Recently a pilot study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that yoga was effective in treating adolescents with anorexia, bulimia and eating disorder not otherwise specified (or EDNOS, the grab bag category, which includes eating disorders that don’t fit the criteria for anorexia or bulimia).

Specifically, the study looked at two groups: one group received standard care, which involved an appointment with a physician or dietician every other week; the second received standard care plus yoga.

Immediately after the yoga sessions, teens reported being less preoccupied with food. At 12 weeks, these teens also had lower scores on the self-report questionnaire, Eating Disorder Examination. While the teens who didn’t practice yoga experienced an initial decline in scores, they returned to their baseline at week 12. Also, importantly, the teens didn’t lose any weight. The researchers concluded that, “Results suggest that individualized yoga therapy holds promise as adjunctive therapy to standard care.”

Q&A with Eating Disorder Specialists

To learn more, I emailed with Sharon Behl, MA, LPC., E-RYT, primary therapist and yoga therapist at the Eating Recovery Center and Kenneth L. Weiner, MD, CEDS, co-founder and medical director of the Eating Recovery Center.

1. I was under the impression that inpatient centers typically prohibit exercise because it can become a method of purging (if it isn’t already). Even though the study was done in outpatient treatment, it seems counterintuitive to recommend yoga for individuals with eating disorders. What are your thoughts?

Behl: This is a concern that we hear occasionally. However, studies show that a low level of exercise can actually contribute to better overall patient experience in treatment.

It’s important to understand that yoga is more than the postures and poses we typically identify with the practice. Yoga also involves breathing, focus, relaxation and guided imagery. This contemplative practice increases an individual’s sense of well-being. People with eating disorders often feel disconnected from their bodies…yoga helps them to reconnect, offering moments of “being okay” in their bodies.

2. What is it about yoga that may have helped in reducing eating disorder symptoms?

Behl: At the physiological level, yoga allows a patient’s relaxation response to kick in. This process can …

Today, I’m happy to present an interview with Therese Borchard, who contributes regularly to Psych Central and has her own popular blog, Beyond Blue. There, she writes candidly and thoughtfully about her struggles with depression and anxiety. Her memoir “Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes” will be released in January 2010.

Below, Therese talks about her eating disorder, recovery and what families can do to help a loved one.

1. How and when did your eating disorder start? What do you think contributed to it?

My eating disorder started in the sixth or seventh grade, once I began to dance (ballet) seriously and get pressured by my dance instructors to maintain a willowy figure. By the time I was in eighth grade, I wanted to pursue becoming a professional ballerina, and to do so (at that time … I hear the pressure on young dancers is less now) pretty much required watching absolutely everything you put in your mouth. By the time I was in ninth grade, I was no longer menstruating and weighed 103 pounds (at 5”8’).

Even if I hadn’t pursued dance, however, I was extremely susceptible to an eating disorder at that time. My parents separated when I was in fifth grade, and our home life was a bit of a mess in the years that followed. As so many adolescents do, I manipulated my relationship with food because it was one thing that I could control … the only thing at that time, and so it gave me a false sense of power, which was very seductive.

2. Many women with eating disorders are reluctant to seek treatment. Some describe their eating disorder as a friend and, as a result, tend to be very protective and secretive about it. What motivated you to seek treatment?

I didn’t really seek treatment. Treatment sought me. What I mean was that it wasn’t until my freshman year at college that I really admitted to having an eating problem and started to ask myself the hard questions about what might be lurking behind it. Throughout high school, I simply transferred my …

Most of us are familiar with the book, Eat This, Not That, and the concept behind it. Magazines are filled with these types of features, showing us which foods are superior to their calorie-soaked counterparts. We regularly see these sorts of segments on TV, too.

But while this information may help us make healthier choices, there’s also a slew of insidious messages. When looking through the latest Fitness, where I found some interesting advice, I came across the following sidebar (copied directly from the magazine; unfortunately, the sidebar wasn’t available online). And it made me nervous:

Instant Motivation

Having trouble choosing healthier holiday treats? Look how much gym time you can save!

