Fascinating article on Barbie at Salon.com commenting on a conversation between two parents. I loved it most for its idea of how to defuse any negative effects that an impossibly-proportioned doll might have on a daughter: Don't single out Barbie as a big deal versus other toys.

We're typically concerned that kids are going to use their imaginations to think of toys as realistic pictures of a false reality. I don't disagree that their imaginations are more active. But I'm guessing that, unlike ours, kids' imaginations are big enough to let them play in fantasy worlds and then leave the toys (and their shapes) behind when they come back.

• Could Barbie influence eating disorder development?
• Barbie's jeans less influential than parents' genes
• If Barbie goes, should G.I. Joe get the axe, too?

Researchers continue to find potential links between the nervous system and binge eating. An Australian group's small study suggests that regions of the brain in charge of self-control function differently in those who binge. The result is that binge eaters are more impulsive.

A treatment targeting these brain circuits would be a long way off. What it does show is that researchers are taking multiple angles at understanding the biological factors that influence binge eating and bulimia nervosa.

• Misfiring vagus nerve misleads those with bulimia
• Doctors choosing eating disorder meds according to brain pattern
• The nervous system influences bulimia, and bulimia can then harm the nervous system

Found a good blog entry discussing the difference between sites that raise awareness regarding the problems associated with eating disorders and those that normalize the problem and even encourage it.

The site you're viewing now is designed to raise awareness, encourage treatment (and describe options), and provide support. That's why you won't find "thinspiration" here.

If you want an example of a site that is dedicated not just to raising awareness, but to combating pro-ana sites by appealing to the weariness that many feel after engaging in them, check out the We Bite Back site. Great stuff -- it appeals to the power and resolve that those with anorexia have, urging readers to use it for their good, rather than self-harm.

• What are pro-ana sites?
• And what's thinspiration?
• Read one woman's account of leaving her ED behind

Dr. Christopher Fairburn is a prominent researcher in the eating disorder community. In a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry, Fairburn's research team claims that a new form of therapy called CBT-E (for "enhanced"), based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, is effective for many more eating disorder sufferers than prior therapies.

Targeted initially for bulimia nervosa, CBT-E explores the links between emotions and behaviors. It specifically targets deficits in self-esteem that can contribute to disordered eating.

Research is now underway testing the new treatment on those with anorexia. Fairburn suggests that it could allow many to be treated in an outpatient setting who would otherwise have needed some form of structured inpatient or hospital setting. If he's right, CBT-E would represent a welcome breakthrough. We await the research results.

• Other individual treatments for bulimia
• Dialectical behavior therapy an option for binge eating
• Individual therapy options for anorexia are elusive