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Eating Disorders & Preventing Relapse: Just as Important as Treatment
There is no easy and graceful path to recovering from an eating disorder. Relapse of an eating disorder is a very possible scenario for someone on the road to recovery. The key is to keep temporary relapses back into destructive patterns from becoming a full regression. It is important to note that relapse prevention for eating disorders is different depending on each disorder. A good idea is to consult the professional that is aiding your recovery about the possibility and treatment involved with the potential relapse of an eating disorder. Acceptance of needs is an important step toward preventing relapse. Everyone has some type of needs so there is no reason to feel guilty about yours. This means that it is ok to take the steps necessary to replenish your body physically, mentally, and spiritually. Spending time with friends and family is a good way to fill some of these needs. Friends and family can provide emotional support. It is important to spend time each day doing something you are good at. This will build self esteem, which is a factor in every eating disorder. If you do something you are good at, you are setting and accomplishing goals, which is a proven way to build self-esteem. 
An emotional inventory several times a day is a great tool to use when fighting off the power of an eating disorder. If you stop randomly and ask yourself how you are feeling, and then recognize feelings, you can then deal with them. If the feelings are not dealt with they can become overwhelming and blaze the path back to old, destructive habits. Living a healthy life will reduce the chances that you will fall into relapse. This all starts with a good nights sleep. Proper rest is essential for many body systems, including insulin, which contributes to the way your body uses food. Moderate physical exercise, which should consist of at least 60 minutes daily, can also boost self esteem. The act of deliberately making choices is something that should be emphasized in your healthy lifestyle. A patient has to realize that they are not at the whim of the forces in their life; rather, they have the power to affect the forces that govern them through the choices they make. Finally, relapse is too dangerous to be dealt with alone. The key thing to do if a patient fears a relapse has started is to contact the healthcare provider or therapist as soon as possible. Many factors could contribute to a relapse and these professionals can help sort it out.
Vitamin & Nutrient Associations Even when we try to eat well, we're disadvantaged. The nutritional content of most food has been compromised over the years, not only by deficient soils and modern production, transportation, storage and processing methods, but also by the enormous amounts of chemical and artificial substances added to promote growth, storage life, taste and appearance. It's for this reason that more and more medical authorities are advocating the use of vitamin and mineral supplements. However, finding them in the right combination can be both confusing and costly.
More Resources available about eating disorders : Eating Away Pain: How Depression and Eating Disorders Go Hand in Hand These problems with food, weight, and body image can be extremely dangerous to a person’s health, both mentally and physically. Because those who suffer from eating disorders have poor body image, it is easy to see how eating disorders and depression work together.
Eating Disorders - Preventing Relapse: Just as Important as Treatment It is important to note that relapse prevention for eating disorders is different depending on each disorder. A good idea is to consult the professional that is aiding your recovery about the possibility and treatment involved with the potential relapse of an eating disorder.
Un-Support Groups: Anorexic ClubsSurprisingly studies have found that anorexics, as well as people with some other eating disorders, often band together in secretive clubs or cults. These cults are surprisingly structured, and are a way for people to relate to others like them. A sense of belonging is another main reason anorexics turn to these groups. Cults or clubs, whatever you call them, can be very dangerous when unhealthy activity is promoted as acceptable or even encouraged. When suffering from an eating disorder, young adults often feel very alone. Their eating problems alienate them from friends and family, feeding into the problem. Many people with eating disorder have or develop depression or anxiety. Cults that promote eating disorders give these people a sense that they are not alone. This can be a good thing, but the message from the cult is that the eating disorder can continue as a productive part of a person’s life. Eating disorders are very dangerous, resulting many times in death, so these cults should be shut down as often as possible Eating disorder cults have migrated to the online realm. Mostly teenage girls go onto blogs and email others for this sense of belonging. Sharing tips on how to shed pounds, and ridiculing those who don’t lose weight are also common activities for those who have connected through their eating disorders.
On some web sites anorexia is even beginning to develop as a religion. Prayers, psalms, moonlight rituals, and pro-anorexia commandments have all begun to appear and spread throughout the eating disorder underground. Red string bracelets are even sold online now to promote anorexia kinship. Everyone from doctors to webmasters are now beginning to show their concerns about the dangerous atmosphere these sites promote. Unfortunately, there is not a lot the law can do to stop these groups, because it is difficult to prove their exact influences on others.
After all, no one is making anyone else do anything; it is simply a negative support system. Like websites that promote suicide and drug use, anorexia cults on the Internet and otherwise can be very harmful, so watch closely over teens and others susceptible to being influenced by these cults.
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