Health is Wealth

It is almost the end of this year and the beginning of next year - 2014! This year went by so fast, likely because it was so busy and full of events! If you remember, last year, I discussed New Year's resolutions:  http://anorexiarecovery1.blogspot.ca/2013/01/new-year.html . Well, it is that time of year again! Everyone starts thinking of what they want to do differently this year - what goals they want to accomplish, or what they want to achieve in 2014. Before we jump into this, I want to challenge you with a little activity. I want you to think back tothis year of 2013. But don't think of ANY event. I want you to think of the following: 1) An event that made you really happy or excited (ex. a good mark on a test, the birth of a baby, a ;promotion, a funny moment you shared with others, a vacation, etc). What happened? How did you feel at this time? Why did it make you happy? What was special about this event that made you remember it now? Thinking back t...

Christmas is coming up very soon (almost less than a week!)! This is my absolute favourite holiday. It is such a cheerful time. Snow falls from the sky and makes everything look bright and white. Christmas songs lighten up the mood. People smile and laugh more often. We give gifts to others and enjoy seeing them smile and become surprised. Families and friends gather together and enjoy quality time with one another. (Here's a fun challenge: try to learn, using the picture here, a way of saying Merry Christmas in a different language!) If you are religious, Christmas is also the birth of Christ. So, you can think of Christmas as being someone's birthday - Jesus'! It is wonderful to think that we are welcoming baby Jesus into the world on this day. The birth of Christ not only reminds us of how humble Jesus was to come to earth and be born as human, but also challenges us to change our hearts so that we too can welcome Jesus into our hearts. Something I love about Christm...

It seems to be the latest craze: go vegan! Avoid meats, eggs, dairy products, etc! Everyone is doing it - the news if full of stories about celebrities and popular figures who have reportedly dedicated their minds and lives to the vegan diet. Here's a simple example: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20762485,00.html . What IS the 'vegan' diet? As stated before, it is simply abstaining from all animal products or anything associated with animals. This is the definition in its strictest terms, although today, many people call themselves vegan even if they don't follow these particular restrictions. Anyhow, why the hype about this way of eating? What makes it so special and amazing? Let's talk about the nutritional evidence. Studies have shown that vegans have lower risks of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, kidney stones, obesity, cancer, and more. NOTE however that this is an association, which means that the vegan diet did NOT cause the lower risk of adver...

I'm so blessed to have yet another opportunity to share my experiences and knowledge with the world. This time, I was asked by OCN (Orthodox Christian Network) to do an interview about food and the holiday season - a topic relevant to this time of the year! This interview topic is near and dear to my heart or several reasons. As a survivor of anorexia nervosa, I know all too well how it feels to be overwhelmed by food - especially at Christmas time, when everyone is talking about food! Last Christmas, I was still in recovery - but before that, I was struggling with ED. When I was ill, I tried my hardest to avoid food at all costs, but this became very hard to do during the holiday season. Being recovered now (thank God!), I realize how difficult this time was for me and how it stressed me out. As a recovered victim of an eating disorder, I understand how stressful food can become for many people - even those without eating disorders. We are bombarded during this time (all the t...

A typical work-up for any patient includes blood tests. A sample of blood can tell us a lot about the health of a patient, from electrolye levels to cholesterol. For ED patients, this can be very important because it can help us see what we need to do to help them. For example, low iron (typically from low meat or protein intake, as what happens in starvation) can cause anemia, so we might give the patient iron supplements. Similarly, we might see low calcium levels, along with a bone scan, and decide that the patient needs calcium supplements or vitamin D. We can also see their glucose levels and determine if their blood sugar is within the normal range. All of this sounds helpful, right? But what about when the blood tests come back normal? Is the patient 'fine'? Does that mean that the patient cannot possibly have ED, or is not 'sick enough'? NO. Something I always tell my patients and nursing peers is that medicine is simply ONE tool to help us help others - it ca...

Does eating fast food cause obesity? Will I get fat if I eat a burger from McDonald's? Should we not encouarge kids to boycott Tim Hortons so that they will not gain weight? What if we decide to eat fruits all day and not eat chocolate or cake? Will we be healthy and lose weight? Commercials should stop telling us to buy their foods, right? This will stop obesity from occuring! Right? Maybe not... You are probably familiar with the phrase 'obesity epidemic'. This refers to information that shows that over the past few years, obesity is on the rise. Researchers and medical professionals alike (along with parents, teachers, teens, and many, many people!) like to blame the fast food industry for this problem. They say that restaurants like McDonald's and Burger King, along with desserts like cake and pizza, are the cause of this problem. Their solution? Discourage the consumption of fast food! After all, if fast food causes obesity, the rational solution is to boycott it...

