: Sursis d’été…

 

Men say the world is full of fear and hate,

 And all life’s ripening harvest-fields await

 The restless sickle of relentless fate.

 

But I, sweet Soul, rejoice that I was born,

When from the climbing terraces of corn

I watch the golden orioles of Thy morn.

 

What care I for the world’s desire and pride,

Who know the silver wings that gleam and glide,

The homing pigeons of Thine eventide?

 

What care I for the world’s loud weariness,

Who dream in twilight granaries

Thou dost bless

With delicate sheaves of mellow silences?

 

Say, shall I heed dull presages of doom,

Or dread the rumoured loneliness and gloom,

The mute and mythic terror of the tomb?

 

For my glad heart is drunk and drenched with Thee,

O inmost wind of living ecstasy!

O intimate essence of eternity!

-Sarojini Naidu
 

~~ Summer is in full-swing and we are finally escaping for a long overdue respite. Destined long nights, mythical and ancient sites… meditating on cliffs, dusting off the lens and capturing images that provoke and provide aesthetic sustenance. Lingering and contemplative hikes up temple steps that have been etched by devotees feet countless times before– who are we but humble and gracious guests- not the arrogant and time-constrained forceful tourist.

Foraging in sacred forests with gamelons playing in the distance, and dancing deities battling the age-old epic between black&white-good&evil ending with the balance of Life, once again, restored. Then taking what was digested of the day to a lamp lit night to write, write, write. Littering my splattered journal with poetic meanderings that have waited, sometimes it seems far too long, for a time such as this.

Life has certainly been blessed and full of positive changes lately! Our daughter has courageously turned the tables on Anorexia within the past couple of months, and is enjoying a summer filled without “fear“, vibrant, healthy and triumphant in this very moment– we are so extremely proud of her!

Thank you so very much to all of you who are a constant source of human wisdom, compassion and many who have also lent a comforting shoulder to lean on. Along with the ever gracious comrades who work with me tirelessly towards creating our monthly “healing&creative space”– which will return once again late this fall; I really don’t have enough words to do justice in this meager post to give adequate appreciation.

I am deeply grateful for the small patch of ground we continually attempt to uncover to help support those with eating disorders and their families, partners and loved ones. I hope to continue to dig a deeper and wider-reaching network that will eventually have an even greater substantial and purposeful base of resources, along with caring, intelligent and genuine individuals to be of greater service for those who continue to suffer. Patience, time and perserverance– many of us know all too well the meaning of those words, but they truly do remain at the forefront of what long-term recovery entails well after weight-nutritional restoration has been established.

As always, many additional thanks to those who continue to be of support, who listen, read the blog and email, and have allowed me this welcoming space to share our family’s Journey to Recovery– much deep love.

 Wishing everyone a relaxing, peaceful and enjoyable summer! See all of you when the leaves begin to crinkle and the crispness of fall begins to fill the air.~~

BDNF… say what?

An interesting study… 

This study shows that serum brain-derived neurotophic factor (BDNF) is significantly lower in women with anorexia nervosa (AN) compared with women without an eating disorder and women recovered from AN. While recovery from AN is difficult to define, BDNF may emerge as a useful biomarker of AN and of recovery from AN.

Finding biomarkers for AN and recovery from AN can help improve diagnostic accuracy and help better identify individuals who have recovered from AN. BDNF polymorphisms have not only previously been associated with AN {1}, but the BDNF-specific receptor neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor type 2 has also been associated with temperament characteristics and low BMI in individuals with eating disorders {2}. The current study evaluated serum BDNF levels in women with AN (n=29), women without an eating disorder (n=28) and women recovered from AN for 1 or more years (n=18). In addition, set-shifting ability was also evaluated in all 3 groups using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST). Age was similar among all three groups, and women with AN and recovered women did not differ in lowest lifetime BMI. Women with AN had lower serum BDNF than controls and recovered women. Overall, there was a positive association between BDNF and BMI. BDNF was inversely correlated with the eating concerns, shape concerns, weight concerns, and global scale on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire and on the depression and anxiety sections of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Women with AN made more mistakes on the WCST than control women, but BDNF level was not associated with performance on the WCST. Set-shifting was not impaired in individuals recovered from AN. The current study excluded healthy control women with a BMI below 19 or over 26 thereby excluding constitutionally thin and obese women. It is plausible that BDNF is related more to BMI or the starvation state than to AN per se. However, the relationship between BDNF and BMI is unclear as the results from one study indicate lower levels of BDNF in morbidly obese individuals compared with obese individuals {3}. Including constitutionally lean and obese women in future studies may help clarify the relationship among BDNF, BMI, and AN. BDNF may be a useful biomarker in the underweight AN state and in indexing recovery from AN. However, it is important to first ensure that BDNF is in fact associated with AN and not strictly BMI or other indices of starvation.

References: {1} Ribases et al. Mol Psychiatry 2003, 8:745-51 ]. {2} Ribases et al. Mol Psychiatry 2005, 10:851-60 ]. {3} Bullo et al. Eur J Endocrinol 2007, 157:303-10 ].

: السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته :

Each star a rung,night comes down the spiralstaircase of the evening.

The breeze passes by so very close

 as if someone just happened to speak of love.

 

In the courtyard,the trees are absorbed

 refugees embroidering maps of return on the sky.

 

 On the roof,the moon – lovingly, generously -is turning the stars into a dust of sheen.

 From every corner, dark-green shadows,in ripples, come towards me.

At any moment they may break over me,

like the waves of pain each time I remember this separation from my lover.

