Dying To Be Thin - The Body Politic Radio Show Brings America's Eating Disorder Epidemics Front and Center

    LOS ANGELES, CA, September 29, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- It's 7:00 AM. Lisa, a 14 year old aspiring model, wakes to her daily mantra: A growling stomach. Breakfast is out of the question. If she scores an "A" on her "Macbeth" analysis, she will add a few licorice sticks to her pre-scheduled apple for lunch. Lisa is emaciated. She showers for school, and fantasizes about what she would look like 20 pounds lighter, as the aroma of her mother's famed french toast wafts from the kitchen. She scolds herself for coveting even a morsel. The grinding pain of intense hunger is a good one, she tells herself. She will stay strong in her resolve not to eat. Not doing so would be giving up, on herself, she whispers.

Lisa has a life-threatening eating disorder known as Anorexia Nervosa, a complex physical and psychological illness, that affects up to 3.7 percent of females in their lifetime, and numbers among 24 million people who suffer from disordered eating in America. Five to 10 percent of anorexics die within 10 years of onset, only 50 percent report ever being cured, and 20 percent of all people with Anorexia will die prematurely from complications, including suicide and heart problems, according to the National Institute of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.

For 48 year-old Cathy, her jarring alarm clock is a profound reminder of yesterday's binge eating and purging episodes. As she rises, she experiences intense heartburn due to a damaged esophagus, endemic to Bulimia Nervosa-----purging after eating. She promises today will be the day she stops. She can rely on her pal, diet soda, to support her----allowing herself as many as 10 cans before lunch: A cup of broth, a protein bar, and an eight ounce yogurt. After work, she stops by the 7/11, and stocks up on potato chips, Twinkies, and copious cheese burgers to consume after she completes her round of household chores. Cathy eats approximately 10,000 calories in one binge episode. She does not want to stop because she knows that the grand purge is next. Secrets and lies make her feel worse. Cathy has Binge Eating Disorder and Bulimia Nervosa. Estimates indicate that up to four percent of the U.S. population has Binge-Eating Disorder alone, with girls and women slightly at greater risk than boys and men. Children and young adults also develop Binge-Eating Disorder, but is found mostly in women and men in their 40s and 50s.

Acclaimed investigative Journalist, Suzanne Marcus-Fletcher, interviews world renowned eating disorder expert, Dr. Patricia Pitts, founder and CEO of The Bella Vita eating disorder treatment centers located in Los Angeles, Woodland Hills and La Canada Flintridge, CA. Together, they discuss the sources, influences, consequences, and often misunderstood aspects of eating disorders in a new series for Itunes, coined "Dying to be Thin." The series can be heard or downloaded from www.blogtalkradio/thebodypolitic, at www.suzannemarcusfletcher.com, and on Itunes podcasts at BTR: The Body Politic.

Approximately seven million girls, women, and men of all ages, including the elderly, struggle with eating disorders in America. Approximately one million boys and men struggle with serious disorders, such as "Manorexia," which is rising to epidemic levels nationally, according to The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Eating Disorders.

The Body Politic's "Dying to be Thin" series with Dr. Patricia Pitts covers pivotal topics such as, "How do you know if you or a loved one has an eating disorder? "Misconceptions about eating disorders," "The rapid rise of Manorexia among male teens and men." On Thursday, October 1st, at 12:00 PM Pacific Standard time, the Body Politic will air live a new episode entitled: "How do eating disorders serve you?" The Body Politic will also address "How dieting contributes to eating disorders." This broadcast can be heard at www.blogtalkradio/thebodypolitic and at www.suzannemarcusfletcher.com

Eating disorders are very real, often treatable, serious illnesses with complicated underlying biological and psychological causes. Those afflicted with eating disorders also routinely suffer from other health complications, such as heart conditions and kidney failure, which can lead to death. With treatment, about 60 percent of people with eating disorders recover. Despite treatment, about 20 percent of people with eating disorders make only partial recoveries. The remaining 20 percent do not recover or improve, even with the best treatment.

Dr. Patricia Pitts is the Chief Executive Officer of The Bella Vita established in 1985. She is a nationally renowned expert in the treatment of Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating, and disordered eating. She has addressed a variety of national and international professional conferences in her 27 years of treating these disorders.

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