Saturday, January 12, 2008  Anorexia and target weights  Doctors
do a lousy job, overall, at setting target weights for people
recovering from anorexia. Most set them way too low, so the
patient never reaches or stays at a weight high enough to heal
from prolonged malnutrition, and relapses.  Now a new study
published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders
suggests a different measure of recovery: resumption of
menstruation.  As nearly any pediatrician or parent can tell
you, this is a bad idea. Really bad idea. Some girls never lose
their periods no matter how much weight they lose. Some get them
back while they're still significantly underweight. Getting your
period back while you're in recovery is a good sign, but it's no
litmus test of health.  In fact there is no single measure of
restored health. Some clinics use body composition analysis,
which takes into account not just a person's weight or BMI but
also the percentage of lean and fat tissue in the body.  I think
the best measure is mental h