Latest news with #eatingdisorder
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
PSA: You Probably Don't Need To Be Weighed At The Doctor's Office
For many struggling with body image, heading to the doctor for a specific health issue or even just a routine checkup is more stressful than it needs to be. Weigh-ins are a standard practice before you see your doctor, but if you've experienced an eating disorder or are self-conscious about your weight, jumping on a scale in the middle of a busy hallway is a tall order. But here's an underdiscussed secret: You really don't have to be weighed every time you go to the doctor. 'It is entirely correct that after age 18, most people do not need to be weighed at the doctor's office,' Jennifer Gaudiani, a Denver-based physician who treats patients with eating disorders, told HuffPost. Of course, there are a handful of exceptions: Weight understandably needs to be tracked when a patient with an eating disorder has specific weight needs in order to treat the disease. If someone comes in and is concerned about unexplained weight loss, that needs to be measured and watched, too. 'And young children need to have weight and height monitored to make sure growth is proceeding properly,' Gaudiani said. 'Pregnant people also need to have weights followed ― although they don't need to have the weights revealed or discussed ― to be sure baby is getting what baby needs.' But outside of exceptions like these, Gaudiani said she's confident that '90%' of weigh-ins taken at medical offices are entirely unnecessary. 'What that means is someone coming in to talk about their depression, digestion, substance use or twisted ankle can find themselves on the other end of a lecture about weight and weight loss,' she said. That sometimes results in weight-conscious patients avoiding health checkups altogether. 'Unnecessary weigh-ins chill patients' willingness to see medical providers, waste everyone's time, fail to address the most important concerns of the patient, and may push individuals into cycles of dieting, maybe some weight loss, then regaining even more,' she said. Given Gaudiani's thoughts on weigh-ins, she was thrilled last month when she saw these 'Please Don't Weigh Me' cards trending on Twitter: The cards, created by eating disorder recovery site read: 'Please don't weigh me unless it's (really) medically necessary,' adding: 'If you really need my weight, please tell me why so that I can give you my informed consent.' The cards were initially free for individuals but now cost $1 each due to demand. There's an option for health care providers to purchase a batch, at $35 per 100 cards. The site also offers 'please don't talk about my child's weight' cards to parents, to kick off important conversations with kids about the often unfair conflation of weight with good health in advance of a checkup. (Children need to be weighed but the card says, 'If you have any questions, ask me when my child is not present.') 'I'm a fan of these cards because it's a starting point where the patient or parent doesn't have to come up with all the words and reasons themselves, but rather has the support of the card as a neutral object to try and advocate for their bodies,' Gaudiani said. Ginny Jones, the founder of created the initial batch of cards back in 2019. In recovery from her eating disorder, Jones had begun asking not to be weighed at doctor's appointments. She soon realized not everyone knew that was an option. Getting health care providers on board with the cards has been great ― 200 providers have ordered anywhere from 100 to 500 cards for their offices, Jones said ― but the responses she's received from individuals has been the most heartening. 'The best feedback I hear from patients is, 'I made my first appointment in years!'' Jones said. 'I'm shocked to hear personally from so many people who are delaying health care because they hate stepping on the scale. I love that these cards give them the confidence to walk back into a health care provider's office.' Gregory Walters, a writer and educator from Vancouver, British Columbia, who was diagnosed with anorexia in his 50s, sees the card as a simple but effective tool to empower patients to advocate for themselves. Being weighed triggers Walters, but in the past, he struggled to discuss it with health care providers. 'Under no circumstances can I know my weight,' he told HuffPost. 'If it's more than I expect, I amp up my eating disorder behaviors. If it's less, it becomes a weird game where I decide to see how much lower I can go.' Walters hasn't weighed himself in more than 10 years. When he spent six weeks in the hospital in 2019 for eating disorder treatment, they did blind weigh-ins around 6 a.m. every Monday. 'We always stood on the scale, facing away from it, which as a method of weighing me was affirming,' he said. 'It told me the doctors and staff understood how traumatizing a number related to one's weight can be.' Before that, he would just close his eyes when stepping on a scale at a doctor's office and say emphatically, 'I don't want to know.' These days, Walters' family doctor has learned about his triggers, but he knows how hard it can be to speak up for yourself. 