RELIGIOUS FASTING CAN TRIGGER EATING DISORDERS

RELIGIOUS FASTING CAN TRIGGER EATING DISORDERS

PHILADELPHIA (Wireless Flash) -- This may be hard to swallow but fasting on religious holidays may cause some folks to become anorexic. According to Dr. Emily Kravinsky, a psychiatrist for The Renfrew Center, a clinic which treats folks with eating disorders, religious holidays that require fasting, such as Yom Kippur and Ramadan, can trigger eating disorders. Kravinsky says fasting can encourage problems such as binging and purging in people who already have a poor self-image. It also a bad idea for anyone recovering from anorexia or bulimia because it can make the problem even worse. Dr. Kravinsky says even religious leaders agree that it is better to forego a religious tradition than to endanger your health by fasting.