Unfortunately, there are still many people in our society that don't understand how serious and deadly eating disorders are. Very recently, this article appeared on the internet: http://www.returnofkings.com/21313/5-reasons-to-date-a-girl-with-an-eating-disorder . As a quick summary, the male author of this article claims that males should try to date a girl with an eating disorder (ED) because of the many 'advantages' this has for him. He gives five reasons for this: the girl wont be eating, so the man doesn't have to pay for her food. She is also probably rich since most girls who have ED are rich; thus, the man can get money off the girl. The author also mentions that  Oh, and she will be skinny, so you don't need to worry about being teased in public for being in a relationship with a 'fat girl'. Plus, she is insecure about her body, so she will always come to you looking for appreciation about her body...and if you give her a few compliments, she wil...

I found this online and thought that it did a great job of busting some myths about eating disorders. It is worth reading - before suffering, I admit that I believed some of these myths. Sadly, society still has many misconceptions about eating disorders and this is why I work to raise awareness about this illness and mental health in general. I think this is a great fact sheet to look at and to question yourself about. For example, many people think that eating disorders are all about getting attention. Others think that ED only happens in Europeans and only in females. Take a look at these myths and what the truth is. Become informed and be aware! For more information or to see the picture in a greater size, you can visit http://www.nedc.com.au/myths-about-eating-disorders . Before you read the picture, try asking yourself or someone you know these questions about ED and/or mental health, and see what the response is. Do you know the truth, or are they myths? 1) People choose to ...

I have already posted about how ED does not discriminate; indeed, ED can hit anyone of any culture, religion, background, ethnicity, or gender. However, many people have asked me to exapnd on this. So, here it is. I hope this helps! First, I want to say that any medical provider who tells you that you do not or cannot have ED because you are of a certain culture is WRONG. Although data MIGHT show that ED is more prevalent in certain backgrounds (ex. Caucasian or Whites), this is for different reasons. One reason may be that in Canada and the USA, we have more awareness about ED and therefore diagnose more people with it. Also, our culture is open to talking about this. In my home country (Egypt), ED is fairly rare because not many know about it, and people do not discuss it. My parents never knew about ED until I started showing the signs of it. For some cultures, ED is not given enough attention because of how 'important' food is. For example, Egyptians LOVE food, and they...

I have talked a lot about hunger cues and how they can be really off in ED patients. It is not that patients are trying to lie that they are not hungry - it seems that the brain and body actually do not sense hunger in ED, But, what about 'fullness' cues? Do patients with ED, specifically AN, feel full? This something that I really struggle with. I definitely do not have good hunger cues, and this is why I need to eat by the clock. It does get annoying, to be honest. Imagine trying to eat when you do not feel hungry or do not have an appetite. It feels so...wrong, especially for someone who has/had ED. But now, think about the opposite side: feeling full. When I was sick, I had a great excuse for why I could never eat: I already felt full. In recovery, I felt this way as well. How could I be expected to eat when I still felt full from the last meal? How could I eat when I felt fell?  In later recovery. the problem remained: how could I continue to finish my meals when I felt fu...

So far, my work has been published three times by Fr. Anthony, and approximately 10 times by NEDIC. Let's not forget about the conference I gave, as well as the two radio interviews! I'm amazed at how God has blessed me - and thank you to all those who read this blog, comment, and share with others. Without all your support, I would not have become so strong and open to sharing my story. God bless you all - your love and kindness mean so much to me, and I am blessed to have all of you! This post on NEDIC is about body awareness - remember how I spoke before on how we need to learn to love and/or accept our bodies? This is the focus for this post on NEDIC.  http://www.nedic.ca/blog/?p=935 As a sneak peak, just remember that our bodies do amazing things for us. Sadly, society teaches us that we should only like our bodies if we are a certain weight or body size. But society is WRONG! Think about your life without a functioning leg, arm, brain. heart, stomach, etc. It is simpl...

 I have more great news! My work has yet again been published by Fr. Anthony, this time on how God works wonders through our lives and experiences. Please take the time to read the post, and understand that you too have a plan in store for you - and that all things happen for a reason! Stay strong, and never give up. Life is tough, but you are tougher! You can read the published post here http://franthony.com/2013/11/i-know-the-plans-i-have-for-you . If you would like to, please leave a comment HERE and on my post at Fr. Anthony's blog. So many times, we get caught up in this world and we have no idea why things are happening, why we aren't getting what we want, and why things are so tough. But sometimes, it takes some time to see what God is doing in your life. Tired? Frustrated? Angry? Sad? Stressed? Bored? Hopeless? Faithless? Powerless? These are emotions that we all have at one time or another. But what is important is that you DO NOT GIVE UP. Do not let things tak...

