  
  
• Bradycardia, or low heart rate, results from reverse metabolism. In response to rapid weight loss, the body protects itself from further loss by slowing the metabolism. A woman will experience reduced body temperature and a decreased resting heart rate. She may incorrectly perceive her lowered heart rate as positive heart health due to exercise, but the heart has slowed in an effort to expend as few calories as possible. The long-term implications of reduced heart rate are the potential for arrhythmias and the prolonging of the heart's electrical conduction with possible sudden death.
  
  
• Amenorrhea results from significant and rapid weight loss and leads to osteopenia and osteoporosis-dangerous losses of bone density that may result in other more serious complications.

Excessive exercise offers a built-in reinforcement: it increases endorphin levels, providing the individual with a sense of well-being. The endorphin levels remain high even though the individual is seriously, and perhaps permanently, compromising their own health. Studies are currently being conducted to ascertain and better understand the addictive nature of exercise.
In trying to evaluate whether exercise levels have gone from reasonable to excessive, the following questions can be asked:

1. Do you feel guilty if you miss your workout?
2. Do you still exercise when you are sick or hurt?
3. Would you miss going out with friends or spending time with family, just to ensure you got your workout in?
4. Do you freak out if you miss a workout?
5. Do you calculate how much to exercise based on how much you eat?
6. Do you have trouble sitting still because you're not burning calories?
7. If you're unable to exercise, do you feel compelled to cutback what you eat that day?

Someone who answers "yes" to one or more of these questions may be exercising too much and endangering their health as a result.

We Are Here to Help

Recovery from an eating disorder is possible. It's happening every day at Remuda Ranch. For additional information about the treatment of eating and anxiety disorders, please call 1-888-491-1559 or complete a Take the Next Step form and we will contact you with the information you need.

Upcoming Programs -- Be Sure to Register Today!

Forwarded in support of the work of the Elisa Project

Brown Bag Lunch: Ask an Expert with Pam Chin-Lai MS RD LD

Wednesday, September 7, 12:00 noon-1:00 pm, The Elisa Project, 3102 Oak Lawn Ave, Ste 520, Dallas TX 

Cost:  Free. Just bring your own lunch; water and soft drinks will be provided.

Pam Chin-Lai is a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant working in private practice in Dallas. Her nutrition philosophy is that food should be enjoyed and savored, and that bodies require adequacy for proper functioning and emotional well being. She has helped hundreds of people achieve significant, long-term success in changing destructive eating patterns to healthful and normal eating patterns. Pam will address what parents can do now in order to prevent their child from spiraling into disordered eating or an eating disorder, teach parents the principals of normal eating, and explain ways to model a balanced, healthy lifestyle. Come with questions!

 

Professional Workshop with Adrienne Ressler MA LMSW CEDS

Thursday, September 8, 2011, 9:00 am - 12 Noon, Fogelson Forum,

Texas Health Resources Presbyterian Hospital, 8200 Walnut Hill Ln, Dallas TX

Cost:          $75 Professionals (3 CEUs) | $25 Community Members & Students (no CEUs)

Sponsors:   The Renfrew Center and Texas Health Resources Presbyterian Hospital

Adrienne Ressler is an internationally-recognized specialist in eating disorders and body image. She serves as the National Training Director for The Renfrew Center Foundation and is the immediate past-president of The International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp). This workshop will focus on body image, which is perhaps the least understood and most complex of the core issues associated with eating disorder treatment. Clients are focused on and obsessed with their bodies, yet virtually disconnected from experiencing them. This workshop will address the intricate interplay among brain, body and beliefs and the effect on identity. Through lecture, demonstration, video clips, and experiential exercises, participants will learn strategies to help the client reclaim her "authentic" self and reconnect to her body.

Elisa's Alliance Luncheon with Adrienne Ressler MA LMSW CEDS

Thursday, September 8, 2011, 1:00 - 2:30 pm, Home of Fay & Brian Lidji, 4336 Lorraine, Dallas TX 

Cost:          Free to Members of Elisa's Alliance and first-time guests

Sponsor:    The Renfrew Center

Elisa's Alliance is a very special auxiliary group of friends and supporters of The Elisa Project dedicated to increasing awareness about eating disorders and supporting our mission, programs, and events. Alliance members are invited to exclusive educational events and help with fundraising, friend raising, and volunteering. Membership benefits include: twice yearly meetings featuring locally and nationally recognized educational speakers; and a variety of exciting and important volunteer positions are available for Alliance members, including educational programs, community events, and advocacy activities. Adrienne Ressler will be our featured guest as she continues her discussion on body image and identity issues and what parents and professionals alike can do to help.

