Way back in June, as we tried to decide on a name for our retreat, we never dreamed our Metamorphosis Retreat would, well... metamorphosize so much!

We've changed location to bring the retreat even closer to home, and to make it even easier on your wallet. The retreat will now be held at The Sandman Hotel in Victoria, Noevember 17th-21st.

• Day Option $863.00 CDN, all inclusive, exlcuding dinner
• Double Occupancy Option, $1065.00, all inclusive, exlcuding dinner
• Single Occupancy Option, $1266.00, all inclusive, excluding dinner

by, Michelle Morand, Founder and Director of The CEDRIC Centre.

Why Do I do this to myself: Eating Disorders: Origins, Signs and Steps to Recovery.

When we think about someone having an eating disorder we often experience feelings of disbelief and pity. We imagine the 80 Pound waif starving herself to death in pursuit of the perfect figure, and think how sad it is that she can't see how small she has become, and that she has lost sight of her inner beauty, and worth.

What we rarely envision is the man or woman who is overweight and engaging in compulsive eating. "That person doesn't have an eating disorder," we say, "They just need to try dieting/lose some weight/exercise some willpower." Well, I'm here to tell you that the overweight person often has just as much of an obsession with weight loss and body image as the underweight one. What we need to understand is that compulsive eating is not about a lack of willpower. It is not about being lazy or unconcerned with one's own well being. It is about a person who turns to food to fulfill their need for comfort and nurturing. Now, having said that I must clarify that everyone who is at a high or low weight according to society's standards, is not necessarily suffering from an eating disorder. There is a lot of physical diversity out there, and bodies come in all shapes and sizes. But one of the side effects of eating compulsively is often weight gain, if you are eating when you're not hungry and or unable to stop when you're full, whatever your size, you are engaging in compulsive eating.

Though Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Compulsive Eating may seem like radical opposites on the scale of eating disorders, the truth is they are brought about by the same need. The need for love, the need for acceptance and the need to feel secure in who they are and their importance in the world is what drives one to disordered eating in the first place.

Hey, Feds, Weight a Minute...

By Sandy Szwarc, RN, BSN, CCP

The U.S. federal government recently ruled that taxpayers will foot the bills for weight loss surgeries and other weight loss treatments for Medicare patients, if medical evidence can demonstrates their effectiveness. This is the door opening to broader obesity-related coverages, as a September 30th New York Times article revealed. According to Karen Ignagni, president of America's Health Insurance Plans, the national health insurance trade organization, everyone's premiums will be impacted if, as expected, private and employer-based health insurance plans follow suit. It's anticipated that as coverage becomes more readily available, more Americans will seek the surgeries and the numbers performed will skyrocket from this year's estimated 144,000 surgeries. So will the costs.

This month we're exploring a popular trend on the web, pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia web sites.

What is Pro-Anorexia Anyway?

Pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia websites are predominantly designed and used by young women in their teens. The sites combine personal stories, poetry, bulletin boards, and tips dedicated to sharing experiences around anorexia and bulimia. And while the sites do provide support, the nature of the support revolves around enabling it's readers to remain eating disordered.

Pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia sites are dedicated to helping their users become "better" bulimics and anorexics. The girls post messages back and forth about how best to cheat the scale, how to survive on diet coke and 300 calories a day, and how to hide excessive exercise from friends and family. Members are encouraged to take part in dieting/restriction competitions, to post what they ate, and how much on a daily basis, or to share their poetry about Ana and Mia, (shorthand for anorexia and bulimia).

But calling anorexia "Mia" goes beyond giving a nickname to an eating disorder. To many of the girls "Ana" isn't just shorthand, but a personification of perfection.

Artwork of "Ana" and "Mia" is drawn as if they were real women. Usually, Ana is rendered as a waifish girl with a fragile, childlike beauty. While "Mia" is often depicted as a little bolder, a little edgier, like a female action hero, or a "Goth" princess. Drawings of "Ana" and "Mia" are symbolic of what the artists would like to be. Of what they aspire to. On the sites, this often referred to as "thinspiration."

Mainstream media has mostly reported on the extreme aspects of the sites. And what often gets lost in the hunt for a juicy headline is that, as far as the girls who frequent the websites are concerned, the other members are like family, and the website is a form of support.

The Status Syndrome

Written by Michael Marmont, reviewed by Brooke

You probably didn't realize that when you graduated from college you increased your lifespan, or that your co-worker who has a master's degree is more likely to live a longer and healthier life. In his ground breaking book, Sir Michael Marmot explores the link between seemingly small social differences in education, job title, income, even the size of your house or apartment and their profound impact on your health.

For years we have focused on how advances in technology and genetics can extend our lives and cure disease. But as the author argues, we are looking at the issue backwards. Social inequalities are not a footnote to the real causes of ill health in industrialized countries; they are the cause. The psychological experience of inequality, Marmot shows, has a profound effect on our lives. And while this may be alarming, it also suggests a ray of hope. If we can understand these social inequalities, we can also mitigate their effects.

In this groundbreaking book, Marmot, an internationally renowned epidemiologist, marshals evidence from around the world and from nearly thirty years of his research to demonstrate that how much control you have over your life and the opportunities you have for full social participation are crucial for health, well-being, and longevity.

Although Marmot doesn't directly address eating disorders in his book, most, if not all of the information is applicable.

Marmot argues convincingly that many of the diseases we atrtribute to obesity, (high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease), may have as much, or more to do, with how we stigmatize obese people.

email: brooke@cedriccentre.com

phone: 1-866-383-0797 / 250-383-0797

web: http://www.cedriccentre.com