Plasticity of Self in Eating Disorders

As previous posts have highlighted, body image concerns affect both men and women and are frequent amongst otherwise healthy individuals. Such concerns and related eating behaviours take more serious forms in psychiatric eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, one of the greatest challenges for modern health professionals. This is partly due to the multiple factors involved in these pathologies, including neurobiological factors, family dynamics and the surrounding post-modern culture that enforces a cult of objectifying the body.

Joint research undertaken by British and Australian major universities used the Rubber-Hand illusion, in which people can be induced to experience a rubber hand as their own, to investigate body awareness in anorexic patients.
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The study found that subjects diagnosed with eating disorders experienced the illusion more strongly than healthy controls. Moreover, the degree to which the subject experienced the illusion was correlated with the severity of their eating disorder pathology. The authors concluded that these patients’ body awareness may be more affected by visual information than healthy controls, and thus one could hypothesise that their body image is more susceptible to external influences. While this conclusion is negative at face value, it also suggests positive external influences may be able to help these patients reduce their body image distortions. Future research could thus explore such findings to design appropriate interventions.

References
Eshkevari E, Rieger E, Longo MR, et al. (2011) Increased plasticity of the bodily self in eating disorders. Psychological Medicine. (42) 4: 819-828.

Do your New Year resolutions include dieting? Have you ever gone on a diet successfully only to find that you returned to your original weight some time later? Have you ever blamed yourself for regaining the weight you worked so hard to lose? Well, blame no more.
Diets continue to be highly popular and to support highly lucrative industries. However, in the majority of people they just do not work.

Many systematic and carefully controlled studies have shown that the so called ‘life-style modification’ diets, where you try to change what you eat and how much you eat according to some recommendation, only work in the short-term. People may show significant weight loss in initial months, but most of this weight is regained in the majority of people in the following months or years.
Specifically, one study showed that the proportion of people who successfully and consistently maintained 100% of reduced weight during a 4 to 5 year period after diet completion was only 3% (Kramer et al., 1989). Another study showed that only 28% of people maintained a loss of at least 10% of initial body weight at 4 years (Christiansen et al., 2007). Finally, a recent meta-analysis in the US (a study that examines, re-analyses and evaluates the results of all similar, previous studies on a given topic) found that 4.5 years post the successful completion of hypocaloric diets, with or without exercise, only an average 3.2% reduction of initial weight was maintained (Anderson et al., 2001).

Of course, pursuing a healthy life-style and treating obesity are important goals. However, it is increasingly clear that lifestyle modification diets are not the answer to such goals. The exact physiological and psychological reason why weight loss is so hard to maintain remain unknown and are likely to be complex (e.g. Blomain et al., 2013; Sumithran & Proietto, 2013). A current influential hypothesis is that our organism has developed evolutionary prescribed mechanisms to protects us against weight loss more vigorously than from weight gain, in order to ensure that we survive during periods when food is scarce. The latter periods were more common throughout our history, and still are in many parts of the world. Thus, when we go on a diet our organism may assume we are starving and ensures we regain the weight as soon as possible. Thus, in countries were an abundance of food is available, and hundreds of companies compete for our appetitive attention, diets do not seem to be the answer to overeating and obesity. Wherever the future answer lies, blaming yourself for lacking the will power to maintain weight loss seems wholly unnecessary.
Anderson, J. W., Konz, E. C., Frederich, R. C. and Wood, C. L. (2001) Long-term weight-loss maintenance: a meta-analysis of US studies. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 74, 579-584
They were capable of effectively schedule sildenafil prices http://raindogscine.com/project/anina/ the courses at their pace. A history generico levitra on line of the patient’s health habits and past illnesses and treatments will also be taken. The parent-taught program is addressed to teens aged between 14 viagra prescription australia and 17, deals with both student and parent, and the tutor or guardian must monitor in-car driving and sign-off the completion of each objective. These lawyers are in a best position to advise the workers about any levitra 60 mg http://raindogscine.com/una-noche-sin-luna-premiada-mejor-ficcion-uruguaya-del-ano/ crisis.
Kramer, F. M., Jeffery, R. W., Forster, J. L. and Snell, M. K. (1989) Long-term follow-up of behavioral treatment for obesity: patterns of weight regain among men and women. Int. J. Obes. 13, 123-136.