'It can be challenging for anyone to talk with doctors,' he said. 'Their time can feel limited. As a patient you can feel intimidated due to a perceived imbalance in terms of education and knowledge.' The card 'allows a patient to quickly get a message across without having to stumble and bumble through an extremely uncomfortable conversation,' he said. In an ideal world, it wouldn't be such an uncomfortable conversation. Asking not to be weighed should be as simple as stating, 'I'd prefer not to be weighed today.' Unfortunately, it's not always that easy, according to Gaudiani. If you say you don't want to be weighed and are challenged, Gaudiani said to tell the nurse, 'Thanks for letting me know it's standard, but this is my body, and I'm electing not to be weighed. You may write 'declined' on my note for insurance purposes. I'm happy to discuss it further with my doctor.' If the doctor challenges you, bring up the medical issue that brought you into their office in the first place. 'That might sound like, 'I have a short amount of time with you, and I really need to discuss my back pain, my constipation and my asthma today. Let's focus on that, please,'' Gaudiani said. Since going viral, the cards have received some criticism from people online who think the cards are enabling or will do damage to public health given the obesity epidemic in America. Shana Spence, a registered dietitian nutritionist based in New York, said she thinks weight stigma and a larger trend of fatphobia in the medical field does greater damage to the quality of health care and health outcomes than any card could ever do. 'Fatphobia in the medical field often translates into a lack of diagnosing for ailments,' she said. 'When someone goes in for pain or whatever ailment, it's extremely discouraging to be told to just lose weight or simply ignored altogether. What are those in thinner bodies told for the same ailments?' Spence said there are many instances when people in larger bodies are congratulated on weight loss, no matter how unnatural or unhealthy it is. 'Even a thin or straight-sized person is congratulated on weight loss because we as a society are very weight-centric,' Spence said. A 2012 survey of almost 2,500 U.S. women found that 69% reported feeling stigmatized for their weight by their doctors and 52% endured recurring fat bias. As Spence pointed out, diagnoses are often missed because providers are fixated on the number on the scale rather than the full picture of health. A review of studies published in the journal Obesity Reviews in 2015 showed that health care professionals' negative feelings about fat bodies can lead to misdiagnosis and late or missed diagnoses, negatively impacting patient outcomes. Studies have also shown that this bias makes women and people in larger-sized bodies less likely to seek health care in the first place. The good news is, more weight- and body-neutral doctors seem to be entering the profession. Some doctors have adopted a Health at Every Size, or HAES, approach to public health. HAES-aligned health care providers seek to deemphasize weight loss as a health goal while reducing stigma toward larger bodies in the medical field. Most HAES health care providers believe that the current practice of linking weight to health using body mass index standards is not only biased but unhelpful when it comes to weight loss. (If you're looking for a HAES-informed health care provider in your area, there's an online database that you can search by area or specialty.) A 2017 study out of the University of Pennsylvania found that when people feel shamed because of their weight, they are more likely to avoid exercise and consume more calories to cope with this stress. Spence noted that healthy solutions include encouraging patients to incorporate more fruits, vegetables and fiber-rich foods into their diets, work on strategies to quit smoking and focus on mental health, since stress can contribute to many health problems, including high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. 'There is no need to concentrate on numbers constantly,' she said. At the very least, medical professionals should start asking patients if they want to be told their weight. When Gaudiani consults with fellow medical practitioners who aren't quite on board with radically reduced weight checks, she asks them at least to consider asking for consent. 'A doctor or staff could say, 'Would you be willing for me to check your weight today? I was worried last month when you said you were feeling low energy and having a harder time getting in your meals, and I'd like to follow up,'' Gaudiani said. 'So much of medicine assumes permission to act upon patients' bodies, when in fact we need to be honoring body autonomy and seeking consent much more.' What To Do If Your Doctor Fat Shames You Being Fat Is Not A Moral Failure. Here's How To Teach Your Kids That. Your Body On Alcohol: How It Affects Your Heart, Liver, Weight And Cancer Risk
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
What happened to body positivity?
