Anorexia Nervosa

snowy forest | The Kahm Clinic eating disorder treatment center

Many individuals with anorexia nervosa aren’t aware that they have it. They go on with their lives as usual, but things get worse when they start feeling lonely, isolated, and scared of eating certain foods. They may even start avoiding uncomfortable situations. They begin feeling that they don’t need food and that they don’t deserve food because they are not “good enough.” They feel shame and guilt if they eat. Maybe they are sensitive or have low self-esteem. Or they may have experienced a past trauma that they want to control by not eating.

Whatever the reason, if you suffer from anorexia, seeking help is often frightening. It often becomes your friend, yet you wonder if it is your foe. Are you ready to give it up? Are you ready to talk about it, to let others know?

At the Kahm Clinic, we want to give you the support, tools, and structure that you need to challenge the anorexia and to establish physical and nutritional health. With the support and encouragement from our caring nutritionist, we want to help you develop skills and strategies to manage ongoing difficulties with food, body image, and eating disorder behaviors. The sooner you come, the shorter the treatment.

Here are some warning signs to consider if you suspect you or someone you know may be struggling with the disorder:

  • Deliberate self-starvation

  • Intense, persistent fear of gaining weight

  • Refusal to eat or highly restrictive eating

  • Excessive facial/body hair

  • Compulsive exercise

  • Abnormal weight loss

  • Sensitivity to cold

  • Absent or irregular menstruation

  • Hair loss

  • Body dysmorphia (negative thoughts about their body; believing they have a defect in either one or several features of their body)

How Metabolic Testing and Body Composition Analysis Can Help

Far too often, family and friends of anorexics are worried, but the doctors’ blood work and vital signs are normal, showing no signs of problems. It becomes even more difficult because anorexics often believe that there’s nothing wrong with them at all. They vehemently and stubbornly argue that they are perfectly fine – they are sincerely in denial. Through our nutritional assessment at The Kahm Clinic, we can provide empirical evidence that they actually have the eating disorder. We have seen – over and over again – that the instincts of family and friends are usually right.

With metabolic testing and body composition analysis, we have a way to break the denial. We show them concrete proof that they are seriously harming their bodies. After seeing this powerful wake-up call, they stop saying that they are fine. It is a crucial first step to begin recovery, both physiologically and psychologically. Without the tests, it is much harder and takes much longer. And even in cases in which they are not in denial, we can offer an accurate measure of the severity of their anorexia. This is also particularly useful for those worried about a possible relapse. In all cases, we provide customized nutritional counseling until they are fully recovered. With the machines, we can track exactly how well they are recovering, whether they need a higher level of care, and if and when they have fully recovered. Far too often anorexics are deemed recovered and released from treatment too early, only to relapse, increasing the likelihood of chronicity. With these tests, we can help them take back their lives and become who they were meant to be: happy, healthy, energetic, and fully-flourishing human beings.