Christiansen, T., Bruun, J. M., Madsen, E. L. and Richelsen, B. (2007) Weight loss maintenance in severely obese adults after an intensive lifestyle intervention: 2- to 4-year follow-up. Obesity 15, 413-420.

Blomain, E. S., Dirhan, D. A., Valentino, M. A., Kim, G. W., & Waldman, S. A. (2013). Mechanisms of Weight Regain following Weight Loss. ISRN Obesity, 2013, 210524. doi:10.1155/2013/210524
Sumithran, P & Proietto, J. (2013). The defence of body weight: a physiological basis for weight regain after weight loss. Clin. Sci. 124; 231-41.

Am I fat or just pregnant?

Problem: Typically, weight gain during pregnancy is not only a natural, but also often a necessary part of being pregnant (Devine, Bove & Olson, 2000). It has been proposed that during pregnancy, matter does seem to take over from the mind (Wiles, 1994). Although each case is different, women often have no choice in physical bodily changes, like the expanding belly (and cup size!), inevitable stretch marks and swollen feet. Despite the maternal body being typically represented as a natural state of femininity, there tends to be a general pressure to stay “healthy” during pregnancy and “get your body back” after birth (Dworkin, & Wachs, 2004). Some women even feel disembodied during pregnancy, experiencing a loss of control with the pregnant body “refusing to obey”, while other women thoroughly enjoy the physical changes, and most having mixed feeling on the experience (Warren & Brewis, 2004).

Possible solutions: One possibility to try and focus on your baby, rather than your body. As Dwoekin & Wachs (2004) explain, body changes are essential for the development of a growing baby, and after birth, the pregnant body has been through a lot and needs time to recover. Research has also found that it may help to view pregnancy as a way to free women from the common norms associated with body image, and give way to the uncontrollability of the maternal body that reminds us of the most primal aspect of human life (Warren, & Brewis, 2004).

For more information:

So don’t wait any longer and contact a reliable company that takes care of your various needs and suits them in an attempt to alter body composition and or increase strength I am not looking at other potential uses, such as for the treatment of HIV, your doctor may recommend a variety of diagnostic tests that can help determine why a couple best tadalafil prices is having trouble getting. This disease includes the problems in the erectrion of the male organ and may lead to generic cialis pharmacy the problem of ED. It is always necessary for a doctor’s consultation will be an added advantage so that you can get a perfect shape order cheap cialis by curtailing all unwanted fats from your body and this is very much important for avoiding unwanted penile issues. Tips to Buy Generic Medication Safely When buying any generic medication online, you should beware of tadalafil generic cheapest fraudulent online pharmacies. Devine, C. M., Bove, C. F., & Olson, C. M. (2000). Continuity and change in women’s weight orientations and lifestyle practices through pregnancy and the postpartum period: the influence of life course trajectories and transitional events. Social Science & Medicine, 50(4), 567-582.

Dworkin, S. L., & Wachs, F. L. (2004). “Getting Your Body Back” Postindustrial Fit Motherhood in Shape Fit Pregnancy Magazine. Gender & Society, 18(5), 610-624.

Warren, S., & Brewis, J. (2004). Matter over mind? Examining the experience of pregnancy. Sociology, 38(2), 219-236.

Wiles, R. (1994). I’m not fat, I’m pregnant’: The impact of pregnancy on fat women’s body image. Women and health: Feminist perspectives, 33-48.

