Eating Disorders Education archive

Political Bingeing

I was just going through some online clippings the other day and came across an article from earlier this month by Ellen Goodman, the syndicated columnist.  She was talking about Super Tuesday, and said "Well, so much for political bingeing.  Super Tuesday, Super Duper Tuesday, Plus Size Tuesday, Vastly Engorged and Rotund Tuesday turned into a serious case of political bulimia."  I guess we have done such a good job of raising awareness about eating disorders that they've now become part of the political vernacular.  I can't say that's the way I really want life threatening illnesses talked about, but it just highlights the ignorance and how much more we need to do.

Lynn Grefe
President
National Eating Disorders Association

Happy Eating Disorders Awareness Week!

Happy National Eating Disorders Awareness Week!  Our heartfelt thanks to the hundreds of volunteers all over the country who are working so hard to get their events off the ground this week.  All for the sole, very important purpose of raising awareness of eating disorders. 

It is immensely gratifying to hear about people willing to take time out of their busy schedules to host seminars, fashion shows, yogathons, candlelight vigils, days of beauty and great jeans giveaways all in the name of educating the public about the dangers of eating disorders.  These events take time to plan, implement and market.  Yet, people do it, on top of everything else they have to do because they understand that changing the way people think about eating disorders takes time and a lot of hard work.   And the more people who are involved, the better chance we'll gave to achieve our goal.

For all of you wondering what it takes to put an event together, here's an example of how the day of beauty at the Blu Salon in Edgewater, New Jersey came about.   

Last month, I had an appointment at Blu, a hair salon in my neighborhood.  As I sat in the chair, my hairdresser Melina commented how much she enjoys the work she does, primarily because she loves helping women take care of their bodies.  To her, cutting and coloring hair was not about trying to achieve some sort of beauty ideal, but about respecting one's body. 

I started to tell her about our "Be Comfortable in your Genes" theme for NEDAwareness Week.  The more we talked about the importance of people feeling good about their bodies, whatever its healthy shape or size, the more excited she got about the prospect of becoming involved.   She decided right then and there that she would talk with her colleagues about hosting an event to engage women in pursuit of a healthy body image, and to raise funds for NEDA.

 

The result:  Blu hosted an event for us on Tuesday.  Usually the slowest day of the week, the salon was busier than ever! And NEDA Ambassador Emme stopped by to thank the salon and its patrons.    

The Blu event is just one of hundreds of similar events happening in your community and all over the country.  Please go to http://www.myneda.org/ to find out what events you can attend and support.

Lynn Grefe
President
National Eating Disorders Association

Eating Disorder Links and Resources

The Dahlia Partnership

The Eating Disorder Foundation (Denver, CO)

Eating Disorders Coalition of Tennessee

MEDA, Inc.
MEDA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of eating disorders and disordered eating. MEDA serves as a support network and resource for clients, loved ones, clinicians, educators and the general public.

Other National Resources

Academy for Eating Disorders (AED)
A multidisciplinary professional organization that focuses on Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder and related disorders. Also sponsors a newsletter and a conference.

American Dietetic Association
Clicking on Nutrition Resources will get you to information about eating disorders, including an extensive nutrition reading list.

American Obesity Association
AOA provides obesity awareness and prevention information.

Anna Westin Foundation
The Anna Westin Foundation is a nonprofit organization providing education, support and referral information to the general and professional public.

Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders
ANRED, which merged with the National Eating Disorders Association, still maintains its website. This site provides a wealth of information on eating disorders.

BodyImageHealth.org
A building healthy body esteem website from the author of NEDA's Healthy Body Image curriculum.

BulimiaGuide.org
A resource for supporting a family member or friend with bulimia nervosa.

CampusBlues
This site provides information about the many issues facing students today, as well as other resources to support the mental health and well being of individuals as they move through major life transitions.

Dads and Daughters
DADs provides tools for fathers to strengthen relationships with their daughters and to transform the pervasive messages that value young women more for how they look than who they are.

Eating Disorders Anonymous
EDA provides information about local support group meetings.

Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action (EDC)
This website offers the opportunity to join advocacy efforts at the federal level.

Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center
Provides information, treatment resources, and client and provider e-mail message lists for all forms of eating disorders.

Finding Balance
Dedicated to creating awareness and understanding of non-extreme eating disorders, referred to clinically as Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS). Offers videos-on-demand featuring a variety of experts covering eating and body image issues.

Food Addicts Anonymous
This website offers hope for recovery from the despair and shame of food obsession.

GirlsHealth.gov
GirlsHealth.gov was created to help girls (ages 10-16) learn about health, growing up, and issues they may face.

Gürze Books
Gürze Books publishes and distributes a wide variety of book titles dealing with eating and body image issues.

Healthy Weight Network
Healthy Weight Network provides information and resources pertaining to the "health at any size" paradigm..

International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP)
IAEDP offers nationwide education, training, certification, and a semiannual conference for practitioners who treat people with eating disorders.

Media Education Foundation
Media Education Foundation produces and distributes video documentaries and other educational resources.

National Eating Disorders Information Centre (NEDIC)
NEDIC provides information and resources on eating disorders and food and weight preoccupation, a Canada-wide database of intervention resources, and Canadian Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

The National Association for Males with Eating Disorders, Inc. (N.A.M.E.D.)
N.A.M.E.D. is dedicated to offering support to and public awareness about males with eating disorders

National Eating Disorders Screening Program
NEDSP provides eating disorders screening.

National Health Information Center
NHIC offers a nationwide referral service, produces directories and resource guides.

National Institutes of Health
This homepage provides information on a variety of health issues currently under study at the NIH.

National Institute of Mental Health
This homepage provides information on a number of mental health issues, including information about eating disorders.

National Women's Health Information Center
The National Women's Health Information Center is a government agency with free health information for women.

Overeaters Anonymous
OA provides information about local support group meetings.

Something Fishy
This extensive page provides numerous links and lots of information about eating disorders and body image issues.

The Weight-control Information Network

The Weight-control Information Network provides information on obesity, weight-control & nutrition.

"Understanding Eating Disorders" with Dr. Tom Scales
An online radio show offering archived interviews with eating disorders professionals and others in the field, including NEDA CEO Lynn Grefe's interview on 2/7/07.