July 2004

Exercise critical to treating anorexia

A study which will be published in Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, reveals that anorexic patients who participated in healthy exercise as part of treatment gained 40 percent more weight compared to those who did not exercise.

"This news may come as a shock to medical professionals who do not generally include exercise in the treatment for anorexia and bulimia," said Rachel Calogero, MA, Research associate at The Renfrew Center Foundation and co-author of the paper. "The findings support the philosophy that the primary purpose of exercise should not be for weight loss. Rather, it should promote positive attitudes about the body through establishing a mind-body connection, and alleviating physical and mental stress."

The six-month study, led by The Renfrew Center Foundation, the nonprofit arm of The Renfrew Center , a facility dedicated to treating eating disorders and related women's mental health issues, was conducted from August 2002 through March 2003. Two hundred and fifty four adult and adolescent patients admitted into residential treatment at The Renfrew Center of Philadelphia were monitored to investigate the effectiveness of an exercise program which was initially designed to target exercise abuse.

The exercise program is led by exercise coordinators four to five times per week and includes three levels of exercise. The exercises are drawn mainly from yoga, Pilates, resistance training and sports conditioning, and even include partner work. Once admitted by the Renfrew staff, the patients advance through the program based on their progress in treatment.

Kelly Pedrotty, MA, exercise coordinator at The Renfrew Center and co- author of the paper, adds, "The idea behind the program is to change the patient's attitudes about exercise. Throughout the program, women are encouraged to do something different with their exercise. For example, if a woman struggles with comparing herself to others during exercise, she is urged to focus on her breathing, pay attention to how her body feels, close her eyes, and experience the exercise for herself."

Exercise abuse is a typical symptom of eating disorders affecting anywhere from 33 to 100 percent of eating disorder patients and one of the last symptoms to subside after treatment. The use of exercise aids in the treatment for exercise abuse, in which sufferers engage in chaotic patterns of exercise driven by self punishment or a need to acquire the permission to eat.

Source: The Rendrew Center Foundation, http://www.renfrewcenter.com/.

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