In this episode, MEEDA's VP Carine El Khazen receives Ricardo Karam. Mr Karam is a talk-show host, public speaker, writer and advocate of promoting Arab achievement and social causes. In 2010, Mr Karam decided to take storytelling to the next level and use it as a means of creating impact. He created TAKREEM Foundation, which aims to honor Arab accomplishments and bring Arab achievers to the forefront of the global stage.With Carine, Mr Karam discusses about:- Changing the perception of...

In this episode, MEEDA discusses women's mental health with Nadia Al Sayed. Nadia Al-Sayed is a British-Kuwaiti-Palestinian anthropologist and cultural consultant. Born and raised in North London, she spent her teenage years in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She currently lives between London and Kuwait. Nadia recently founded ‘Daloo3a series’, a platform to discuss issues and affairs that affect women of the SWANA region, their diasporas and beyond, and raise the literacy women have on their bod...

Today, 2nd June 2022, is World Eating Disorder Action Day!The theme this year is "Caring for the carer"On this occasion, the MEEDA podcast interviewed 3 carers about their experience supporting a loved one recovering from an Eating Disorder: Leila helped her sister and husband, Atul his daughter and Carrie her daughter. They bravely share their intimate stories of diagnosis, treatment and recovery, their challenges as carers, how they managed to stay strong and focused, what they would say to...

In this episode, MEEDA interviews Consultant Dermatologist and author Dr Natalia Spierings about:- Skin health and disordered eating / eating disorders- Online imagery and how it impacts our vision of beauty- Cosmetic surgery- Who to trust when it comes to skin health online- The forces at play in our feeds and what creates our beauty insecuritiesYou can find Dr Natalia Spierings via @drnataliaspierings on Instagramor via www.drnataliaspierings.com: https://drnataliaspierings.com/Dr Spierings...

In this episode, MEEDA VP Carine El Khazen meets Dr Jason Lavender. Dr. Jason Lavender, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) and the Deputy Director of Research for the Military Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (MiCOR) Program with the Metis Foundation. Dr. Lavender’s research broadly focuses on elucidating risk/maintenance factors for eating and weight disorders, particularly emotion and emotion dys...

In this episode, MEEDA volunteer and certified Eating Psychology Coach Florence Gillet interviews Dr Riccardo Dalle Grave, Director of the Department of Eating and Weight Disorders at Villa Garda Hospital (Lago Di Garda, Italy).In collaboration with Professor Christopher Fairburn, Dr Dalle Grave developed an original inpatient treatment for eating disorders based entirely on enhanced cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT-E), an adaptation of CBT-E for adolescents with eating disorders, and the CBT...

In this episode, MEEDA VP Carine El Khazen chats about the role of parents in eating disorders prevention and treatment with Journalist, radio host and “Honest motherhood” blogger Helen Farmer.Together they discuss the impact of Covid on children and on parenting, how to spot and diagnose eating disorder behaviours in children and teens, the dangers of dieting and social comparison, what parents can do to prevent eating disorders, how to talk to a child that exhibits red flags for an ED...

In this episode, Eating Disorder expert Dietitian Hala Abu Taha chats to Mental Health Advocate Maha Khan, of @islamandeatingdisorders about navigating Ramadan with an Eating Disorder. Together they evoke:- Risks of fasting for ED patients- How to mentally prepare for the challenges that lie ahead- and how to develop healthy behaviors and traditions that are worth keeping year round to help boost our health and happiness.– Managing meal times, the trigger of the large meals and feelings of gu...

In this episode, ED Registered Dietitian Carina Khoury Ghossoub meets Rouhana El Hage, Head of video content for ITP Media groupTogether they talk about Rouhana's story with body dysmorphia and with disordered eating and overexercising, his journey into bariatric surgery and the risks associated with it, toxic masculinity and many more topics.Follow Rouhana via Instagram @rouhana or Perfection 101 via https://youtu.be/bmvc9P1aegghttps://youtu.be/b3I-SqNydMIPlease reach out with your questions...

In this episode, Specialist ED Dietitian Hala Abu Taha meets Egyptian born, London raised writer Alya Mooro. Together, they discuss some of the cultural stereotypes Alya talks about in her book “The Greater Freedom: Life as a Middle Eastern woman outside of the stereotypes” and how these might affect women’s relationship with themselves and their bodies. - Why representation is key to help with authentic living- “The Arab contradictions that while women are warned against being in any w...

