WELCOME TO RAMEY NUTRITION BY SCARLETT RAMEY, MS, RD, CD

The passion that comes from working with geniuses, which most of my patients are, is immeasurable.
Witnessing the healing process they own is the primary reason I opened this clinic. My patients achieve results due to choices we make together. They are on their own time line for long and short-term goals, and I always go at their pace, not mine. Food issues I am faced with usually have a story behind them, and working through that story leads my patients to eating disorder recovery, weight management goals, diabetes management, and medical nutrition solutions. Trust is the “how” of what I do. Changing food in someone’s life can be highly detrimental, if not traumatic. Building trust is the key to allowing my patients to shift in ways that are dynamic to their goals.

One of my strengths that lead to my patients succeeding on their own is my own realization and belief that we live in the REAL WORLD. This means goals must be set that are not far off from what people normally do. When given medical goals, that seem un-doable, it can feel futile, frustrating and hopeless, but if I can align those goals with their lifestyle, I consider it a success. Often times, just
listening to my patients is the best path to success. They know more than I ever will about what the real issues are and can heal them quickly if I don’t interrupt.
If you and/or someone you love needs assistance with recovery from an eating disorder, diabetes management, weight management, or medical nutrition diagnoses, I would love to talk with you about how we can attain your goals.

‘Why don’t you just eat?’ Eating disorder patients are caught between stigma and government indifference

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Jennifer Sygo | February 5, 2015 | Last Updated: Feb 5 11:42 AM ET
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Alberto PizzoliAFP/Getty Images filesWhile coverage of eating disorders has increasing in mass media, putting the spotlight on unhealthy images of women, especially, getting care for an eating disorder in Canada can still be difficult, and in some provinces, impossible.

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We’ve all talked a lot about mental health in the last week or so, but when it comes down to the hard health risks, which disorder currently has the highest mortality rate?

‘Anorexia is a lifestyle, not a disease': An investigation into harrowing online forums promoting extreme dieting

“I got diagnosed with my eating disorder at the age of nine. I remember playing tag in the schoolyard with my friends and running around because I wanted to lose weight. I remember throwing out food. When celebrating my birthday, I never wanted a cake; I wanted healthy snacks and told everybody I didn’t like sweets.

“The disgust I felt towards my body developed during a period of abuse. I was sexually abused by a family member from the age of five. It lasted until I was 12 and it has made me hate my body. Starving myself is a way to make it disappear, to vanish, to clean, purify and punish myself.”

This is Jade’s story. Jade is 24 and lives in the North East of England. She studied social work at university, but is now unemployed, “because of the obvious.” Instead, Jade runs a website that has thousands of followers around the world. At the top of the home page is a red banner that reads: “Anorexia is a lifestyle, not a disease.”

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The answer might surprise you: According to a number of experts, as well a study published in theAmerican Journal of Psychiatry, eating disorders might be the most deadly of all mental illnesses, with an estimated 10% to 20% of individuals diagnosed with anorexia nervosa dying prematurely as a direct result of the disorder or its complications.

Eating disorders are disturbingly common, affecting an estimated 300,000 Canadians, including a significant number of males. The number of individuals who will experience a serious eating disorder, which can include anorexia or bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder, is estimated to be approximately double the number with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, combined.

Despite the prevalence and risk of eating disorders, Canada’s governments do not have a coherent strategy for prevention and treatment — or even for keeping statistics on how many of us are afflicted. There are no national databases for treatment providers, research funds are scarce, and there number of specialists who can be called upon as experts is limited. 

Perhaps what should concern us most are the wait lists for beds at in-patient eating disorder units, which can be years long. While waiting for treatment, many sufferers worsen, and in some cases, they die. Some provinces have recently increased the number of available treatment beds — Ontario, for example, has recently added a 12-bed unit in Whitby, but the numbers still barely scratch the surface — or, as is the case in Ontario, new beds are reserved for children and adolescents, not adults.

But if eating disorders are so dangerous and potentially fatal, why has there been so little action to date. “It’s discrimination, not poor planning,” says Dr. Blake Woodside, medical director for the Program for Eating Disorders at Toronto General Hospital. “It’s based on an a priori belief that these girls and guys are misbehaving, that it’s a lifestyle choice. It goes back to the old adage of, ‘Why don’t you just eat?’ These individuals experience discrimination at almost every step of their illness, and yet it’s one of our most lethal psychiatric illnesses.”The growing concern over Canada’s lack support for eating disorder patients recently culminated in a Parliamentary committee report on the subject. The report, which was released in November and is now in the hands of the federal government, included testimony from some 27 witnesses, including physicians such as Dr. Woodside, as well as dietitians, parents of affected children, and leaders of advocacy groups, such as Merryl Bear of the National Eating Disorder Information Centre, (NEDIC) and Wendy Preskow, the founder of National Initiative for Eating Disorders (NIED). The final report, which is available online, recommends improved data collection, national best practices guidelines — and shorter wait times for care.

Despite the enthusiasm generated by the release of the report, many of those who testified are concerned the committee’s recommendations are too weak and could be swept aside.

“We need a national strategy that is fully and appropriately funded, and that covers the full spectrum of issues related to eating disorders, including research, treatment, and prevention,” Bear said. 

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