by Susan Cowden,
About.com Eating Disorders

I’m a little late on this blog as I had the privilege of attending a screening of the new documentary America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments a couple of weeks ago.  However, I do want to make sure that I show my support for what is a funny and thought-provoking film about the diet industry in the United States.

The film follows producer and writer, Darryl Roberts, on a personal journey from his own doctor’s recommendations to take medication and lose weight for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, through his attempts at several diets and finally finding a balance of eating a variety of foods and increasing his activity level.  His personal story underscores the research that diets simply do not work and that 95% of people who attempt them will regain the weight they lost (and potentially gain even more weight).

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Together Magazine

For years, child beauty pageants were fairly benign: girls wore frilly party dresses and satin ribbons. That innocent vision was permanently shattered in 1996 with the murder of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey in Boulder, Colorado. Although seemingly unrelated to her death, much was made of JonBenét’s involvement in beauty contests. Provocative clips of this beautiful little girl singing and walking the runway were a staple on television news for months.

Fast forward to 2009, a mere 13 actual years and a million media light years away from that tragic time. In this first decade of the new millennium, sensationalism became standard and reality shows were crowned king. Enter TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras. This television show took viewers behind the scenes of the unique world of child beauty pageants. Each wildly popular episode showcased the tears and tantrums of the “divaesque” toddlers and the extreme lengths pageant parents went to in order to claim the cash and crown. Nothing was off limits—not hair extensions, stage makeup, spray tans, fake teeth, padded breasts – nothing.

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by Dr. Melanie Barton
Lemont Patch

BEDA, a national organization focused on increasing prevention, diagnosis and treatment of binge eating disorder (BED) and associated weight stigma, has named chairman and CEO of Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center, James Gresham, to its board of directors. Through outreach, education and resources, BEDA facilitates awareness, excellence in care and recovery for those who live with and those who treat BED and its associated conditions.

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by Dr. Melanie Barton, The Dr. Melanie Show

Listen to Timberline Knolls Medical Director Dr. Kim Dennis speak with Dr. Melanie Barton about anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders recovery at an eating disorder treatment center.

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