Why?
Ten million women and girls have eating disorders. Up to one million will die from their disorder. This makes the mortality rate for anorexia nervosa higher than any other psychiatric disorder, including depression.
Think of it – up to one million women and girls … dead. It’s time to realize that an eating disorder is not a diet … it’s a disease; a deadly disease that’s devastating the lives and health of far too many females and their families at home.
Why Eating Disorders?
Why do some binge and purge up to a dozen times a day, while others literally starve themselves to death? Looking for an answer? Then simply look around at our American culture obsessed with weight and thinness; look at the media where dieting commercials abound and where even the news seems fascinated by the topic; look at a fashion industry where top models, emaciated by anorexia, actually forfeit their lives right on the runway; look at magazine covers where women are so distorted by computer wizardry that they don’t even look like themselves. Now, consider girls, adolescents, and even women throughout America who are inundated by the relentless message: to be happy, successful, loved, valued – in other words, to have it all – you must be thin. Toss in peer pressure, puberty, normal insecurity, sexual, physical or emotional trauma, perfectionism, life transitions, dieting, or any of a dozen other triggers, and the conditions are perfect for an eating disorder.
At Remuda Programs for Eating Disorders, we know the “whys” behind eating disorders; more important, we know the how: how can these women and girls be helped? Since 1990, we have treated more than 7,500 patients.
Remuda is intentionally Christian, which means we extend loving care and compassion to patients of all beliefs. Our treatment programs are located in the scenic desert of Arizona and the lush countryside of Virginia. In these non-traditional, ranch-like settings, peace and tranquility are the norm. We provide separate programs for children, adolescents and adults, not only to ensure age-appropriate treatment, but in order that all patients are surrounded by their peers.
Each patient has an individualized treatment plan implemented by her own team of professionals. These include a Psychiatric Provider, Primary Care Practitioner, Registered Dietitian, Licensed Master’s-trained Therapist, Psychologist, and Registered Nurses. Along with treating the eating disorder, her team also addresses co-occurring disorders such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse or trauma.
Lasting recovery is our goal for every single patient. Toward that end, we utilize cutting-edge therapies and innovative treatment approaches. In addition to individual and group therapy, patients engage in experiential therapies such as art, body image, equine and challenge course. Each is designed to achieve specific therapeutic goals regarding individual recovery.
Why Me?
Right now, you may be struggling with an eating disorder. Maybe you are so afraid of food and getting fat that your diet has been reduced to eating only carrots and crackers, or cottage cheese and celery, or some other combination that seems "safe.” The fear that you might gain even one pound is constant. Or perhaps you are caught in a cycle of binging and purging -- one that seems impossible to break. Maybe its compulsive exercise or an addiction to laxatives.
Maybe … you're really scared and lonely and sad, and see no way out.
We know asking for help is difficult. But living with an eating disorder day after day is so much harder. Please get the help you need by calling us at 1-800-445-1900 today.
Why Now?
Today, eating disorders are being diagnosed in girls as young as six with the average age of onset standing at 13. If left untreated, these young people can develop critical, often irreversible and life-threatening, medical problems. These include infertility, osteoporosis, brain shrinkage, anemia and heart failure. To say nothing of the destruction of the entire family system where no one – not brothers, sisters, or parents -- is spared.
But if caught and treated early, recovery can be an absolute reality. Research indicates that the sooner a patient receives treatment, the more likely she is to recover from her eating disorder.
Why Remuda?
That’s the easiest “why” of all: because our treatment works. A full 95 percent of Remuda patients remain in recovery after discharge. These women, young and old, have been set free, free from the paralyzing bondage of an eating disorder. They are attending school, having careers, planning families. Food no longer controls them. Best of all -- they are alive.
Please take a moment to look at the articles and information provided on this website. Then, give us a call at 1-800- 445-1900.
Accreditation by JCAHO
Remuda Ranch is committed to the highest level of safety and quality of care for our patients.
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