THE HEALTHY BODY K A N S A S C I T Y
STORY BY ANN E. BUTENAS
It’s Time to
TALK Observed each February, National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is designed to increase awareness and heighten understanding of those who suffer from this form of mental illness. While it may seem like a rather new form of mental illness, eating disorders, also referred to as EDs, have been around for centuries. In fact, they have been described as dating back clear to the 12th century. Purging was actually an ancient practice after over-indulging in food and drink, like the wealthy Romans did during the time of Caesar. Purging was also a way to prevent diseases that were believed to be brought on by certain types of food. In some cultures, women would starve themselves under the belief that a desire for food was a sin. In the late 1800s, anorexia nervosa was recognized by the medical community as a psychiatric condition. By 1979, Gerald Russell, a British doctor, characterized bulimia nervosa as a form of anorexia
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