NAUGHTY

1 slice pecan pie
NICE

1 slice pumpkin pie
SAVE YOURSELF

25 minutes on the stationary bike (187 calories)

2.75-ounce

cosmopolitan
4-ounce glass

Champagne
9 minutes of jogging

(62 calories)

4 tablespoons

spinach-artichoke dip
4 tablespoons

hummus
11 minutes on the stairmill

(100 calories)

4 Swedish meatballs

(cocktail size)
4 stuff baby

portobello caps
25 minutes of walking

(100 calories)

6 coconut shrimp
6 shrimp with

cocktail sauce
89 minutes of weight lifting

(567 calories)

Why? Because this type of advice fosters a shaky, at best — and destructive, at worst — way of thinking about food and fitness. Don’t get me wrong: I’m all about giving people the tools they need to become sharp and savvy consumers and make informed decisions. For instance, the amount of calories in some  restaurant foods is shocking, and as consumers, it’s important for us to know. But… this goes too far.

This table, and others like it, transmit the following risky messages. They imply:

1. That we have to work off every calorie we consume, or it’ll go straight to our thighs and make us horribly huge. Which is a myth. According to eating disorder specialist Sari Shepphird, Ph.D, …

Obesity in teens is a big problem but so is disordered eating. Several years ago, it seemed like every media outlet was shouting from the rooftops about the childhood obesity epidemic. Back then, I wondered how the obesity panic was going to affect kids and teens. Scaring and shaming kids into weight loss (I’d like to say healthy habits, but shedding pounds appears to be the main focus) can bring other unhealthy consequences.

According to recent research in November’s International Journal of Eating Disorders, disordered eating, such as  not eating enough, skipping meals, fasting and using food substitutes, was actually common among a sample of 412 overweight teens (see here for abstract). The teens completed self-report questionnaires in 1998-1999 and again five years later. This research is part of a big longitudinal study from the University of Minnesota called Project EAT.

Study Results

(Time 1 refers to EAT I; and Time 2 is EAT II):

Among girls:

• Among the 232 overweight female adolescents, 30.8 percent engaged in disordered eating at Time 1; at Time 2, it increased to 40.1 percent.

• Of girls who didn’t engage in disordered eating initially, about one-third of them started to by Time 2.

• Among the 71 girls who were already engaging in disordered eating at Time 1, about half continued engaging in disordered eating at Time 2.

Among boys:

• Among the 180 overweight male adolescents, 13.4 percent engaged in disordered eating at Time 1; at Time 2, 20.2 percent  did.

• Among the 24 overweight males engaging in disordered eating behaviors at Time 1, 37.6 percent continued at Time 2.

• Of the boys who didn’t engage in disordered eating, 17.5 percent started by Time 2.

Disordered eating behaviors can also serve as a gateway to more extreme methods of weight control, such as self-induced vomiting, diet pills, laxatives and diuretics. In fact, almost all the girls who reported disordered eating at Time 2 used at least one extreme method and a third reported binge eating, with loss of control. Same with the boys: The majority who engaged in disordered eating also used extreme methods and almost a third reported binge …

Women’s magazines are packed with eating and exercise advice. Churning out new, novel ways to eat less and work out more is their bread and butter. So to an extent, I can understand why advice may be hit or miss. I get that it’s tough to come up with creative strategies to eat better for every issue, every year. And in all fairness, some advice is helpful. However, while all of this is true, I’ve also run across some tips that are simply silly (like laugh-out-loud ludicrous) and others that are downright infuriating! Initially, I was going to let the advice speak for itself, but for some tidbits, I just couldn’t contain myself.

1. “Satisfy a snack attack” with dried plums. “The women [in a San Diego State University study] said the intense flavor [of the dried plums] satisfied their craving for sweets as much as the [low-fat] cookies did. Stash some in your desk for a healthy snack—five prunes have just 100 calories. {Women’s Health, October 2009, pg. 32}

I understand the idea behind this tip: Satisfy your cravings with something that’s both sweet and healthy. Realistically, though, I can’t see how a prune can substitute for a sweet treat like cookies or chocolate. Plus, the study used low-fat cookies, which aren’t exactly delicious. Maybe if I had to choose between a low-fat cookie and a prune, I just might reach for the prune (or a delicious piece of dark chocolate).

2. “Read between the lines…’Descriptive adjectives like luscious and juicy are all over restaurant menus and can actually make you order more,’ says Brian Wansink, Ph.D., author of Mindless Eating…Practice picking out these adjectives on a menu the next time you dine out (sizzling, creamy and rich are a few of the most popular.) The more easily you recognize them, the less they’ll sway you.” {Fitness, …

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To many, the scale is more than a measure of weight. As we step both feet on the scale, a flurry of butterflies enters our bodies. We get seriously anxious. We grimace at the thought of finding a number that’s too high or one that hasn’t changed. These numbers may represent a lifetime of trying to lose weight, of triumphs and letdowns, of good days and bad.