'There's lots of chat at the moment about #SkinnyTok,' Jenny Stevens, the Guardian's deputy features editor, tells Helen Pidd. 'The TikTok influencers, TikTok users, who are documenting their extreme weight-loss journeys. 'I've looked through that hashtag and I think, wow, some of these people are really, really unwell. And I think that there is a profit-seeking algorithm that is pushing that content into the feeds of young users.' Stevens explains why she is worried about the rise in weight-loss drugs, as someone who suffered from an eating disorder. 'I worry about them. And the wider media context, and their absolute fixation on who's taking them, who isn't, who's lost the weight, how they've lost the weight. Look at their bones jutting out … I worry about the effects of it on vulnerable people who are already suffering with disordered eating.' Also, we ask what a renewed fixation on thinness means for plus-size women? Gina Tonic, the author of Greedy Guts: Notes From an Insatiable Woman, talks about the origins of the body positivity movement and why it feels less visible than it did. 'I think Covid put health into the forefront of society's point of view as something that we really needed to prioritise for ourselves and also for our communities. And obviously, the first people to suffer under that kind of logic is people who are disabled, but also people who are seen as unhealthy, I guess, or willingly unhealthy. 'And fatness is automatically associated with being unhealthy and has been for decades. So it just feels like a natural follow-on with a public obsession with health, and the perception that thinness is health, thinness becomes the priority again for so many people,' says Tonic. You can listen to Jenny Stevens's Today in Focus episode on her own experiences, recorded in 2021, here. Gina Tonic's story on being trolled can be found here: A moment that changed me: I found out the identity of my troll – and it shook me Support the Guardian today:
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
What is Arfid? Eating disorder is more than being picky about the food you will eat
'No, not even strawberries,' is something Mara says a lot. She cannot eat oranges – in fact, almost no other solid fruit, or vegetables – nor cold cooked meat. She was breaking out in a sweat before her workplace's Christmas dinner, she says. 'For around 30 years, I thought I was just stupid when it came to food and was acting like a toddler.' That was until she spotted a child with similar eating habits on Instagram. 'The mother described her child's behaviour with the word Arfid. I thought: Oh my God, that's me.' Arfid can lead people to reject foods because of their smell, taste, consistency or appearance. Photo: Shutterstock Arfid stands for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, a condition identified some years ago, and it is not just about being a picky eater. 'It's crazy when you live with it your whole life and then suddenly have a name for it,' says Mara, now in her mid-30s. 'There's a difference between things I don't like and things I can't eat,' she adds.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Fans alarmed as frail influencer collapses during livestream
Eugenia Cooney left her fans alarmed after appearing to collapse during a livestream The social media influencer was conducting a makeup tutorial when she slumped back on her sofa and appeared to gag. The 30-year-old blamed 'stress' and admitted she 'wasn't feeling that great' before abruptly ending the stream. The heartbreaking footage has since been seen by millions and commentators have taken to social media to express concern. Days later, Eugenia's close friend and influencer Jeffree Star - who boasts 7.9million TikTok followers - admitted she was 'clearly not ok' and that viewers had 'no idea what she's going through.' Based in Los Angeles, Eugenia shares fashion and beauty content with her 2.7 million TikTok followers, 720,000 on Instagram and 2.1 million subscribers on YouTube. She rarely addresses her body or diet but has previously spoken about her struggles with eating disorders. Since she began posting on YouTube in 2013, viewers have repeatedly voiced concern over her extremely thin appearance. There have even been petitions calling for her to be banned by social media platforms to force her to seek help for eating disorders. 'She genuinely looked so scared before she ended that live,' one TikTok user wrote, following the appearance. 