Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Perfectionism
Perfectionism is not about doing our best. It's not about the struggle for excellence, or the healthy striving for high goals. Perfectionism is about believing that if we can just do something perfectly, other people will love and accept us-and if we can't, we'll never be good enough. Perfectionism is a burden that takes a heavy toll (Greenspan, Tom 2002).
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Trauma
One of the effects of early trauma on the early developing nervous system are regulatory deficits like a lowered HPA axis threshold that leads to half-trigger release of stress hormones into our bodies. Being bathed in stress hormones may be at the heart of depression and anxiety disorders.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Our brains use calories
Our brains require approximately 400-500 calories per day to operate optimally.
Adina McGarr-Knabke, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
818.518.6775
Please note: In compliance with the Health Portability and Accountability Act "HIPAA" (rule 104-91), this message is intended only for use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this electronic message is not the intended recipient or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this electronic message in error, please notify the sender immediately by telephone at 818.518.6775, and purge the electronic message immediately without making any copy or distribution. Thank you.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Why we worry so much?
The function of rumination is survival based in humans. In other words, we are hard wired to worry about anxiety provoking things as it helps ensure survival.
Adina McGarr-Knabke, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
818.518.6775
Please note: In compliance with the Health Portability and Accountability Act "HIPAA" (rule 104-91), this message is intended only for use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this electronic message is not the intended recipient or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this electronic message in error, please notify the sender immediately by telephone at 818.518.6775, and purge the electronic message immediately without making any copy or distribution. Thank you.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
What happens when restricting/fasting?
Ghrelin is an appetite stimulating, gut derived peptide that induces the drive/motivation to consume food. Levels of ghrelin rise upon fasting or severely restricting calories, which may, in turn, trigger a binge.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Anorexia
40-50% of the risk of developing Anorexia is genetic, it is as inheritable as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, etc.
Adina McGarr-Knabke, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
818.518.6775
Please note: In compliance with the Health Portability and Accountability Act "HIPAA" (rule 104-91), this message is intended only for use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this electronic message is not the intended recipient or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this electronic message in error, please notify the sender immediately by telephone at 818.518.6775, and purge the electronic message immediately without making any copy or distribution. Thank you.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Addiction
One in four adults, at some stage in their lifetime, will suffer from drug or alcohol addiction (Harris, 2006)
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Human Suffering
In any year, almost 30% of the adult population will suffer from a recognized psychiatric disorder (Kessler et al, 1994).
Adina McGarr-Knabke, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
818.518.6775
Please note: In compliance with the Health Portability and Accountability Act "HIPAA" (rule 104-91), this message is intended only for use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this electronic message is not the intended recipient or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this electronic message in error, please notify the sender immediately by telephone at 818.518.6775, and purge the electronic message immediately without making any copy or distribution. Thank you.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Amino Acid Based Supplements vs. Psychotropic Medication
While psychotropic medications, such as antidepressants and mood stabilizers, are a huge asset to many struggling with various mental disorders, some people do not experience symptom relief . This could result from many different factors, but one possibility is that the person simply does not have enough raw material (ie serotonin, dopamine, norephinephrine, etc.) for the medication to act upon. This is due to the fact that psychotropic medications do not assist the body in making more neurotransmitters, rather they recycle or inhibit the actions of the neurotransmitters already present. It is speculated that the long-term use of psychotropic medications may lead to depletion of certain neurotransmitter stores. Specific amino acid based supplements, however, assist in the creation and synthesis of new neurotransmitters, making them a viable option for most and especially for those who are deriving little to no benefit from their psychotropic medication.
Adina McGarr-Knabke, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
818.518.6775
Please note: In compliance with the Health Portability and Accountability Act "HIPAA" (rule 104-91), this message is intended only for use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this electronic message is not the intended recipient or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this electronic message in error, please notify the sender immediately by telephone at 818.518.6775, and purge the electronic message immediately without making any copy or distribution. Thank you.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Basal Metabolic Rate
One's basal metabolic rate accounts for 65-70% of calories burned per day. Go to http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ to determine your BMR (# of calories burned at rest). From there, you can determine your daily caloric needs based on your activity level with the Harris Benedict equation.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Do Compulsive Overeaters Have A Food Addiction?
People who are compulsive eaters show similar activity in the same brain regions as people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol.
Addiction to food is a biologically driven process linked with reward centres, and not just another behaviour problem.
Forty eight healthy young American women with body sizes ranging from lean to obese were first tested with the Yale Food Addiction Scale, and then monitored with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Each woman was first shown a picture of a chocolate milkshake and an image of a glass of water. They were then asked to actually taste the milkshake (milk with four scoops of vanilla ice cream and 2 tablespoons of chocolate syrup) or a solution which tasted like natural saliva (plain water would have activated parts of the brain related to taste).