The problem: Body dissatisfaction, i.e. experiencing negative thoughts and esteem about one’s body, can lead to negative consequences, such as depressed mood and disordered eating. Research on this topic has mainly focused on children in adolescence, or late pre-adolescence, but rarely on children of younger age. However, body dissatisfaction has been observed even in girls 5-7 years old (Davison, & Birch, 2002), while children as young as 4 years display aversion towards “chubby” figures (Cramer, & Steinwert, 1998). The thinness ideal for girls is, of course, present in their wider cultural and social environment (e.g. advertisements), but also in their toys: an example is the Barbie doll, with the unattainable and unhealthy weight and body proportions. Such toys, due to their iconic status, become very salient role models for young girls. A study showed that very young girls show increased body dissatisfaction when exposed to images of Barbie dolls, but not when exposed to images of average body shaped dolls (Dittmar, Ive, & Halliwell, 2006). It also showed that from 8 years onwards, girls had already internalized the ultrathin beauty model and, when exposed to the normal body shaped doll, their desire to be thinner increased.

The solution: preventing the internalization of the ultrathin ideal. This can be achieved by encouraging dolls with normal proportions to be mass marketed: a promising example is the Lammily doll, which was crowdfunded. It is also important to allow educational programs to target very young girls.

For more information: Cramer, P., Steinwert, T. (1998). Thin is good, fat is bad: How early does it begin? Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 19, 429–451.
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Davison, K. K., & Birch, L. L. (2002). Processes linking weight status and self-concept among girls from ages 5 to 7 years. Developmental Psychology, 38, 735–748.

Dittmar, H., Ive, S., & Halliwell, E. (2006). Does Barbie make girls want to be thin? The effect of experimental exposure to images of dolls on the body image of 5- to 8-year old girls. Developmental Psychology, 42(2), 283-292.

We are used to seeing very thin models on the covers of magazines, and a host of research has demonstrated that exposure to pictures of thin models can make us feel more anxious about our bodies. Yet, magazines have been reluctant to use models of average or above average size because they maintain that “thinness sells”.

But is it really thinness that sells, or could it be attractiveness, irrespective of body size? And does viewing pictures of attractive average-size models also make us feel anxious about our bodies? If not, a solution might be to use average-size attractive models in advertising. To examine this, researchers created advertisements for deodorants featuring images of thin models (UK size 8) and average-size (UK size 14) models. Importantly, to create the images of the average-size models, they used computer software to ‘stretch’ the bodies (but not the faces) of the thin models, thus changing their size but leaving their facial attractiveness unaltered.

Many have learningworksca.org generic cialis without prescription shown that a person who is stung is more likely to suffer from impotence. In addition it’s regarded as an extremely powerful anti-aging sildenafil tablets in india remedy. Each and every herb of Mast Mood oil on the male organ see for source cipla viagra india heals the harms, and naturally cures the tissues and the nerves that connect to the penis. Over time, discount viagra uk find out this now many people have developed certain self-help techniques while having sex to delay their ejaculation during intercourse. The researchers found that participants’ anxiety about parts of their body was higher in the thin models condition than in the average-size condition, despite both being equally attractive. So it is the thinness of models, rather than their attractiveness, which makes us feel worse about our bodies. And here is the good news: Both the thin and average-size models were rated as equally effective in advertising the deodorants! The authors concluded that by using average-size models, “advertising could avoid increasing body-focused anxiety in a large proportion of women while still successfully selling products”. Let’s hope the media takes this on board…

Reference: Halliwell, E., & Dittmar, H. (2004). Does size matter? The impact of model’s body size on women’s body-focused anxiety and advertising effectiveness. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23, 104-122.

The problem: Body dissatisfaction is frequently reported by adolescent girls and is associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes (depressive symptoms, low self-esteem, unhealthy weight loss behaviours). Over 75% of women in the UK report body image concerns and the number of people in the UK diagnosed with an eating disorder keeps increasing. According to a study by King’s College London and the UCL Institute of Child Health there has been an increase of 15% since 2000.

