By Jane Shure
Psychotherapist, Author, Speaker
These days most people know someone in their family or community who has been impacted by an eating disorder. In the United States alone, as many as 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting a life and death battle with anorexia or bulimia. Approximately 15 million more are struggling with binge eating disorder.
Research shows that genetic factors create vulnerabilities for some individuals, placing them at risk for responding to cultural pressures and triggering behaviors such as dieting and obsessive exercise. Every eating disorder signifies a host of psychological and medical problems that can be exceptionally costly, not only economically, but also in terms of physical, emotional, spiritual and social suffering.