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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 ].
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*
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! *
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!
-JRR Tolkien
Take, and welcome joy within you:
Showers, flowers, powers,
Hatfulls, capfulls, lapfulls,
Treasures, measures, pleasures,
All be yours to enjoy!
-Celtic Devotional
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Even though both our daughter’s are well beyond the fantasies of a “real” Santa, the story of the Tomtem, mythical Finnish elves, (and these days what I would give for a Tomtem to help cook and clean!) and snuggling up to endlessly open each envelope within Tolkien’s Letters From Father Christmas, the magic and our imaginations still shine with wonder and grace for the season– no matter what.
The Spirit of the Holiday is quite powerful if you take the time to remember and reflect on what truly is important and meaningful. Such a simple and beautiful gift to give oneself, but not always easy to do.
‘Tis the season of gift giving and ever-expanding commercialization of Christmas as we modern people know all too well. This busying and running here and there has robbed the “sacredness of the season” as I refer back to the wise words of John Matthews:
….we ask and are being asked, “What do you want this year?” There are certainly things that we would quite like, things that we hope will be brought for us, but these are not the same as our wants. True wants are not small things satisfied by prettily wrapped parcels: they are the immense needs of inner space that can be overwhelmed by all our little wants and yearnings. To consider our real needs- the things we lack in our lives – is often too frightening, opening up an abyss of need that calls our very existence into question… Our real wants eat holes in us: never resting, never loving, never greeting, never finding, never seeking, never ever being satisfied deep down. These ravenous wants define our treasures so truly. They create a Christmas list that no store could supply: time to stop and really enjoy, in a space of quietness and contentment… Space to give and receive love reciprocally. The grace to seek and find our spiritual joy. Freedom from the tyranny and burden of other’s expectations, of what others think. Acceptance of ourselves as we truly are.
This season our wish is for our youngest daughter to really begin believing, once again, within her own inner gifts, her endless possibilities to live a full and happy Life, without ED. That she can accept herself as she is, feel safe, trust herself and others, allow her body and mind the time it needs to heal; and acknowledge her own true needs.
It again, seems so simple.
I also wish for all of you to give yourselves the gift of time to listen to your own true needs, find an inner abundance of Peace and Love, and allow time and space to fully ENJOY this holiday season!
-shanti
* Many Heart-Felt Thanks to all who have emailed and written with your thoughts and support! We feel very blessed to have such caring individuals in our lives– especially at this time– THANK YOU! Marielle the gift-basket was so incredibly generous and such a surprise…. words can’t begin to convey our appreciation. -XO*
As many of us already know recovering from an eating disorder takes time, patience, perseverance and an added sense of humor never hurts either. This journey of Hope, Change and Healing can be a long road, but well worth every step! And when a sufferer is not able to obtain the adequate and experienced care that is required for ED treatment this journey can seem like climbing the Himalayas.
Families and sufferers can have a voice and advocate for the care and support they deserve, but it takes some persistence and not taking “no” for an answer but digging deeper and rooting out the resources and connections one needs to help along this road.
One courageous and honorable teen diagnosed with anorexia has taken such a step in Northern Ireland, and is demanding change all the way to the courts to get the care she needs- bravo!
With fire-in-the-heart like that, the sky is the limit to what can be possible so that everyone suffering from this illness will eventually have access and covered care that they need to fight the battle and win their full and healthy lives back.
-shanti
A wonderful non-profit organization created by Gail Schoenbach For Recovery and Elimination of Eating Disorders – F.R.E.E.D. will be holding a Mother-Daughter Workshop in conjunction with the Eating Disorders Association of New Jersey Saturday, October 18th from 9:30AM-2:30PM at Summit Medical Group.
The workshop’s aim is to “engage women and girls as they explore and challenge their beliefs about themselves, their bodies, and body image”. Freelance journalist, blogger and author, Courtney E. Martin who wrote Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters will be the keynote presenter along with therapist, Suzanne Rubinetti.
F.R.E.E.D.’s mission is to:
- Provide financial support for treating eating disorder (a major hindrance for sufferers and their families in obtaining treatment/recovery resources as well as follow-up care — F.R.E.E.D.’s priority and focus on this issue is to be commended).
- Increase public awareness and provide educational resources.
- Advocate for the acknowledgement and acceptance of Eating Disorders as a serious and urgent disease.
Ms Schoenbach’s own battle with ED and body image issues took place in silence for years until she began the slow process of recovery, and it was during this healing time that she found a passion and drive to create F.R.E.E.D. and her additional adjunct G.R.Schoenbach Foundation which holds annual fund-raising events and campaigns to continue her committed work.
Organizations like these are inspiring, so if you live in the New Jersey area, are a mother with a daughter with/without an eating disorder, go partake in “day of empowerment”, sharing, support and learning– it will do the body&mind good!
-shanti
I love fall!
I love our annual trip to the apple farm, the continued but slowing scramble to farmer’s markets until they close shop next month, the cool nights and the warmth of a wood-fed fire pit surrounded by the deep and intoxicating smells that this season brings along with it. The cornstalks soon to be put out along with the vibrantly hued pumpkins, the trees’ deciduous leaves now changing in accord… it’s a sensory orgasm!
Last week seemed a bit more hectic, balancing home, family and a personal work-life in conjunction with extended family and friends for our annual Late Summer-Fall Equinox potluck. But all the work and preparations reminded me how vital it is reconnecting with others whose lives are busy like ours, whose children are growing and/or grown, and gather for one evening to celebrate the change of season, share a bountiful meal, taste new creations, revisit old favorites and maintain some deeper meaning within our lives.