The researchers chose milkshakes not only because they have a high fat and sugar content (sugar has been most consistently linked with food addiction), but also because they could be consumed relatively smoothly through a small tube in the mouth. In contrast, chewing associated with candy bars or other forms of sweets would have caused the participants to move their head during the scan. One hypothesis was borne out almost immediately: Women with higher food-addiction scores showed more activity in the parts of the brain associated with addiction when exposed to pictures of delectable chocolate milkshakes.
But, unexpectedly, when sampling the actual food, women showed less activation, which could be because the brain just gets flooded all the time, which shuts down some of reward reactors. This could be due to their hope of it being the best thing they ever tasted but when it doesn't meet expectations, they eat more.
The researchers noted that obesity-related disease is the second leading cause of preventable death. They also explained that further research was necessary to clarify their results, pointing out, for example, that their study did not measure hunger (which could have an impact on the scores) and was confined only to females. Despite some limitations, the researchers felt the specific nerve patterns of brain activation in some subjects suggested addiction, and were especially worried by the finding that mere images of food could start the brain racing.
Advertising is everywhere and exerts a powerful influence over our behaviour. But it can have a positive impact, too, by helping people develop more successful self-control strategies, modulate food cravings and make healthier choices. Another concern was that about 10 percent of people who didn't necessarily qualify as food addicts also showed some activation in the related brain regions. Even though a small percentage might be full-blown food addicts, some may be having only symptoms like a lot of cravings.
The researchers hope that this study could help the scientific community to accept food addiction as a disease, thereby reduce stigma among heavier people and more effective ways for them to lose weight.
Read more at: http://doctor.ndtv.com/storypage/ndtv/id/5136/Compulsive_eaters_have_food_addiction.html?pfrom=home-DoctorNDTV&cp
Archives of General Psychiatry, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women [Trailer] - Available on DVD
Check out this video on YouTube:
Sent from my iPhone
Sent from my iPhone
Women Are Talking About LIfe Size Barbie
By Lisa Marsh
TODAY.com contributor TODAY.com contributor
TODAY.com contributor TODAY.com contributor
In Galia Slayen’s hands, the iconic blond plaything has morphed into a life-size representation of what an eating disorder looks like.
Four years ago, Slayen, then a student at Lincoln High School in Portland, Ore., built what she believed to be a life-size version of the doll she played with as a child as part of the first National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
“I was at a friend’s house and her mom’s an artist so there were all these art supplies around,” Slayen told TODAY.com. “She helped with the actual proportions.”
Slayen brought the life-sized doll to the Today studios Monday to show off her handiwork. The Barbie stands about 6 feet tall with a 39" bust, 18" waist and 33" hips. She is made of wood, chicken wire and papier mache, and is dressed in a size 00 skirt that was a remnant from Slayen’s one-year bout with anorexia.
“I’m not blaming Barbie [for my illness] — she’s one small factor, an environmental factor,” Slayen said. “I’m blond and blue-eyed and I figured that was what I was supposed to look like. She was my idol. It impacted the way I looked at myself.”
The goal in creating Barbie’s likeness was to start conversation. “Talking about eating disorders is taboo to many people, and this made people talk about it,” Slayen said. “It’s a shocking image. A lot of people have seen it, and it’s started debates,” she said, particularly after she wrote about it for the Huffington Post. “Her proportions are not 100 percent correct, but her look is not invalid.”
“As a pop-cultural icon, Barbie is often used as art to express one’s own personal opinions and views,” a Mattel spokesperson said in an email. “Girls see female body images everywhere today and it’s critical that parents and caregivers provide perspective on what they are seeing. It’s important to remember that Barbie is a doll who stands 11.5 inches tall and weighs 7.25 ounces — she was never modeled on the proportions of a real person.”
Adina McGarr-Knabke, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
818.518.6775
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Therapy Efficacy
One of the many benefits of therapy includes the identification of self perpetuated, unconscious themes and/or patterns causing the individual pain. Making the unconscious, conscious is the first step toward resolution. Sent from my iPhone
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Psychotherapy
Therapy is essentially the process of reworking thwarted developmental processes (Nancy McWilliams)
Adina McGarr-Knabke, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
818.518.6775
Please note: In compliance with the Health Portability and Accountability Act "HIPAA" (rule 104-91), this message is intended only for use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this electronic message is not the intended recipient or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this electronic message in error, please notify the sender immediately by telephone at 818.518.6775, and purge the electronic message immediately without making any copy or distribution. Thank you.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Untitled
Why does it seem like I'm gaining weight in my stomach? This may be a question posed by individuals in recovery from anorexia. When one begins to refeed a malnourished body, weight will often distribute to the stomach first to protect vital organs. As the body begins to trust that the threat of starvation is gone, weight will distribute more normally.
Adina McGarr-Knabke, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
818.518.6775
Please note: In compliance with the Health Portability and Accountability Act "HIPAA" (rule 104-91), this message is intended only for use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this electronic message is not the intended recipient or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this electronic message in error, please notify the sender immediately by telephone at 818.518.6775, and purge the electronic message immediately without making any copy or distribution. Thank you.
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