Disordered Eating

Dr. Sara Walker’s priority in providing eating disorder care is to keep the patient’s human-ness at the forefront. We are all people first and deserve to be treated as such.

Fundamentally, disordered eating/eating disorders are a result of a disconnection between the mind, body, and soul:

• We ignore our body’s hunger and satiety cues in the name of weight manipulation.
• We have a favorite “mirror” because it’s the one we like and how we look in it the best.
• We check our appearance on every reflective surface to make sure we still look acceptable – or, more often, to cringe at how we don’t like what it shows.
• Our minds lie to us when we look at photos, and we can’t see the same thing that everyone else sees.
• We judge ourselves because we expect that everyone else is already judging us too.

This is not fun. It is not enjoyable. But we do it because we think that’s what will make us happier. Or at least normal, like everyone else.

In addition to the classic treatment for disordered eating (the triad of doctor, therapist, and dietician), we believe that adjunctive therapies are incredibly beneficial for fostering reconnections between the mind, body, and soul. 

Interdisciplinary treatment of disordered eating and relative energy deficiency in sports at The PEAAC may incorporate:

• A board-certified Sports and Family Medicine physician with extensive experience in treating energy deficiency/eating disorders – both as a provider and as a patient.
• Mental health therapist with specific training in alleviating eating disorders.
• Registered Dietician with experience in working with athletes and those with eating disorders.
• Mindful movement sessions including Pilates, yoga, and Alexander Technique to strengthen the mind-body connection while getting some endorphins flowing.
• Emotion processing and breathwork to connect to our intuition and release past trauma.
• Massage and other manual therapies to practice self-care while cherishing our bodies.

Dr. Sara wants to de-stigmatize both the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders. She abhors the distinction between anorexia nervosa and atypical anorexia, as she believes it only serves to propagate the myth that those restricting while at a normal or higher weight are not deserving of treatment or not as sick as those at a low BMI. You are sick enough. You deserve treatment. Your weight does not define you – certainly not as a person, so nor should it define your diagnosis.

Furthermore, all patients at this clinic will receive orthostatic vitals and blind weights, which will be taken in fancy robes, never hospital gowns. The goal is that eating disorder patients are not treated differently than any other patient at this clinic, because having an eating disorder is not something to be ashamed of.