Parachute Kids

Have you ever heard of “Parachute Kids?”  I had never heard of this phenomenon until my friend Emily Chang approached me to collaborate on this short film she wrote.  Here’s more about them, also known as “Astronaut Families” or “Satellite Kids,” in last year’s OC Register:“Parachute kids,” or unaccompanied minors, are youngsters who are sent to study and live in the U.S. without their parents as early as the first grade.The stress of immigration, coping with separation from parents and having high academic expectations greatly affects the psychological and emotional well-being of parachute children. The common feelings of loneliness, sadness, anger, alienation and homesickness can become precursors for the development of serious psychological and behavioral problems, such as depression, anxiety,

France bans ultra-thin models in anorexia crackdown – video

France’s lower house of parliament on Friday passes a law banning excessively thin fashion models, threatening modelling agencies and fashion houses with fines and even jail if they hire malnourished women. The bill was widely debated in the lower house, with dissenters saying it would give foreign models an advantage in the industry. Socialist MP Olivier Veran, who spearheaded the bill, said new measures would require models to undergo a full medical assessment Continue reading…

France votes to ban ultra-thin models in crackdown on anorexia

Modelling agencies protest as those employing models considered too thin face fines of up to €75,000 and six months in prisonFrench MPs have approved tough measures in an attempt to combat anorexia that will make it a crime for fashion agencies to use dangerously thin or undernourished models. Members of the lower house of parliament also voted on Friday for measures that will make it illegal to promote anorexia on the internet and will oblige agencies to clearly mark all photographs of models that have been retouched to alter their body shape. Continue reading…

Women’s History Month at Miami-Dade College

A couple of weeks ago, I had the honor of speaking at Miami-Dade College for Women’s History Month. A number of the students in attendance, as part of a class project, had constructed life-size body collages exhibiting information about eating disorders. Here’s a panoramic shot of the students with their projects, their professor, and me:So wonderful, right? And here are some of the individual projects close up. The first is a visual representation of the emotional pain and body distortion inherent to anorexia:The second collage highlights the relationship between eating disorders and pregnancy, commenting on the impact of disordered eating on a growing fetus:I even got to pose with a life-size Barbie, one student’s interpretation of Mattel’s popular diva:This Barbie

Brother Orange Trailer!

Have you heard about this story?  You can read about it great detail here.Lynn’s husband Abe documented the whole thing!  Movie is coming soon.  We love the internet! You can watch it with Chinese Subtitles too!(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));Brother Orange TrailerBrother Orange Trailer: A story about one of the most unlikely friendships, that could only happen in 2015.You can read about the story now at: bzfd.it/brotherorangePosted by BuzzFeed IRL on Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Gluten-Free Breakfast Cookies

Gluten-Free Breakfast Cookies Good morning Angels~ I recently attended the second of two yoga/detox workshops with my teacher in my new neighborhood (the following recipe is adapted from Alexandra’s Super Cookies recipe and this no-bake version and also this one from Oh She Glows)  I am switching up my food and even shifting yoga sequences to clear and cleanse my system as spring (could it be any slower?!!) calls to me. These gluten-free breakfast cookies are also dairy-free, and filled with everything to calm any craving. Satisfying and easy to make. Plus if you’re vegan or vegetarian or gluten-free or dairy free… these will make you happy. I have a batch in my oven right now and that

Mechanisms that link compulsive binge eating with hypertension identified

An estimated eight million adults in the U.S. suffer from binge eating disorder. Now, researchers have shown that compulsive binging on foods that are high in fat and sugar can trigger specific molecular changes that can lead to high blood pressure (hypertension). While others have studied the effects of binge eating on the brain, this study is the first to look at its molecular effects on the expression of certain proteins in the body.

The New Improved BMI

BMI categories underestimate the presumed health consequences of lower weights and overestimate the presumed health consequences of higher weights.

Talking about my OCD has made me feel less alone

What I want is to live in a world where people can feel comfortable to sit at work and say things along the lines of, “I’m feeling really anxious today” to their close colleagues (with whom they are comfortable sharing family, relationship and who knows what else) – and no-one will think they’re weird; for feeling that way nor for sharing the information.  I think it should be socially acceptable for anyone, when asked by a friend or close acquaintance “how are you?” to answer not just with either “I’m fine thanks” or “well I’ve got a bit of a cold/the kids have got me worn out/I’ve got loads on at work”; but also with “I’m feeling quite down” or maybe even “actually I’m