ED on ED

In this episode, Dr. Ed and Liz analyze the incredible film The Wonder (2022), directed by Sebastián Lelio, and starring Florence Pugh.  Liz and Dr. Ed use the film as a springboard into a vibrant discussion on how communities respond to periods of mass starvation, how science and religion can clash and coexist, how eating disorders touch and are influenced by the society around the ill individual...

In this episode, Liz and Dr. Ed interview the wonderful Pearl, a woman who found profound healing through therapy as a part of her recovery from an eating disorder.  But this is not simply a story of how therapy helped heal her and her family - it is also the story of how she channeled that into a career as a therapist herself.  A full circle is too simple as a metaphor - listen to hear the unique...

Join Liz and Dr. Ed as they watch and react to the House, M.D. episode “Control.”  They use the episode to spark thrilling conversations such as: To white lab coat or to not white lab coat? Can fried chicken solve all the world’s problems? Should you chase horses or zebras? Listen to hear if Dr. Ed can beat super-genius Dr. Gregory House to the diagnosis! House MD episodes are available to watch o...

What happens when a doctor becomes sick? What happens when a doctor develops an eating disorder?  What particular struggles arise when ‘experts’ on the human body are suddenly at its mercy?  In this episode of Ed on Ed, Dr. Ed shares the true stories of two doctors who developed eating disorders.  Our hosts discuss how the demanding environment of medical residency is fertile ground for disordered...

Rewind to the summer of 1990. Dr. Tyson was new to the field of eating disorder treatment, and Kate was one of his first patients. Together, they will teach each other and become lifelong friends. On this episode of Ed on Ed, join Liz and Dr. Ed as they interview Kate,  a patient Dr. Tyson first met 32 years ago. With the perspective of time, they reflect on pivotal moments in Dr. Tyson's car...

Trustworthy is the word Dr. Tyson uses to describe this episode’s interviewee, Nurse Carley.  The trust between nurse and doctor, and nurse and patient, can make all the difference.  In this episode, Dr. Ed and Liz interview Nurse Carley, the phenomenal head nurse at a residential treatment center for eating disorders.  Carley is a deeply caring person who fights with a passion for the health and...

This week is about the unique ways a patient’s religion can affect their treatment.  We hear part of Zoya’s story - Zoya is a young, Muslim woman whose eating disorder reaches a critical point during the month of Ramadan.  The desire to fast and restrict water intake during the day as a form of religious observance puts pressure on her already compromised health.  And, in a cruel twist of the stor...

In this episode, Dr. Ed and Liz discuss the 2017 Netflix film To The Bone, written and directed by Marti Noxon, starring Lily Collins and Keanu Reeves.  They focus in on 4 scenes to inspire their discussion of the treatment of Eating Disorders and their depiction on screen.  A caution to listeners: this episode (and the movie) contain realistic descriptions of eating disorders that may be disturbi...

This episode is our first-ever interview!  Christie Roberts joins Dr. Ed and Liz to share her journey in her own words.  Her story begins…with a smell. A horrible, smoky smell only she can sense.  But just as the smell of smoke is the harbinger of fire, this strange symptom is only the surface of the struggles Christie will face head-on, with admirable determination and grit.  Discovering the caus...

In this era of COVID, those who are immunocompromised have rightly been ushered to the front of medical and political discussions.  Nourishment is key to immune health, meaning many patients with eating disorders are immunocompromised and therefore at higher risk of disease and death. In this episode, Liz and Dr. Ed investigate the story of a woman suffering from a different pandemic illness: HIV....

When a child won’t eat, it is an emergency that strikes the heart of every caretaker who hears the story.   In this episode, Dr. Ed and Liz discuss the story of “Zach,” a child who, almost as suddenly as a switch is flipped, sparks an Eating Disorder.  Within weeks, his health is in dire peril.  A fascinating wrinkle to this tale is the fact that Zach’s mother was also one of Dr. Ed’s patients mor...

In past episodes, we’ve stressed the importance of Macronutrients for health.  But in this episode, Dr. Ed and Liz outline how Micronutrients can be the difference between life and death for some patients.  We investigate how to best renourish someone after starvation - including how to avoid the sudden death danger of Refeeding Syndrome.  We follow the story of “Diana,” who, if it weren’t for the...

Today’s story is an epic battle between two formidable opponents - in one corner: a cold, calculating Insurance Company - in the other, a mom who will stop at nothing to help her daughter.  Dr. Ed tells of his involvement in this battle, whose twists and turns end in the court of law.  We discuss how insurance companies have failed patients with eating disorders, and how doctors and families have...

This episode is a doozy!  Dr. Ed is given a near impossible task: in just 24 hours, he must figure out what is wrong with a young girl to ensure she gets the care she needs.  Why the time crunch?  The other doctors have decided that since she has an Eating Disorder, she should be transferred to a psych facility ASAP, even though she exhibits troubling medical red flags.  We hear all the ups and do...

In this Episode, Liz and Dr. Tyson dig into the psychology of competitive athletes - and why that psychology leaves them at particular risk for eating disorders.  They also discuss how intensive exercise affects the body of an athlete, in particular when that body is also restricting food (and even water) intake.  We hear the moving story of “Marie” - competitive runner and martial artist who stru...

In this Episode, Liz and Dr. Tyson tackle the topic of SUGAR.  They endeavor to describe sugar in a neutral way: What does sugar do for us, biologically?  Why do we need it?  What happens to our body medically if we don’t get enough sugar?  We also hear the true story of “Elliot” and finally learn the answer to the age-old question: What happens when you mix a country boy with low blood sugar, 2 c...

In this episode, Liz and Dr. Ed dive deep into the vilification of fat in America.  We reveal the historical origins and faulty science behind the low fat/fat free diet trend, and examine why fat is important to the body.  We also hear the story of “Amy,” a promising scholar and athlete who slides down the slippery slope of restriction, eventually cutting all fat from her diet.  Through her story...

In this episode, Liz and Dr. Ed dive deep into the false presumptions the medical field makes about those who are overweight - and the negative consequences those assumptions can have.  We get to hear the real story of “Heather,” a woman who presents to the hospital because she has been vomiting whenever she eats.  Heather is overweight and says she may have an eating disorder.  But this case does...