 

 This thought keeps consoling me:

though tyrants may command that lamps be smashed

in rooms where lovers are destined to meet,

they cannot snuff out the moon,

so today,nor tomorrow, no tyranny will succeed,

no poison of torture make me bitter,

if just one evening in prison

can be so strangely sweet,

if just one moment anywhere on this earth.

-Faiz Ahmed Faiz

: Chère fille de joyeux anniversaire ! :

We know you always deal with your illness with such courage,

but we still wanted to send you a few hugs,

along with rays of sunshine, big smiles,

and a whole roomful of good thoughts!

So think of these words as a beautiful sunset all your own

and the sound of the ocean gently washing the shore…

Let our thoughts wrap you up in warmth and peace

and sit at your side.

So as you imagine yourself in the midst of these things,

remember how many people care about you and are

wishing you comfort and Love.

-Mary Miro

 *Lots&Lots of LOVE to You Today and Everyday! — Mom*Dad*Sis*

 

 

: Métamorphose de Mère :

 

When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it’s bottomless, that it doesn’t have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space.

-Pema Chodron

* A Very Blessed and Happy Mother’s Day! *

Mai Bienvenu!

 

The world’s favorite season is the spring.

All things seem possible in May.

-Edwin Way Teale

__________________

Is it really May, already?

Life has been good… definitely busy, but equally good!

The frenzy of prepping for gallery openings along with late nights doing my own work at the studio, holding support groups combined with some Yoga&Massage on the side has been quite the balancing act to say the least.

The end of the school year countdown has begun by our daughter, who has been finding recovery balances, challenges, and triumphs, mingled in with the excitement and plans for what she’ll be wearing and planning for graduation along with pre-summer preparations– Life is good!

And daily I try to make time to reflect on how grateful and blessed I am for my family, dear friends and acquaintances on this journey of Life- merci!

: Jour de Terre Heureux! :

In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.

-John Muir

Effectively Recognizing and Diagnosing EOEDs…

 

… it’s not “just a phase”.

 

Potentially life threatening medical complications are ‘common’ in children affected by early onset eating disorders (EOEDs), a study reported in the Medical Journal of Australia has found.

 The first prospective national study of EOEDs also revealed major limitations in current diagnostic criteria, possible missed diagnoses and a need for better education of health professionals. The study examined data from 101 cases of EOEDs in children aged five to 13 years, and found that 78% were hospitalised with an average length of stay of almost 25 days.

Study co-author and leading child psychologist Dr Sloane Madden, from Westmead Children’s Hospital, said the results show younger children with EOEDs are presenting with severe disease. “Only 37% of inpatients in the study met the current diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa, yet 61% had potentially life threatening complications of malnutrition and only 51 % met the weight criteria,” Dr Madden said. “This suggests the current criteria for diagnosing anorexia nervosa in young children are limited.”

An editorial on the study in the same edition of the MJA highlighted that about a quarter of cases in the study were boys. Editorial author, Foundation Chair of Mental Health at the University of Western Sydney’s School of Medicine, Professor Phillipa Hay, said “The relatively high proportion of younger boys with EOEDs contrasts with men accounting for about one in ten adult cases of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa,” Professor Hay said. “More research is needed, but the work by Madden and colleagues supports the hypothesis that EOEDs may differ in important ways, including sex distribution and course, from eating disorders with onset in adolescence and adulthood. “It is imperative that research attention is now directed towards understanding why such young children are developing severe eating disorders and how effective identification and treatment can be targeted earlier.”

-SourceMedical Journal of Australia

Helping Couples Treat Anorexia Nervosa Together

 

I often, as many other parents of children suffering from an eating disorder, find myself envisioning what the future may hold for our daughter when she is older, well beyond the preparatory stages of ED recovery-maintenance, living a full, healthy and ED-free adult life will be like; especially when there may come a time when she decides upon a life-long partnership, marriage and/or family of her own.

Wouldn’t it be comforting and assuring to know that the care your son or daughter is receiving now will also be available for him/her and their partner-spouse when and if the time comes?

Thankfully some forward-thinking clinicians from the UNC Eating Disorders Program are working to provide just such a program, which is at this time addressing Anorexia Nervosa, and can continue to implement these necessary and supportive elements towards long-term health and maintenance for those who have loved ones suffering.

The UCAN Program

UCAN is a research program funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and is part of the UNC Eating Disorders Program. UCAN aims to help couples work together in the treatment of anorexia nervosa. Couples participate in UCAN over a period of six months and return for follow-up treatment three months after the end of the original six-month period. Your participation in UCAN can help you gain new confidence in facing anorexia as a team and can help us understand how best to involve partners in the treatment of eating disorders.

What Couples Can Expect

Treatment Team

Couples can expect that their treatment will be conducted by trained, licensed professionals from the UNC Eating Disorders Program who are experienced in the treatment of eating disorders.

Comprehensive Assessment

All participating couples have four assessments during which they complete questionnaires and interviews with a clinician, and are videotaped having a discussion with their partner about an anorexia nervosa-related topic.

Comprehensive Treatment

During their participation in UCAN, couples will be randomly assigned (like a coin flip) to receive 20 sessions of either:

• Couples Therapy

• Family Supportive Therapy

In addition, the patient also receives comprehensive treatment for anorexia nervosa from the UNC Eating Disorders Program at no additional cost, including:

• Individual Psychotherapy

• Psychiatry Consultations

• Nutritional Counseling

 

*For further information about registering for the program contact at: UCAN@unc.edu or phone: (919)966.3065

: Joyeuses Pâques ! :

 

The air is like a butterfly

With frail blue wings.

The happy earth looks at the sky

And sings.

-Joyce Kilmer