A couple of weeks ago I was inspired to see BANA (Bulimia Anorexia Nervosa Association) holding it’s Global Dinner Table Conference (wonderful titled theme!) and extending efforts to educate and connect within the Ontario region with spokeswoman, advocate and eTalk journalist Ms Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau presenting a powerful personal journey through recovery from bulimia. Now as a healthy mother, wife and proponent for eating disorders she stated quite beautifully: “healing means reconstructing your notion of self, and who you are, and your connection with the world”.
BANA is one of a handful of grassroots organizations that actually carries out valuable, useful support and services instead of only allocating funds-donations and collecting data, along with having a vital partnership with the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) that is broadly interconnected with hospitals, medical communities, local demographics, schools and universities to align more effectively with clinicians and the broader public to reach those in need and provide support for families.
Another organization of note that has recently joined earlier this month at the “global table” is BEDA (Binge Eating Disorder Association) which can be additionally pivotal towards connecting those whose diagnosis is either “undefined” “unspecified” or completely overlooked towards the resources they need, and continue providing the educational and preventative services as well as highlighting probably the most common form of eating disorder more broadly present.
It’s aspiring to see such organizations take root and develop, gathering together as a unified front to fight an illness that has left far too many for too long uninvited or unheard to now join at “the global table” to come together!
“O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stained
With the blood of the grape, pass not,but sit
Beneath my shady roof, there thou may’st rest,
And tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe;
And all the daughters of the year shall dance,
Sing now the lusty song of fruits and flowers. “
- William Blake
Some of the most common events become quite significant when your child has an eating disorder, and at times worry seems to be a constant irritating leach sucking your Mom-force astray even when the coast is clear.
For the past two years our daughter has missed out on class trips due to the pernicious nature of the eating disorder. And as if heading back to school doesn’t already bring with it some added stress and anxiety for a developing young middle-schooler, these trips always take place at the beginning of the year– great idea for setting the tone and building relationships for the school term, not so great idea if your child is trying to gauge the semester and transition in the first couple of weeks tacked on with the complexity of managing an eating disorder.
For the first year of middle school this trip was a no-go. Last year also didn’t happen since she was not yet able to make food-meal choices on her own, as well as eating without some additional support, and being comfortable enough to ask for help if encountering some difficulty and parents and family were not around.
Initial diagnosis of the eating disorder, immediate hospitalization, the following year inpatient and residential treatment, along with intensive outpatient treatment; days-months of missed school, family and social life seem strangely long ago, healing does take time.
This school year is markedly different though, our daughter is actually getting a bit pissy about missing out on certain aspects of teen social life and events her friends and peers seem to do “so easily”. These are things she also did easily, without second thought, prior to the eating disorder and another positive sign that she is remembering and awakening to her former Self.
This year’s “Leadership Trip” my baby is on the road for three days of fun and camaraderie. First to camp, canoeing, rope climbing and mingling while looking at the constellations, second to the State Capital, then finishing off sliding down the plastic tubes of a favored water park, who would want to miss this?
She left this morning her bags packed with extra snacks and necessities, pre-ordered her meals (all by herself- yeah!) and wasn’t embarrassed to give an extra hug.
But my ultimate moment came seeing her classic dimpled smile!
The road ahead is like the road behind.
The dreams achieved revise the dreams to come.
Mind shapes world, and new-shaped world shapes mind,
As what you are steps back from what you’ve done.
The deeper you resides in its own space,
The deeper you resides in its own space,
Sheltered like a yolk from wind and tide,
Filled with unimaginable grace
To wander through the paradise inside.
Ambitious girl!
Ambitious girl!
Become what dream you will,
And sail across each dark, forbidding sea.
Within, the fawn will graze sweet meadows still,
Untouched by all the phantoms you will be.
-Nicolas Gordon
The Klarman Family Foundation Grants Program in Eating Disorders Research whose long term goals are to accelerate progress in developing effective treatments for eating disorders has listed their 2008-2010 Award Recipients of outstanding scientists and researchers in the field :
- Wade Berrettini, MD, PhD – University of Pennsylvania – Genome-wide Association Study of Anorexia
- Catherine Dulac, PhD Harvard University – Genetic & Epigenetic Pathways Underlying the Neural Circuits of Feeding Behavior
- Guido Frank, MD – University of Colorado Denver – The Brain Reward System Across the Major Eating Disorders & its Relationship to Genotype
- Angela Guarda, MD – John Hopkins University School of Medicine- Role of the Cannabinoid (CBI) System in Bulimia Nervosa
- Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center – The Role of the Right Prefrontal Cortex in Binge Eating Disorder: A Translational Research Study Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) & Functional Magnetic Resonance Imagery (fMRI)
- Maribel Rios, PhD – Tufts University School of Medicine – Examination of the Role of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Binge Eating Disorder
- Leslie Vosshall, PhD – The Rockefeller University – Identification of Novel Genes & Circuits in Animal Model of Binge Eating Disorder
- Jeffrey Zigman, MD, PhD – U.T. Southwestern Medical Center – Mechanism by which Ghrelin & Orexin Defend Against Depression & Anxiety
Real scientists and genuine clinicians doing real work to make continued strides towards improved treatments, diagnostic tools, preventative modalities in treating eating disorders more of a reality along with further educating/training the medical community and wider public– CONGRATULATIONS! Many of us wish you full-speed ahead as well!
-salut
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