In this episode, ED RD Carina Khoury Ghossoub meets May Kassem, psychologist and co-founder of Egyptian fashion brand Scarabeus Sacer.May tells Carina about her initiative and why it felt right to link Fashion to Mental Health awareness, sustainability, body image improvement, etc, and the changes she sees in Egyptian society when it comes to mental health.Find the brand on Instagram @scarabaeusacerWebsite: www.scarabaeus-sacer.comor get it delivered wherever you are in the world: https...

In this episode, MEEDA volunteer and recovery advocate Megan Reilly (megsy_recovery) interviews Yasma Baalbaki about her experience of having an eating disorder. Yasma is currently in recovery, receiving treatment for anorexia, and sells cards to raise money for MEEDA under the handle @feel2_heal. Together Meg and Yasma discuss: Yasma's storyBuilding self worth away from food and bodyMotivation & incentives Recovery goals - both big & little Distractions and coping with...

In this episode, Clinical Psychologist and MEEDA VP answers Listeners questions about ED, including questions about surviving the Holidays season while in recovery.1/ How to cope with comparing your recovery journey to others2/ How to cope with not feeling "sick enough"/ that my struggles are valid3/ How can I open up to my parents about my ED4/ I went again and purge for a whole week, will I gain weight? What should I do?5/ What are treatment options for ED and how do I choose the one that f...

In this episode, MEEDA volunteer and RD Carina Khoury Ghossoub interviews Dr Jennifer Thomas (Co-Director, Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Associate Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School) about Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. Together they discuss: - what is ARFID? How common is it?- how is it diagnosed?- how impairing is it? What are the consequences on a patient’s health, mentally, social...

November is typically dedicated to men's health. With this episode, AUBMC head Psychiatrist and MEEDA host Dr Farid Talih meets Karim Khalil, clinical psychologist and owner of the @yalla.lets.heal Instagram account. Together they talk about- Karim's history of overeating and growing up with food as a reward- How Karim's history influences his work as a clinical psychologist- How ED present in men, and whether that is influenced by sexual orientation too- How to recognise an ED in men around ...

In this episode, Eating Disorder recovery advocate Megsy_Recovery, interviews ED Recovery Coach Safia Muzaffar, to discuss their own experiences of their recovery and CBT-E treatment. Together they discuss:Not feeling ‘ill enough’Comparison to other people’s foodComparison to other people’s bodiesGoals & motivation in recovery Coping with weight gain Protecting your recovery Family advice Overcoming obsessions with foodThey also mention some recovery podcasts which ha...

In this Halloween special, Clinical Psychologist and ED expert Maya Fleifel Sidani meets Dr Lily O'Hara, Associate Professor of Public Health at Qatar University and Health At Every Size advocate, to discuss Eating Disorder Prevention in children and families. Together they chat about- Public Health initiatives related to weight and children in the Middle East- What campaigns work and which ones are harmful- How can kids and families celebrate Halloween while remaining balanced- What parents ...

In this episode, MEEDA VP and ED Clinical Psychologist, Carine El Khazen, interviews Lana El Sahely, Influencer and Entrepreneur, and they answer and discuss the following questions:1) How Lana Elsahely started her career in the digital world in 20102) What it means to deal with the scrutiny of being in the public eye for so long3) How Lana grew into new ways to protect her identity & self-worth from her public persona4) The importance of not comparing to others online, especially not bod...

In this episode, ED Clinical Therapist Maya Sidani and ED certified dietitian Hala Abu Taha answer 12 questions from our listeners on:1) Can I get back to my pre-dieting set point weight?2) a) How do you help someone who you love who is suffering from an ED, but who hasn’t admitted it yet?b) What if this person is triggering for me?3) How do I accept a higher weight than I was pre-ED?4) Why do I miss being sick?5) How do I stop anxiety after eating a scary meal?6) I feel like I am only loved ...

In this episode, MEEDA receives special guest Elissa Freiha. Elissa Freiha holds a Bachelor of Arts in Global Communications from the American University of Paris, the city in which she was born and raised. An Emirati of Lebanese and American descent, Elissa is an entrepreneur, investor, public speaker, women’s rights advocate and founder of Womena, a global media company dedicated to sharing stories that inspire change by creating the region’s most compelling female-focused content. With Eli...