What Happens to a Child That Stops Eating?

Revolutionary Treatment Options for A

norexia Nervosa
"Give food a chance" - a new book by a pediatrician and founder of a treatment c
enter for eating disorders - reveals the true impact of anorexia, and the elemen
ts of effective treatment.
Portland, OR - October 23, 2010 -- Dr. Julie O'Toole, in her new book Give food
a chance, shares an alert for parents about the physical and emotional toll eati
ng disorders have on their children. Clinical names for these disorders include
anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. More commonly, people may use labels such
as food phobia and selective eating. While the names may differ, the health risk
s they create are very real, and often life-threatening.
Give food a chance reveals that children don't choose to have anorexia nervosa.
Dr. O'Toole teaches parents where blame has been misguidedly placed, and the dis
tractions this creates. She shares ways to build and enforce open communication,
and create a united team effort with physicians. Give food a chance also offers
an inside look at the paths to effective treatment which bring about positive c
hange for the patient. By providing this information to parents, the book helps
them to become more knowledgeable consumers of medical services.
Among the most disturbing chapters presented in Give food a chance ( http://Perf
SciPress.com/give-food-a-chance/ ) is the detailed description of what happens t
o the human body when someone stops eating or makes drastically negative changes
to their eating habits.
Dr. O'Toole uses a University Of Minnesota study from the World War II era as he
r starting point. This study set out to determine the effects of wartime famine
and what would be needed to treat its victims. Test subjects were fed normal die
ts, and then reduced diets over specific time periods, followed by rehabilitatio
n and re-feeding.
The study resulted in people losing twenty five percent of their body weight, wi
th major physical and emotional consequences. Dr. O'Toole writes in Give food a
chance that she often sees children with that degree of weight loss (and more),
yet parents act surprised when she tells them their children are starved.
While not one doctor she's come in contact with has ever made mention of this st
udy, one of the reasons Dr. O'Toole refers to it is because it involves weight l
oss while still eating, or semi-starvation. She has found that this is one way t
hat those with eating disorders get parents to look the other way. Parents will
assume that since their child is eating, the loss of "just a little weight" isn'
t a cause for concern.
Give food a chance ( http://PerfSciPress.com/give-food-a-chance/ ) explains how
selective eating negatively impacts the heart, bones and skeletal muscle mass. Y
ouths with eating disorders will toy with their food, their sense of humor disap
pears, and they become easily depressed. Reductions in food intake are often com
pensated with increased liquid intake, especially caffeine-based drinks such as
coffee and colas.
"A youth's body and mind can withstand a five to ten percent weight loss," says
Dr. O'Toole. "Many of the children I see have weight loss of twenty-five percent
and even more. One of the things I wanted to teach parents, as well as physicia
ns, with Give food a chance is that even though a child will eat, the significan
t loss of weight cannot be ignored. Eating disorders have a ten percent mortalit
y rate. One reason so many doctors dismiss weight loss as a major warning sign,
is because of the medical fact that survival of a thirty-five percent weight los
s or more is nearly impossible. Yet we all see patients that have lost half of t
heir body weight through self-starvation. If a doctor isn't able to determine an
d understand the actions this youth is taking, their parents will allow the dang
er to grow into a very unhappy conclusion."
Dr. O'Toole encourages this element of discovery in Give food a chance. It's a p
erfect example of an important philosophy she relies on, in her work with youths
with eating disorders.
Our patients are our teachers.
Give food a chance is available from PSIpress ( http://PerfSciPress.com/give-foo
d-a-chance/ ) as a paperback or downloadable e-book. The book can also be purcha
sed at Amazon.com as an e-book for the Kindle, and for the iPad at the iBookstor
e.
About Dr. Julie O'Toole:
Dr. O'Toole is a graduate of Reed College in Portland, OR. She also attended the
University of Washington and The Technical University in Aachen, Germany where
she received her M.D. in public health. Dr. O'Toole's work involves the study of
child behavior, especially in those children whose brains do not work properly
regarding food and survival. Her main emphasis is on anorexia nervosa, bulimia n
ervosa, and food phobia, as well as eating disorders which lead to obesity or wa
sting conditions.
She founded the Kartini Clinic after providing care for children with eating dis
orders and discovering how challenging and confusing the medical communities wer
e making matters for patients and their families. Learn more about the Kartini C
linic at http://www.kartiniclinic.com
About PSIpress:
PSIpress (Perfectly Scientific Press) is a new, wholly independent publisher. Ou
r goal is to publish a wide range of science- and technology-oriented topics, in
cluding scientific papers, textbooks, medical and social research, and speculati
ve fiction. Born out of an interest in providing an alternative to the usual pub
lishing paradigm, PSIpress strives to help members of the science-minded communi
ty realize their full potential as published authors, and to help them enjoy the
process. Contact PSIpress at 503-774-4738 or visit their web site at http://www
.PerfSciPress.com/
Contact
PSIpress
Portland, OR
503-774-4738
press@richcontent.tv
http://www.PerfSciPress.com/