Caron Cares: A Day of Discovery & Recovery

Friday, September 9, 2011, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm, Fairmount Hotel, Dallas TX

Cost:         $150 (includes breakfast & lunch)

This health conference and luncheon is presented by Caron Treatment Centers for parents, professionals and the public as part of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. For more information on this event, please contact Amara Durham at adurham@caron.org or 214.287.1968.

To RSVP for programs & events of The Elisa Project, call 214.369.5222 or e-mail tep@theelisaproject.org

  

For more information, visit our website.

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The Elisa Project is dedicated to the prevention and effective treatment of eating disorders through awareness, education, support and advocacy. For more information, please visit The Elisa Project's

F.E.A.S.T. Eating Disorder Conference Announced

by Charles Hale
Source: newsjunkyjournal.com

“The Map Ahead” Eating Disorder Conference Alexandria, Virginia
November 3-4, 2011
Parents were once blamed and made to feel ashamed when a loved one developed an eating disorder. F.E.A.S.T. (Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders) has opened registration for a historic event to declare: “A new era of science-based, family inclusive, and truly optimistic eating disorder treatment begins now.”
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How can the promotion of increased awareness of eating disorders throughout communities improve the likehood of prevention and recovery?

Join Us on Capitol Hill and Make a Difference

Register before September 26th!

Come to the EDC National Lobby Day, October 4, 2011 

Dear Friend of the EDC,

Think only paid lobbyists can influence policy makers? Think again! As a constituent with an important message to share - you too can influence federal policy.  Join the Eating Disorders Coalition for our April Lobby Day on Capitol Hill in Washington DC where your voice will make a difference.

This is one of the most important events all year -- and an exciting opportunity to meet directly with your elected officials or their staff about legislation that will impact all those affected by eating disorders.

If this is your first time joining us don't worry; we'll prep you beforehand by teaching you about lobbying and what to expect  We will also review the first ever comprehensive eating disorders bill in Congress: the Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders Act (the FREED Act) - for which we will advocate.   This bill will provide research funding, prevention grants, and treatment options that will save lives!

So there is no need to worry that you don't know what you are doing.  During training you will be able to ask questions, practice lobbying and get comfortable speaking up before heading to the halls of Congress.

 

Hear it from the advocates first hand:

            "Lobbying on the hill was definitely an experience that I will never forget and one that I'm proud to say that I was a part of. I didn't know what to expect going into the day and was put at ease with the help of the members of the EDC, group leaders and even the other first time lobbyists. The training sessions prior to lobbying were helpful to understand how to effectively lobby and what it all entailed. We were able to role play sitting with Members of Congress to clarify what we were going to say and how the meeting would operate. . . Fortunately, the responses we received in each of the meetings were positive for the most part. We were even able to convince Keith Ellison to co-sponsor the FREED Act before leaving his office. [How great] to see that kind of response and know that your words are truly making an impact."

  RSVP today to make this kind of impact.

"Thank you for organizing such a great Lobby Day, I was really impressed by the number and caliber of people who took part. I am looking forward to getting even more involved with the EDC . . . I find the EDC so inspirational."

       - Jocelyn, Lobby Day participant

UCLA Study Seeking Individuals with Anorexia

The UCLA Eating Disorders Program is currently conducting a study of individuals with anorexia nervosa. We are interested in understanding patterns of visual and emotional information processing using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).  

The following are the basic inclusion/exclusion criteria for our study:

*13- to 30-year-old females or males with anorexia
*No psychiatric medications
*No major psychiatric diagnoses such as bipolar  disorder, schizophrenia, or substance use disorders
*We will allow those with depression or anxiety (other than OCD)

We are enrolling individuals with anorexia who are underweight but in treatment, whom we will scan a second time after they are weight-restored (BMI≥18.5). We are also recruiting anorexics that are already weight-restored.

Individuals will be compensated up to $125.00

The study is conducted by Jamie Feusner, M.D., Michael Strober, Ph.D., and Cara Bohon, Ph.D.

If you have any questions or would like to refer a patient, please contact Courtney Sheen: 310-206-0468 or csheen@mednet.ucla.edu