To many, the scale is a symbol of self-worth. It tells us whether we’re competent, attractive, a good parent, friend and employee. If the number approaches our “ideal,” we feel like we’ve got the whole world in our hands.

The scale may drive our mood for the day. It determines whether we’ll feel light on our feet or heavy in our hearts. It tells us whether we’ll be in a great mood, knowing we’re shedding pounds, or whether we’ll be sad and disappointed, because the number isn’t budging.

It may decide how we structure our day, what we eat, whether we work out. It forecasts whether we’ll munch on a piece of chocolate or never eat chocolate again; whether we’ll eat a sandwich or skip lunch altogether; whether we’ll tackle a grueling workout in the evening or enjoy a slow walk.

It may serve as our sense of accomplishment, our barometer for the future, predicting hope or foretelling doom. If the number is low, we’re accomplished superstars, who can do anything. If the number is high (or hasn’t changed), we’re losers, who can’t do anything right and should just stop trying.

It’s amazing that we can give an inanimate object so much power, letting ourselves get bullied. Even if we eat well and exercise, the wrong number can instantly erase our healthy habits, deem them worthless and trigger a flood of frustration (“what’s the point of being healthy, if I can’t even lose weight!”). It can make us punish ourselves by restricting our diet or forcing our bodies to endure backbreaking workouts.

So how can you free yourself from the scale?

1. Avoid the scale. It’s the easiest to do, and probably also the hardest. If you’re eating healthy and being active, stepping on the …

In this day and age, it seems like a positive body image is a rarity. Whether you fit today’s skinny standards or wish you did, most women have issues with their bodies. Some may argue that bickering with one’s body is as old as time. We frequently hear friends and family lament about their thick thighs or pudgy middle. Personally, whether I’m with family or friends, an hour doesn’t go by without someone saying that they shouldn’t be eating that much, must skip dessert, need to lose weight or can’t fit into a shirt that was recently roomy.

Here’s a list of indicators that your image may be suffering more than usual (and ways to fix it below that):

1. You notice only negative things in the mirror, car windows, storefront windows, etc. Instead of seeing your positive physical traits, you’re more likely to be found bashing your body, and nitpicking at every nook and cranny.
2. You have a tough time taking compliments. It isn’t that you’re too polite to take a compliment; it’s that you truly believe you don’t deserve them.
3. You rarely think you look good. Even wearing a favorite outfit doesn’t help you to feel good in your skin. You rarely feel beautiful or even pretty.
4. You compare yourself to everyone. For many of us, comparisons are as natural as breathing. But, while you’re comparing your appearance to everyone else’s, you rarely have anything good to say about yourself. It’s always, “her thighs are so much slimmer than mine.” “Her waist is much smaller.” “I wish I had her body.”
5. It takes you forever to pick out an outfit — more often than not. Do you have a moment — more like many moments — where you’ve been cooped up in your room, trying on tons of clothes? You can’t see your floor, partially because it’s overflowing with clothing and mainly because your face is filled with tears. There’s nothing wrong with your clothes–it’s just that everything is wrong with your body.
6. You skip events because you don’t think you look good enough. How often have you declined an invite to a dinner date, party or other engagement because you …
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I’m very pleased to welcome you to Weightless, a blog about body image, the skinny fad and freedom from numbers.

Weightless is about well-being, not weight; about fostering body image, regardless of your size. It’s about exposing women’s magazines, other mediums and so-called experts, when they’re touting unhealthy tips and promoting restrictive standards.

The goal of Weightless is to help women develop a better body image and work toward accepting themselves as they are, while being healthy and happy (fad diets and skinny-mini standards prohibited!); and to become sharp consumers, who can pick apart a commercial or magazine article and know which advice is helpful or harmful.

You can learn more about the blog and what it plans on covering here.

Our blogger is a long-time writer for Psych Central, Margarita Tartakovsky. Her writing career began unofficially in second grade when she composed her first-ever essay on Cinderella (her mom still has it), several months after emigrating from Russia. Officially, Margarita began freelancing after graduating with an MS in clinical psychology from Texas A&M University. You can learn more about Margarita here.