Dr. O'Toole's Blog

Our families know that at Kartini Clinic we never advocate diets of any kind. Not only do they not work, they can be dangerous for those predisposed to an eating disorder such as anorexia. We continue to be amazed at the number of ridiculous fad diets to come out of Hollywood. The latest, as reported by Healthzone.ca, encourages adults to ingest baby food as a means of restricting calories.

The Portland Business Journal has reported that over 400 Oregon families had been taken in by two Tennessee companies selling bogus insurance policies.

The National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) is launching an initiative to gather testimony from families about their struggles with mental health insurers. NEDA believes that insured patients and their families need a voice to communicate their experiences in the pursuit of treatment.  The Advocacy and Communication Committee of the Academy for Eating Disorders wants your help.

Kari Thielke, lead dietician at Rogers Memorial Hospital, in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, talks about the importance of family meals in the treatment of eating disorders. According to Thielke, family members find that eating meals together can provide a time to actually listen to one another, a time to bond and create a healthier diet.

The Huffington Post reports that three US senators have sponsored the Federal Response to Eliminate Eating Disorders (FREED) Act. Senators Al Franken (D-MN), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Tom Harkin (D-IA) have introduced a wide-ranging bill aimed at improving education, diagnosis, and treatment of eating disorders. 

The bill would require the federal government to:

Many of our families utilize Regence BCBS's eating disorder benefits when seeking treatment at Kartini Clinic. The Portland Business Journal reports that Regence BCBS has issued a warning about a scam involving nutritional supplements. Regence BCBS, with members spread across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Utah, reported a series of false claims filed by companies that sell nutritional supplements.

As reported on NPR, The American Psychiatric Association is releasing a new draft of its book of mental disorders Wednesday. Often described as the bible of psychiatry, this new version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders proposes some significant changes to classification of bipolar disorder, Asperger's syndrome, "cutting" — and binge eating.

Read the entire article here.