 Informing the Public About Body Imagery and Eating DisordersSPECIAL FEATURE
By Christine Hartline, MA
Our bodies are miracles. We must reclaim and redefine our bodies as ours. They are miraculous, we all know this! Our bodies perform miraculous feats every day. We are physiological and biological masterpieces. Our bodies are not our enemies - they put us in motion, they create and sustain life. The functions our bodies perform for us are too numerous and varied to list. We must be aware of the images presented to us and unmask these images for what they truly are - destructive, superficial and unattainable. These images do not value our uniqueness, they do not honor our wisdom and our spirit, and they do not measure us. Eating disorders are a result of size discrimination in our culture and are fed by the billion-dollar diet, beauty and fashion industries determined to make us feel defective. Our goal and view is that in order to eliminate the devastation that eating disorders cause, we must learn as a culture to be compassionate and accepting towards others and ourselves. We must learn acceptance of self and others without regard to weight or body size. The Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of eating disorders. We provide information and treatment resources for all forms of eating disorders. The EDRIC was created to fill an important community need, that of providing prompt information to individuals needing assistance in finding eating disorder treatment in their area. We provide referrals to eating disorder practitioners, treatment facilities, and support groups. Referrals to eating disorder specialists are offered at no charge as a community service. In addition, we offer general information to the public about the treatment and prevention of eating disorders and promote social attitudes that enhance a healthy body image and self-esteem. Those who would like eating disorder information or need a referral can contact The Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center by telephone, "snail" mail or by e-mail. The Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center is able to link those needing treatment resources with eating disorder professionals who provide individual, family, and group treatment. Through dedication,hard work and advocacy campaigns, the Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center has been able to accomplish many goals. We are very concerned with providing resources to those in need. We receive many "thank you" letters for the support, resources and encouragement we provide for those suffering from eating disorders. Our media awareness campaigns have led to the removal of advertisements that are damaging to self-esteem and body image (i.e. Campbell's Soup ad promoting dieting in young women). Our awareness and prevention programs in the schools and local communities have led to those in need seeking proper treatment and support as well as educating others about the dangers of eating disorders. Our scholarship program has provided treatment for those in financial need affording them the ability to enter therapy and work on their issues without bearing the expense. The Eating Disorder Referral and Information Center also spends a great deal of time working on advocacy issues for those suffering from eating disorders. Our efforts have also helped push through mental health parity bills for the treatment of eating disorders. Our main goal is to
provide assistance, in the form of information and resources, to those suffering with
eating disorders in order to get them started on the road to recovery and healthy living.
Additionally, we hope to educate and inform the public about the treatment and prevention
of eating disorders and promote social attitudes that enhance a healthy body image and
self-esteem. Further, we hope to continue to fight for legislation that will protect and
assist those suffering with eating disorders. Christine Hartline, MA has been working in the field of eating disorders for over 10 years. She is a member of the Academy for Eating Disorders, Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, Eating Disorder Awareness and Prevention and the Bulimia Anorexia Nervosa Association. She has served as the administrator of the Monte Nido Treatment Center in Malibu, CA. She has also been a consultant for several eating disorder programs, a community liaison, a support group leader, a mental health provider and a utilization review coordinator. She is an advocate for the treatment and prevention of eating disorders. For more information: Christine
Hartline, MA
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 SueW Talks About Weight Loss Surgery I am known on the 'web' as SueW and my
interest in Weight Loss surgery stems from the fact that I am genetically obese, come from
a genetically obese family and married a genetically obese guy! Like all people prone to obesity, I
have a long history of both obesity and unsuccessful dieting (happily have found a method
of weight control which is healthy though I will never be tiny at a "svelte" 225
lbs of weight!). My studies of recent procedures have not impressed me that obesity surgery is any more than slightly safer than it used to be. For instance, the older operation, the intestinal bypass in which 90 percent of the small intestine was disconnected, was discarded because it caused diarrhea immediately, afferent limb syndrome within 5-10 years and liver failure in the long run. The RNY or gastric bypass has fixed the diarrhea problem (for the most part) but still causes afferent limb syndrome in a larger number than they admit, I suspect because several specialists have stated that they have noticed a large number of post WLS patients get rheumatoid arthritis, MS and LUPUS (many post ops of five years or more are on the 'super arthritis' drugs like Celebrex). Additionally, the gastric bypass has other problems. It includes slicing off most of the stomach using a staple gun - this makes the individual high risk for things like gastric atrophy and gastric cancer. And it also includes bypassing from 18 inches of small intestine (proximal bypass like Carnie Wilson had) to bypassing 10-15 feet of small bowel. The part of the gut which is bypassed in all gastric bypasses, is the part where the absorption of MOST vitamins and minerals takes place, the duodenum, plus part of the jejunum. Finally, there is no guarantee that
after 15-20 years, individuals with a gastric bypass will NOT get the liver failure seen
with the JIB especially considering that many people who are 5 years post op or more, have
elevated liver enzymes, a sign of liver damage. One of the criticisms of the gastric
bypass has been that weight loss slows down after a year and the person must again, face
the diet/exercise struggle, a lifestyle which would have made them lean without danger,
had they embraced it instead of having surgery! A European physician devised a
surgery which in a slightly altered form, has become somewhat popular today although it's
so drastic that the ASBS does not recommend it. This surgery is called a "Duodenal Switch/ Bileopancreatic Diversion" (DS/BPD). It leaves about 2 inches of the 10 inch duodenum where the stomach empties into the intestine. This doesn't seem to help absorption much but does somewhat avoids the 'dumping' syndrome (hypogycemic episodes) which so many individuals with the gastric bypass suffer after the consumption of even a small amount of sugar. The BPD part of this surgery is highly
complex - it IS an intestinal bypass but "only" bypasses 50 percent of the small
intestine. The small bowel is segmented into three parts and reconnected so that no
part is totally abandoned. Although the intestinal bypass diarrhea is back with the
DS/BPD, the individual experiences drastic weight losses and enough mal- absorption to
keep most of their weight off. It's rather likely that they, too will experience liver
failure as did their predecessors. Afterall, the DS/BPD is only more refined than
the JIB - it's not proven 'safer' at all! In future articles I hope to discuss
the current surgeries in more detail, to possibly answer questions, to examine more
closely, the side effects of surgery, immediate, short term and long term as well as
discuss the possible prognosis as far as life and death for an individual who chooses
surgery. We will look at things like a post surgery nutritional program (and yes,
it's much more restrictive than they claim!) and detail occurrences which often send post
ops to the emergency room. There are many astounding facts which the glowing testimonials
on TV 'forget' to tell us. It should be an interesting read for all! Editor's Note: Make sure to read Sue's regular column each month with her perspectives regarding weight loss surgery each month in Without Measure. Sue has also written some other WLS-related articles on ISAA's website (below): |