Naomi closes out Season 3 by reflecting on the interviews and experiences over the last year and for the first time, shares some questions she's gotten from you--the audience! How does one prepare for the holidays when in recovery? How do you approach someone you fear is struggling with an eating disorder? 

*Note: Picture Blurrfect will be taking a hiatus until June-July 2024 as Naomi welcomes her new baby girl into the world and learns how to be a mama! 

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you're struggling: naomi.charalambakis90@gmail.com 

Dr. Ellen Fitzsimmons-Craft of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis joins the podcast to share her vision for how technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used to improve accessibility of eating disorder treatments. Naomi and Dr. Fitzsimmons-Craft discuss her work with Tessa, a rule-based chatbot that the National Eating Disorders Association recently used (and took down) to prevent eating disorders and help folks with body image concerns. While technology is not yet perfect, there is incredible potential for these tools to improve accessibility and enable more people to get the care they deserve.

Learn more about Dr. Fitzsimmons-Craft's research and background here.

Follow Picture Blurrfect on social media:
Instagram: @picture_blurrfect
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E-mail: naomi.charalambakis90@gmail.com 

Yours truly takes the microphone to share her thoughts on how to overcoming "feeling guilty" after eating certain foods or meals while in eating disorder recovery. Just because you FEEL guilty doesn't necessarily mean there is something you SHOULD feel guilty about.

Book Naomi Mentions:
1. The Weight of Beautiful by Jackie Goldschneider
Note: Please do not read until you feel strong and comfortable in your recovery

Dr. Sam Hahn of Central Michigan University joins the podcast to discuss one of her recent papers that examines how weight perception--how one personally views themselves in terms of overweight, normal weight, underweight--and its potential changes throughout adolescence could predict disordered eating patterns in young adulthood. The episode also touches on Dr. Hahn's interest in investigating how other self-monitoring behaviors (self-weighing, electronic tracking devices, etc.) influences eating patterns, mood, and weight-related behaviors, particularly for vulnerable populations and young adults.

Papers Discussed in the Episode:
1. Hahn et al., (2023): Do Weight Perception Transitions in Adolescents Predict Concurrent and Long-Term Disordered Eating Behaviors? J Adolesc Health. May;72(5):803-810
2. Hahn et al., (2021): Self-weighing among young adults: who weighs themselves and for whom does weighing affect mood? A cross-sectional study of population-based sample. J Eat Disord. Mar 10;9(1):37.

Contact Picture Blurrfect:
Twitter: @Blurrfect
Instagram: @Picture_Blurrfect
E-mail: naomi.charalambakis90@gmail.com 

Time to geek out a little bit this week because who doesn't love to talk about the brain!? Naomi sits down with Dr. Rachel Ross of Albert Einstein College of Medicine to chat about her latest publication in Physiology & Behavior that examines how a specific receptor in the prefrontal cortex--the very front part of our brain--influences food-related decision making. Dr. Ross shares the implications of her findings in the mouse model and how it could shape future research directions in studying food intake and associated behaviors, including eating disorders.

Paper Mentioned in the Episode:
1. Ross et al., (2023). Prefrontal cortex melanocortin 4 receptors (MC4R) mediate food intake behavior in male mice. Physiol Behav. 269:114280.

Remember to also check out Dr. Rachel Ross' lab website! Dr. Ross is currently seeking a postdoctoral fellow. Reach out to her for more info if interested: rachel.ross@einsteinmed.edu.

Contact Picture Blurrfect:
Twitter: @Blurrfect
Instagram: @Picture_Blurrfect
E-mail: naomi.charalambakis90@gmail.com 

Naomi sits down with Dr. Dianne Neumark-Sztainer of the University of Minnesota to chat about how she became interested in weight-related problems among young people, and how this work culminated into her now thriving research lab, "Project EAT" (Eating and Activity over Time). Topics that emerge from the discussion include: yoga and mindfulness and its connection to eating disorder/disordered eating recovery, the role of family meals in the development of weight-related problems, and her book, "'I'm, Like, So Fat!': Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices about Eating and Exercise in a Weight-Obsessed World."

More about Dr. Neumark-Sztainer's work:
1. Website: Project EAT lab
2. Book: "'I'm, Like, So Fat!': Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices about Eating and Exercise in a Weight-Obsessed World."

Contact Picture Blurrfect:
Twitter: @Blurrfect
Instagram: @Picture_Blurrfect
E-mail: naomi.charalambakis90@gmail.com 

Naomi sits down with Dr. Ruth Knight of York St. John University to explore why we often forget to talk about disability when it comes to eating disorder/disordered eating research. As we strive to be more inclusive and representative in our research, are we making the effort to ask individuals with lived experience what they are going through and adjust research instruments/methodologies accordingly? Additionally, Dr. Knight shares her new paper in Journal of Eating Disorders that seeks to understand the effects of gender and sexual orientation on disordered eating.

Paper Mentioned in the Episode:
1. Knight & Preston (2023): Exploring the effects of gender and sexual orientation on disordered eating: an EFA to CFA study of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. Journal of Eating Disorders. 11. Article number: 100.

Contact Picture Blurrfect:
Twitter: @Blurrfect
Instagram: @Picture_Blurrfect
E-mail: naomi.charalambakis90@gmail.com 

Naomi lets it rip about her views on the healthcare workforce and their treatment of eating disorders/mental conditions after her recent experience at the doctor. The lack of insurance coverage for mental conditions (and especially eating disorders) and the nonstop news about Ozempic/Wegovy were also thrown in the rant for good measure. 

If you have faced discriminstration at the doctor given your mental condition, or have been denied coverage for your eating disorder treatment, I want to hear from you for a potential future episode! 

Contact Picture Blurrfect:
Twitter: @Blurrfect
Instagram: @Picture_Blurrfect
E-mail: naomi.charalambakis90@gmail.com