'That stare she was doing when she sat back was so scary and upsetting. I think this is the worst I've seen her,' said another. Some comments were even darker, with fans expressing fears that Eugenia may not have long left. 'We all know exactly what is going on and it's horrifying,' added a third. Health professionals warn that extreme fatigue, difficulty concentrating and a gaunt appearance can be signs of serious medical conditions, including malnourishment as a result of severe, long-term food restriction. As well as causing low mood and energy, it can result in muscle loss, which raises the risk of falls, mobility problems and weakened immunity - making infections more likely. Severe depletion of subcutaneous fat, which lies just beneath the skin, can also lead to pressure sores and delayed wound healing. Responding angrily to what appeared to be incessant questions from fans speculating about her health, Star said: 'People love tearing others down even when they're at their worst. 'It's a given that things aren't ok. It's a given. 'You don't know what's happening behind the scenes. You don't know the steps that I've taken, the phone calls I've had, the things that I'm doing. You have no idea. 'When I said she was okay yesterday it was so you would shut up. Clearly she's not okay and I love her... and I will be here for her and I am here for her. 'You have no idea what she's going through. Show a little compassion, show a little kindness.' Two pre-recorded videos have appeared on Eugenia's account since the incident — though fans claim one was filmed at least a year ago. She has not returned to TikTok Live since. Eugenia received treatment for an eating disorder in 2019, reportedly following an intervention by concerned friends. Later that year, she confirmed she had 'an eating disorder' in a widely viewed interview with fellow YouTuber Shane Dawson - a video that has since been watched more than 30 million times. In an interview with U.S. psychotherapist and YouTuber Kati Morton, Eugenia admitted she was no longer in 'super-constant therapy,' but added: 'Whenever I do feel like I'm struggling, I am able to talk to a therapist and message her.' She has not, however, mentioned since if she has received any further treatment. In the UK, eating disorders, including bulimia, anorexia and binge eating disorder, affect some 1.25 million people. Damning new figures released last August also showed children's eating disorders had doubled in under a decade. Experts have also repeatedly raised concerns that the impressionable minds of children and young adults are being easily swayed by social media. Last year, Australian researchers found watching even 10 minutes of videos on TikTok can negatively affect a woman's body image. Experts at Charles Sturt University in New South Wales surveyed 273 women aged 18 to 28 on their body image and beauty standards, before splitting them into two groups. The first watched eight-minute compilations of TikTok videos that included those glorifying eating disorders, dubbed 'pro-anorexia' content. The other's eight-minute compilation included videos involving nature, cooking and comedy. While both groups later reported a decrease in body image satisfaction, those exposed to pro-anorexia content saw the largest drop. Writing in the journal Plos One, the researchers warned that young women exposed to pro-anorexia content on TikTok could face an increase risk of developing disordered eating. In 2023 TikTok was warned it was not moving swiftly enough to strengthen its content policies after a study found its recommendation algorithm pushed self-harm and eating disorder content to teenagers within minutes of them expressing interest in the topics.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE YouTube mega-star suffers terrifying collapse while on livestream - fans fear for her life saying she hasn't been seen since
Social media star Eugenia Cooney has sparked renewed concern after appearing to collapse on a live stream, leaving fans alarmed over her health. During a make-up tutorial on TikTok, the 30-year-old influencer at first appeared disorientated by insisted she was 'okay', then slumped back on her sofa and appeared to began gagging. Eugenia, who has previously spoken about her struggle with eating disorders, then admitted to viewers she 'wasn't feeling that great' and blamed 'letting my stress get to me' before abruptly ending the stream. The heartbreaking footage has since been seen by millions and commentators have taken to social media to express concern. Days later, Eugenia's close friend and influencer Jeffree Star—who boasts 7.9million TikTok followers—admitted she was 'clearly not ok' and that viewers had 'no idea what she's going through'. Based in Los Angeles, Eugenia shares fashion and beauty content with her 2.7 million TikTok followers, 720,000 on Instagram and 2.1 million subscribers on YouTube. She rarely addresses her body or diet — but since she began posting on YouTube in 2013, viewers have repeatedly voiced concern over her extremely thin appearance. There have even been petitions calling for her to be banned by social media platforms to force her to seek help for eating disorders. 