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Eating disorders in Children
Author : Deanne
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Date : 09/04/2011 02:43:04
Eating disorders in children is not a new phenomenon but they are unfortunately on the increase, with the number of children being hospitalised having risen by one third over the last 10 years. Sadly these figures only represent a tip of the iceberg as many more children are suffering in silence.
The most commonly recognized eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, but in children there appears to be some variants that don’t fit into these eating disorder diagnoses including selective eating disorder, which is characterised by children who try to avoid eating new foods, food avoidance emotional disorder which results in food avoidance because of emotional difficulties which affects your child’s appetite and food refusal disorder which is simply your child’s way of getting a preferred food.
Recently Clover House, a small independent children’s charity in Saltford, has seen an influx of children who are suffering from a range of eating problems that is affecting their health and happiness. John, aged 9 was first bought to Clover House suffering from a range of food phobias but was told by his GP that “he is just being fussy and will grow out of it”. After just three sessions, which included one on one therapy with a Nutritionist, an Imagery therapist and a Massage therapist John was trying a whole variety of new foods. His parents were delighted saying that the results were “much better than we ever could imagine”.
Here are a few tips you might try to encourage your child to eat:
-Sit down to eat with them. Children love attention and if they associate eating with having you to talk to and listen to them, they will probably view mealtimes in a much more positive light.
-Give rewards if they eat some of the food you want them to eat. Start a ‘gold star’ chart and award them a star every time they eat fruit, vegetables or a sandwich for example.
-Invite other children round who you know eat heartily! Experiments have shown that children often copy their peers at mealtimes, so if they see another child eating a full plate of food, they are more likely to try those foods themselves.
The therapists at Clover House have had many years experience dealing with children of all ages with any type of eating difficulty. Their unique fusion of Nutrition, Creative Imagery and Massage Therapy has consistently produced successful results of over 83% in just three sessions. They believe that the proper mix of proven complementary, traditional and modern remedies, which emphasis’s the active participation of the child and their parents, can help to create a powerful healing force. If your child is displaying any changes in their eating behavior and you are concerned that it might develop further, get in touch with them on 01225 344047 or email then at info@cloverhouse.org to find out how they can help your child.
Further information is available on their website, www.cloverhouse.org including a DVD clip of their work, with parents and children’s testimonies. There are free information fact sheets on the most common conditions they treat. Additionally, Clover House has a booklet on help and advice and a DVD showing parents how to do the work at home. For parents and professionals there are free open mornings on the first Wednesday of the month 10-30am - 12-30am, and quarterly workshop days for therapists.