Meet the Expert: Alsana’s Dr. Nicole Garber on National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (Feb. 27 – March 5, 2023): Eating Disorders Can Affect Anyone

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is February 27 – March 5, 2023 and is observed to increase the awareness about anorexia, binge eating, bulimia and other disorders. The annual event is focused on the importance of early diagnosis, and promoting treatment and accessibility within a supportive community.

Dr. Nicole Garber, chief medical officer with Alsana, an eating disorder recovery community, has seen the need for greater visibility firsthand while working with patients in recovery in her decades-long career fighting this deadly disease.

“National Eating Disorder Awareness Week showcases that it is a serious mental health illness that doesn’t discriminate – it can impact the lives of all genders, ages, sexual orientation, body types, socioeconomic status, racial and cultural backgrounds,” said Dr. Garber.

It is estimated that more than 28 million Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetime, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD). And, during COVID-19, there was a significant increase in eating disorder symptoms and hospitalizations across the nation.

“Our collective understanding of eating disorder treatment and the associated stigma have come a long way in the past 20 years. Today, we treat the whole person not the disease,” said Dr. Garber. “Alsana is the first major treatment community to offer Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), an innovative method that helps people to shift from internal feelings of shame and self-criticism to acceptance and self-compassion.”

Alsana also pioneered the holistic Adaptive Care Model. It focuses on the total health and wellbeing of each individual by empowering them in medical, therapeutic, nutrition, relational and movement practices, and meeting them where they are on their recovery journey.

“We know that CFT and the Adaptive Care Model work!” added Dr. Garber. “Alsana studies patient outcomes annually, and in 2021, our evidence-based treatment programs improved quality of life, reduced anxiety, and increased self-compassion in 650 of our patients. This is a REAL, lifesaving breakthrough in eating disorder treatment.”

If you think a loved one has an eating disorder, help is available – personalized treatment programs that focus on total health, wellbeing, and meeting people where they are in their recovery journey, are key to a lasting recovery. If you or a loved one have relapsed, recovery is still possible. For additional information, visit https://www.alsana.com.

Members of the media: To schedule an interview with Dr. Garber on this topic, contact [e-mail]. She can provide commentary on treatment options, new medical studies, and data on recovery.

About Alsana

Alsana is an eating recovery community and treatment provider with in-person Residential and PHP/IOP programs in Alabama (Birmingham and Huntsville), California (Monterey, Santa Barbara, Westlake Village, and Thousand Oaks), and Missouri (St. Louis), and Virtual PHP/IOP offerings across the United States. Their approach to eating disorder treatment is compassionate, evidence-based, and designed in alignment with the Adaptive Care Model®. This holistic method seeks to address healing in all areas of clients’ lives by integrating medical, nutritional, and therapeutic care with movement and relational therapies. Alsana serves adult clients of all genders and sexual identities struggling with a broad spectrum of eating, feeding, and co-occurring disorders. Alsana’s programs accommodate the unique needs of vegan clients and clients struggling with ED-DMT1, also known as “diabulimia.” For additional information, visit www.alsana.com.