'She genuinely looked so scared before she ended that live,' one TikTok user wrote, following the appearance. 'That stare she was doing when she sat back was so scary and upsetting. I think this is the worst I've seen her,' said another. Some comments were even darker, with fans expressing fears that Eugenia may not have long left. 'We all know exactly what is going on and it's horrifying,' added a third. Health professionals warn that extreme fatigue, difficulty concentrating and a gaunt appearance can be signs of serious medical conditions, including malnourishment as a result of severe, long-term food restriction. As well as causing low mood and energy, it can result in muscle loss, which raises the risk of falls, mobility problems and weakened immunity—making infections more likely. Severe depletion of subcutaneous fat, which lies just beneath the skin, can also lead to pressure sores and delayed wound healing. Responding angrily to what appeared to be incessant questions from fans speculating about her health, Mr Star said: 'People love tearing others down even when they're at their worst. 'It's a given that things aren't ok. It's a given. 'You don't know what's happening behind the scenes. You don't know the steps that I've taken, the phone calls I've had, the things that I'm doing. You have no idea. 'When I said she was okay yesterday it was so you would shut up. Clearly she's not okay and I love her... and I will be here for her and I am here for her. 'You have no idea what she's going through. Show a little compassion, show a little kindness.' Two pre-recorded videos have appeared on Eugenia's account since the incident — though fans claim one was filmed at least a year ago. She has not returned to TikTok Live since. Eugenia received treatment for an eating disorder in 2019, reportedly following an intervention by concerned friends. Later that year, she confirmed she had 'an eating disorder' in a widely viewed interview with fellow YouTuber Shane Dawson—a video that has since been watched more than 30 million times. In an interview with US psychotherapist and YouTuber Kati Morton, Eugenia admitted she was no longer in 'super-constant therapy,' but added: 'Whenever I do feel like I'm struggling, I am able to talk to a therapist and message her.' She has not however, mentioned since if she has received any further treatment. Eating disorders, including bulimia, anorexia and binge eating disorder, affect some 1.25million people in the UK. Damning new figures released last August also showed children's eating disorders had doubled in under a decade. More than 10,600 kids in England were waiting to begin treatment in the past school year. This is up more than 5,000 on 2016/2017 when 5,240 children were left in the queue. Some have even endured delays of more than a year. Experts have also repeatedly raised concerns that the impressionable minds of children and young adults are being easily swayed by social media. Last year, Australian researchers found watching even 10 minutes of videos on TikTok can negatively affect a woman's body image. Experts at Charles Sturt University in New South Wales surveyed 273 women aged 18 to 28 on their body image and beauty standards, before splitting them into two groups. The first watched eight-minute compilations of TikTok videos that included those glorifying eating disorders, dubbed 'pro-anorexia' content. The other's eight-minute compilation included videos involving nature, cooking and comedy. While both groups later reported a decrease in body image satisfaction, those exposed to pro-anorexia content saw the largest drop. Writing in the journal Plos One, the researchers warned that young women exposed to pro-anorexia content on TikTok could face an increase risk of developing disordered eating. In 2023 TikTok was warned it was not moving swiftly enough to strengthen its content policies after a study found its recommendation algorithm pushed self-harm and eating disorder content to teenagers within minutes of them expressing interest in the topics.