I am so pleased to update you on the status of both my health and my blog. To start, I am maintaining my healthy weight and loving it! I look and feel beautiful (inside and out!) - and I am not affected by any talk of weight gain, food, or body sizes. I am eating enough and normally, and life is good ! Recovery was the smartest thing I ever did - and the hardest. But as I am strong today, I can say that I am so pleased with my decision and commitment. What a huge accomplishment! Now to my blog. I am overwhelmed and so proud to let you all know that my blog has been nominated for an award : Best Canadian Blog about Lifestyle, Health, and Inspiration/Advocacy ( http://www.canadianweblogawards.com/2013-categories-nominees/ ). What an amazing honour! I only started this blog about two years ago, and look at it now! I'm being nominated for awards and it is gaining so much attention! I have been doing radio interviews , which have become a huge hit, and I am constantly being asked t...

I'm still baffled about this: I was invited to give a presentation in Brantford about social media and bullying as well as mental health. I had been working on this presentation for many days, and it took me hours to prepare the presentation. This topic is important to me because, if you remember, I was bullied about a year ago online. It was an honour to be able to share my experience with others and help professionals and the community understand what they can do intervene. Today - on October 23, 2013 - I delivered the presentation to a group of teachers, parents, healthcare professionals, police officers, firefighters, Members of Parliament, and more. It was a wonderful experience and I really enjoyed it. And now, for the FIRST TIME EVER , I have recorded it for all of you to watch! It will be the first time most of you have ever seen me, so I hope I don't disappoint you! Please take the time to watch me present - I spent a lot of time preparing for it! Remember to...

As requested, here is a letter to ED - but this time, about how he is no longer a place in my life. I hope this encourages those who suffer, or those who know victims of ED. If you do not struggle with ED, try switching 'ED' in this letter to whatever your problem is - school, stress, drugs, alcohol, an addiction, etc. It feels freeing to be able to stand up to your problem and take control! ED, You have plagued for me a long time, perhaps for about seven years. When I was ill, you made me believe that you could make things better. That not eating and starving would stop people from teasing me and from making rude comments about my body. You made me think that starvation would make me look thinner and thus stop people from hurting my feelings. And sadly, I listened. I feel into your trap and I become very sick. Over the course of seven years, I became your slave. I ate very little food and lost weight. But each time I lost weight, it was never enough. You wanted me to lose m...

Perhaps you have heard the latest news: a school in Toronto has banned children from brining 'junk food' to school for lunch or snack. Apparently, this is supposed to foster healthy eating habits and curtail the obesity rates that we are facing. http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/toronto-school-bans-junk-food-from-students-lunch-bags-1.1500394 As a nurse, I completely understand why this is occurring. Obesity is on the rise. But, even as a nurse, I look at the MULTIPLE causes of why this is so. Is it simply because kids are eating 'junk food' at school? What exactly is junk food? This school defines it as chocolate, candy, chips. etc. Okay, I understand that these are problematic foods when eaten in excess. Perhaps banning them from school lunches will help reduce obesity. BUT, kids can still eat these foods at home or on the weekends. Also, what kind of message are we giving kids about these foods? Is IT JUNK? NO. No food is garbage. Yes, these snacks might be not so nutr...

We have already discussed how patients with ED don't enjoy their food. They hate it. They will scream, shout, and do anything (really) to avoid food. Remember back when we mentioned dopamine and fullness and hunger cues? Well, that was related to hunger. But what about how we FEEL after we eat a MEAL? (Did you catch the rhyme I made there? Yes, I meant to do that!). Take a look at the picture for some information and a visual representation of the brain changes (some of them!) in anorexic patients. Interestingly, research continues to show that patients with ED have a blunted response to food. Let me introduce you to the insula: a part of the brain that is associated with emotional responses to food. In a person without ED, food stimulates the insula and it 'lights up' on PET scans (this is like a scan of the brain that shows where there is activity, compared to where there is no activity). Even after a meal, the insula remains active because eating makes us feel good. ...

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Aside from being a day off from school and work, this is a wonderful day to take some time to think of your blessings. We are often so busy during our normal lives that we stop to realize how much we have to be thankful for. I feel like this a lot. This week has, and will continue to be, very busy for me. I have so much going on, and my mood has been really off lately. I have been waking up angry, sad, frustrated, and stressed. So much to do, so little time, and so much pressure. But this weekend of thanks is just what I needed. (By the way, I LOVE Mickey Mouse and his gang - hence the adorable picture! I am obsessed with these characters!) Sometimes, we can forget how much we have to be thankful for. Try taking just two minutes to think of everything you are thankful for. You'll be surprised at how much there is! Remember these things: others may not have them, or maybe they are important to you. Whatever you can think of, be thankful for it. If y...