R
M PAIN MANAGEMENT
& REHAB ASSOCIATES
STARVATION DIET from page 96
says Helene Kaplan. "It is a difficult
disease to recognize at first, until it
goes to the extreme. We didn't under-
stand what was happening until we
later learned that she was not only
starving her body, she was starving
her mind. We did our best to deal
with her outbursts and starvation, but
we only came to realize the severity of
her condition when we learned more
about the condition."
One of the heroes in this story is
Jeff Thav of Farmington Hills, Erin's
boyfriend. He met her two years ago
when she was thin and quickly real-
ized that her eating habits were dif-
ferent.
"I never mentioned anything about
an eating disorder, gave her uncondi-
tional support and helped her feel
safe when she was with me," says
Thay. "I really didn't know how to
respond and not saying anything
made the most sense.
"There was no point in making
Erin feel worse about eating; that
wasn't going to make things any bet-
ter. There were times, however, when
I was very frightened for Erin because
I know how deadly this disease can
be.
"Then, this past February, we went
on a cruise and Erin was very relaxed.
She started to eat and enjoyed it. This
was a giant step in her recovery."
Persistent Sister
control of their life by controlling
how much food they eat.
"There's no age limit to this dis-
ease," Dr. Gottlieb says. "It can hap-
pen to someone who is 70 as well as
to someone. 17. The disease also
affects people in all cultures.
"Families and friends need to be
supportive," says Dr. Gottlieb.
"Recognize what is taking place and
get help in the early stages of the dis-
ease. This is one disease for which
patients can't get better on their own.
They need help, because often the
focus on eating is a camouflage for
other underlying issues. Recovery is a
difficult process. "
The devastation of anorexia was
publicized when singer Karen
Carpenter died in 1983 from heart
failure, the result of years of suffering
from anorexia nervosa.
"Every organ in the body is impact-
ed by this condition," says Dr. David
Rosenberg, a family physician in
West Bloomfield. "Many individuals
arrive at an electrolyte imbalance and
become dehydrated as well as mal-
nourished.
"In addition, abnormalities start
occurring in the heart and even teeth
become problems because the patient
isn't getting enough nourishment.
Anti-depressants are the usual drug
treatment and may speed up the
recovery process.
"The problem is that many individ-
uals who suffer from this disorder
don't see a problem with their body
weight and perceive themselves as
being overweight. They are often
unwilling and uncooperative partici-
pants, making recovery even more
difficult."
The second hero in Erin's story is
Melissa Shephard, Erin's sister.
Melissa at first blamed herself for
Erin's condition.
"She was my younger sister and I
was the thin one," says Shepherd. "I
learned it wasn't me, and then I didn't
care if Erin was angry with me — I
was going to find a way to help her. I
Supporting Cast
read, I researched, I battled the insur- The final hero in Erin's story is Erin.
ance companies. She promised she
Her recovery is slow. She is employed
would be at my wedding and she
as an aesthetician at Skinthetics in
made it.
West Bloomfield, surrounded by a
"Seeing Erin today makes it worth
supportive group of peers.
the struggle. For her to be alive
"The women are close to my age
today is amazing."
and understand what I'm going
Susan Gottlieb, Ph.D., a practicing
through," says Erin. "They're very
psychologist in Farmington, believes
good at reinforcing my positive atti-
that there is a relatively high preva-
tude and my appearance.
lence of eating disorders in the Jewish
"Now that I have energy, I want to
community.
help other people look good and feel
"Dieting and exercising are fre-
good about themselves, and I can do
quent conversation topics; so is
this by improving the appearance of
counting calories," explains Dr.
their skin. More importantly, I'm
Gottlieb. 'Anorexia takes place when
hoping-that my story may be a wake-
a person loses a lot of weight in a
up call to others and to their families
short time. What's more, the person
so that they won't have to go through
is usually obsessed with food, weight
what we did." CI
and exercise. It's their way to gain
MARK F. ROTTENBERG, M.D.
CHERYL LERCHIN, M.D.
SAMUEL PEROV, M.D.
are pleased to announce
the association of
ALEXANDER IMAS, M.D.
for the practice of
PHYSICAL MEDICINE
S. REHABILITATION
SPORTS MEDICINE
EMG/ELECTRODIAGNOSIS
28300 Orchard Lake Road
Suite 103
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
(248) 538-4900
(248) 538-4949 Fax
www.painrehabdoctor.corn
Product
KASHRUTH ALERT
Quaker Chewy S'mores Granola Bar
Company: The Quaker Oats Company, Chicago, IL
Issue 1:
Issue 2:
Bulk packs containing 3 varieties of Granola bars sold exclusively in
RT's and Costco, inadvertently bear an unauthorized OD symbol on
the individual S'mores bar wrappers inside the carton. The cardboard
carton does not bear an© symbol. The product is not kosher, and
corrective action is being taken.
Value packs containing 3 varieties of Granola Bars, sold exclusively
in Sam's Club, inadvertently bear an unauthorized OD symbol on
the cardboard carton. The individual bear an 0 symbol. The S'mores
bar is not kosher, and corrective action is being tken.
To subscribe to Kashruth Alerts or for updated info.,
visit our website www.ou.org
635560
KASHRUTH ALERT
Some wrapped trays of non-kosher poultry bear a code on the bottom of the
plastic which includes a letter within a circle. These codes may include a K,
U or V within a circle but is not intended to be a Kosher certification symbol.
The use of the circle has been discontinued since May 2002.
In general, Kosher meat and poultry require two closures, seals or other iden-
tifying marks. Kosher meat and poultry will also include the words Kosher or
Glatt on the package.
635570
7/19
2002
97