There are several articles out recently about the loss of brain volume in anorexics being reversible with weight restoration. There was a study done recently about this subject and an article in the International Journal of Eating Disorders. US News and World report has a recent online article that gives a good overview of the information.

Here is an excerpt: "Patients suffering from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa can actually lose brain volume, but new research suggests that, with special treatment, adult patients can regain the gray matter that they lost from relentless dieting."

Click here to go to the US News website to view the article.

TheRecord.com published an article that encourages people to have a no-diet day to focus on health and throw out your scales. There is a good concept here about putting emphasis on health and appreciating our bodies rather than always obsessively measuring weight which can contrubute to eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia. There are some good things to ponder here.

This is an excerpt from the article: "Today forget about your weight. Don’t agonize about the number on the scale or what’s on your plate. International No-Diet Day is a chance to ditch the diet mania and instead appreciate your body and celebrate qualities that really matter.

'Diets set us up for failure and it just creates this whole cycle of feeling bad about yourself,' said Kathryn Barratt, executive director of the Eating Disorders Awareness Coalition of Waterloo Region."

Click Here to go to the article.

Some who are fighting an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia use laxatives in order to reduce their weight. Ths actually doesn't work, but it is a misconception that causes health problems for some who are trapped in an eating disorder. The National Eating Disorders Association has an eduational handout on this topic. Below ia an excerpt: 

"Laxative abuse occurs when a person attempts to get rid of unwanted calories, lose weight, “feel thin,” or
“feel empty” through the repeated, frequent misuse of laxatives. Often, laxatives are misused following
eating binges, when the individual mistakenly believes that the laxatives will work to rush food and calories
through the gut and bowels before they can be absorbed. But that doesn’t really happen. Unfortunately,
laxative abuse is serious and dangerous – often resulting in a variety of health complications and
sometimes causing life-threatening risks."

Click here if you want to read or download the entire page.

An article based on a study out from Standford University Medical Center indicates that the eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) diagnosis is often viewed as not being as serious of a condition as anorexia or bulimia, but their research shows that is often not the case. The researchers are recommending changes in the diagnostic critera in order to more appropriately convey the seriousness of EDNOS hopefully resulting in better responses from patients, families and insurance companies.

Here is an excerpt from the article: "In sum, Peebles said, the study suggests that medical criteria for eating disorders should be re-evaluated. Though the current diagnostics cover the right general areas, "we erroneously treat these criteria in a very black-and-white way," she said. "Many practitioners interpret these to believe that menses has to be lost to get an anorexia diagnosis; bulimics have to binge and purge at least two times a week for three months. These findings illustrate the arbitrary nature of those cutoffs."

Click here to open the web page with the article.