It’s said to be the most wonderful time of the year… But for many people, the festive season presents significant challenges. This may be especially true for people who struggle with their relationship with food and/or their bodies. With the pressure to “eat and be merry”, people who do not feel joyful (especially those with … Read More
Regular exercise participation is prescribed for many people with physical and mental health conditions. Suggested benefits of exercise are multiplying daily as science discovers more about the human body. How do we know, however, when exercise no longer supports (and rather, degrades) our patients’ health? ‘Harmful exercise’ describes exercise behaviours that degrade, rather than enhance, … Read More
Centre for Integrative Health (CFIH) is pleased to have had their first article published in this month’s edition of Good Health Magazine. Over the next 12 months, CFIH will be a monthly contributor to the magazine. We aspire to utilise this opportunity as a platform from which to increase awareness of eating- and weight- concerns and … Read More
When I started working as a Dietitian I thought, “How can I help people with eating disorders when it’s about so much more than just food?” Eating disorders are psychiatric illnesses and I, therefore, knew that they required psychological intervention. In the absence of going back to university to study psychology, I wondered how I … Read More
It makes sense that many of us turn to food in times of stress when we consider our histories with food. As babies, our cries were likely met with food (in the form of our mother’s breast or a bottle) along with a nurturing embrace. From there, food was likely paired with a host of … Read More
Of the many incredible moments throughout the short history of CFIH, this was easily the best… CFIH was thrown a surprise birthday party last night. Thank you to the passionate and committed CFIH team for organising the event on top of everything else they do on a daily basis to make CFIH all that it … Read More
Chances are, you have heard someone (or perhaps yourself) say “I know what to eat but I just can’t do it”. Healthy eating is so much more than meal plans or education about what to eat. Whilst an understanding of nutrition is important, CFIH Dietitian, Kate Pollard, reveals there is often too much focus on … Read More
Self-compassion is an important part of recovery for people with eating disorders, University of Queensland researchers have found. The School of Psychology study reviewed the use of compassion focussed therapy (CFT) in the treatment of eating and weight concerns. CFT, which has grown over the last two decades, encourages self-compassion to alleviate suffering that is … Read More
When it comes to eating disorders, it’s reported that 1 in 10 don’t seek the help that they need.
Kiera, Marita, and Alanah recently attended the International Conference for Eating Disorders (ICED), hosted by the Academy of Eating Disorders (AED), in Prague. Marita also presented a measure she has recently developed in conjunction with CFIH dietitian, Kate Pollard; ‘the Eating for Muscularity Scale’. Marita and Kate hope the scale will better enable medical and … Read More
Kiera, Marita and Alanah will all be presenting at this year’s annual Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANZAED) conference in Sydney, this September. Kiera will be presenting an oral presentation on “Why Diets Fail”; aimed at improving society’s understanding of obesity, reducing weight-stigma, and exploring alternatives to weight loss for improving health; physically … Read More
Take a yoga or meditation class together: We live in a society where there is so much external stimulus and noise that it can be really beneficial to take some time out. Meditation and low intensity sitting or lying movements are a great way to allow people to focus on the present moment. Hit the … Read More