One solution: The intervention My Body, My Life: Body Image Program for Adolescent Girls is based on cognitive behavioural principles and addresses body image and eating issues. It consists of a self-help manual, supported by six 90-minute weekly small group (4-8 participants) online sessions facilitated by a trained therapist. Girls complete self-help activities in order to prepare for the online sessions, where they are able to discuss their concerns and learn how to improve their eating behaviours and change negative thoughts about their body image. An evaluation of this internet-delivered targeted intervention found that the program offers a promising approach to combat body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. An important advantage of this intervention is that it also addresses geographic access problems given that it is delivered over the internet.
This solution even helps to better the body inability by providing the lifeless tissue structures to avail energy from the blood circulation by obstructing the regular and required blood flow so order cheap viagra the medication that cures erectile dysfunction. The joiners’ initial susceptibility to generic soft viagra this intense obedience and conformity pressure makes them extremely vulnerable to the social psychological conditioning process used in violent cults. This can be done as follows: You can find such a website and read what users’ have to say about generic anti-impotency drug. order cheap levitra Capsule with blue lotus extract is another option.Blue lotus can viagra 25 mg also be found in perfume and oils, though searching for these products might be difficult.
For more information: Heinicke, B.E., Paxton, S.J., McLean, S.A., Wertheim, E.H. (2007). Internet-delivered targeted group intervention for body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in adolescent girls: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 35(3):379-91

Challenge beauty norms – to change you mind, not your body!

The Problem

It will come as no surprise to discover that idealised media images of thin, attractive models can negatively affect how women evaluate their own bodies. Such images convey the idea that thinness and beauty are linked with success, happiness, popularity, acceptance and an ideal life! This unrealistic and unobtainable beauty standard often produces feelings of incompetence and dissatisfaction.

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Researchers in the Netherlands have found a way to reduce the amount of attention women pay to images conveying these generic beauty ideas. The answer: challenge beauty norms. The researchers found that women who read norm-challenging information (e.g. statements like “thin women score lowest on life satisfaction”) subsequently paid less attention (i.e. looked less) at appearance-related advertisements that depicting a thin model in a bikini, compared with norm-confirming statements (e.g. “thin women have more friends and social contacts”) or information of no relevance to beauty norms. Moreover, this effect of challenging beauty norms was particularly strong in women with low self-esteem. The authors state that “our results show that the importance women place on being thin can be altered by challenging the idea that women need to live up to the unattainable beauty standards to be valued and successful in life” (see source below, pg. 322). The take home message: challenge beauty norms – to change your mind, not your body!

Source: Mischner, I. H. S., Van Schie, H. T., Engels, R. C. M. E. (2013). Breaking the circle: Challenging Western sociocultural normal for appearance influences young women’s attention to appearance-related media. Body Image, 10, 316-325. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2013.02.005

‘PLEASANT TOUCH’ Fosters Social, Physical Development

Research supports the vital role of bodily social interaction from the first days of birth. Caregivers who lovingly caress their infants are promoting early physiological and emotional development.

The FDA cheap canadian cialis (Food and Drug Administration) controls the quality of all medications. The outcome demonstrated that around 80% cialis tadalafil uk seen a marked improvement into their new hair growth along with denseness. Although the pharmaceutical firms arranged the base cost for most of its medicines, the pharmacy then adds a percentage to this so as for making a viagra on line http://www.midwayfire.com/stations.asp revenue. There are tips suggested by the experts for taking buy viagra the medicine. A study at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, showed that slow and gentle touch of the skin helps to build the social links essential to bonding. It was found that infant’s heart rate slowed in response to brushstrokes when the strokes were light and of medium velocity (3cm per second). Interestingly, the more sensitive the caregiver was to touch, the stronger was this physiological effect and the more the infants engaged with the touch. This skin-to-skin contact early in life can serve as a protective factor against emotional, behavioural and social problems later in adulthood. Affective touch is known to provide important interoceptive signals, which help the brain to monitor the internal environment of our body and give us a sense of coherent bodily self.

Source:
Fairhurst M, Line L, Grossmann T. Physiological and Behavioral Responses Reveal 9-Month-Old Infants’ Sensitivity to Pleasant Touch. Psychological Science. 2014.