Anorexia

[Megs_Mom]

I can't find the date for this news week article, but found myself screaming in my head, check for infection!!! It says that major clinics are now seeing an explosion of anorexia in the 9-12 age group. http://www.anad.org/news/fighting-anorexia-no-one-is-to-blame-newsweek/

[Iowadawn]

The date I see is Dec. 5. The website has an ad for an event in 2011, so I would assume it isn't that old? or old at all? I couldn't stand to read the whole article. All I could do is scan it!! "It's a conspiracy, man!!" I better not get going!! Dawn

[peglem]

The date I see is Dec. 5. The website has an ad for an event in 2011, so I would assume it isn't that old? or old at all? I couldn't stand to read the whole article. All I could do is scan it!! "It's a conspiracy, man!!" I better not get going!! Dawn

It was from 2005. I looked up the article on Newsweek's website. None of these people are making the connection between infections and anorexia. Wonder if that's changed?

[tpotter]

I went to my OT reunion a few weeks ago, and one of my former classmates has gotten a grant for an eating disorders clinic at a major university hospital. I mentioned that strep and other infections can cause eating disorders, and she didn't know this. I passed on information about it to her. I really think we just need to pass on the information whenever we see there's a need. That's how it will get known, and even if we save one or two kids as a result from years of inappropriate or no treatment, we've done well.

[Wombat140]

I believe it's now quite well accepted that essential fatty acid and/or zinc sulphate supplements quite often improve anorexia. But mainstream clinics never seem to actually DO it! I can't understand it. I mean, anorexia is still considered a horribly difficult one to treat. Why wouldn't they try this, if it might make things easier? It's not as if it's expensive or difficult. (Well, maybe EFAs would be, because they're oily and the patients wouldn't want to take them - but not zinc).

The usual way of treating anorexia seems quite potty to me, anyway. The service is so under-resourced, they leave it until the patient is almost dead, then pull them in and force them to eat - which presumably doesn't improve their attitude to food. All too often they're sent home, better or not, as soon as they reach a reasonable weight, and start the cycle again. At least, that's how it seems to work in Britain. If only they could scrape together the money to start treating them a bit earlier, I reckon they'd save money in the long run. But they rarely can.