To The Bone of Anorexia: Biblical Pressures to Modern Day Vogue

Kandel, Johanna

Thursday, March 22, 2018: 3:45 PM-5:15 PM

Royal Dublin (Omni Championsgate)

Background: During this two hour didactic lecture, participants will be walked through the history of anorexia from biblical times to modern day reality; we will evaluate various types of media, pop-culture and societies perceptions and pressures placed upon the âidea of thin.â Then we will changes gears and concentrate on exploring the medical complications of severe malnutrition which are often a âfear factorâ for professionals who are on the forefront of treating and advocating for their clients. Lastly we will focus on the difficult reality of recovery especially given modern media influence as discussed by a recovered advocate.

Objectives: 1. Recognize clinical presentations and pathophysiology of medical complications in severe restricting and purging. 2. Confidently partner with the medical care team to provide a consistent message to the client, and implement new care practice guidelines into your clinical setting. 3. Understand and be able to give a cultural/media driven overview of the âdrive for thinness"

Dr. Mascolo will guide us through the history of anorexia nervosa beginning with biblical times when the first historical reference of a woman suffering from anorexia nervosa is documented. We will explore the evolution of anorexia through the ages and examine the poorly understood constellation of medical symptoms and psychological factors through time and how physicians attempted to understand and define this condition. Subsequently, we will discuss how the disease was ultimately defined and explore treatments based on how/what was understood of the etiology of the disease at various times in history.

We will then shift our focus on the medical complications of severe malnutrition as we understand them today and discuss the underlying pathophysiology of starvation, refeeding, and purging as well as provide evidence-based treatment modalities for the most common complications.

Lastly, we will conclude the presentation by discussing the realities and pressures of living a life in modern day recovery – including mass and social media. Johanna Kandel will share her road to recovery and how she navigates the world as recovered woman.

The history of anorexia nervosa spans from biblical times to the modern era. Whether fasting was used as a means to escape unwanted marriages or break free from corporeal limitations and reach nirvana or become holy or as a way to deal with stress and trauma in life, there are lessons we can learn from history in order to avoid past mistakes and understand the evolution of this illness. Subsequently we will explore the medical complications of severe eating disorders as they are not well understood even in excellent clinical and academic settings. Medical providers rarely receive formal training in starvation or refeeding medicine and may not care for many eating disordered patients. Some of the most medically and psychologically fragile patients therefore often receive suboptimal medical care which can result in patient harm and mistrust of the medical system, as well as provider frustration and sense of helplessness. This session will aim to highlight on a very basic level, the important medical complications of severe restricting and purging. Everyone who comes into contact with patients who have eating disorders should have a great foundation in medical complications that arise, because these are extremely useful “objective” signs of illness which can be employed to break through patients’ denial and motivate recovery. Allied professionals will emerge newly energized to interpret results for patients and their families, and to help others in the community advocate for appropriate care. Lastly, the presentation will conclude with a first-hand account of living a life in eating disorder recovery amongst all the modern day societal triggers.

Primary Presenter:

Margherita Mascolo, MD, CEDS

Dr. Mascolo is the Medical Director at the ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders at Denver Health, where she has been a member of the ACUTE team since its beginning in 2008.Dr. Mascolo completed her undergraduate work at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas and earned her medical degree at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center. She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado. Dr. Mascolo has published multiple peer reviewed articles on the medical complications of eating disorders and has earned her Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) certification as one of the country's leading experts in the medical care of patients with severe eating disorders.

Co-Presenter:

Johanna Kandel, Founder of The Alliance for Eating Disorders

Johanna Kandel founded The Alliance after a 10 year battle with various eating disorders. Since founding The Alliance in October 2000, Johanna has brought information/awareness to more than 250,000 individuals worldwide. Additionally, she facilitates support groups, mentors individuals/families through their treatment/recovery, helps thousands of people to find the help they need, and is fierce advocate for legislation. She is the Immediate Past President of the Board of Directors for the Eating Disorders Coalition, a member of the AED Advisory Board, and was an advisor to The Joint Commission. She's an active participant in NEDA Week, and has received many awards for her ongoing outreach and advocacy work, including the Jefferson Award for Public Service© and Harlequin Enterprises’ More Than Words Award. Johanna has appeared on the NBC Nightly News, CNN, and The Today Show, and profiled in the New York Times, LA Times, Huffingto Post, and Glamour Magazine.

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