The athletic woman's survival guide : how to win the battle against eating disorders, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis

Offers information on training, keeping mentally and physically fit, eating healthy, and developing self-confidence to help women avoid the triad of eating disorders, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis. Pushing your body to the limit is the hallmark of a great athlete. But this drive to succeed can distort and athlete's perception of healthy and productive training. Too often the result is a set of serious health concerns that make up the female athlete triad, consisting of:

• eating disorders, which include a wide spectrum of behaviors from fasting to anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa;
• amenorrhea, a disruption of monthly menstrual cycles; and
• osteoporosis, a loss of bone mass.

If you are a female athlete, if you care about one as a parent or friend, or if you coach and counsel female athletes, The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide is the one resource you need to learn how to manage and prevent the triad. An international authority on this condition, Dr. Carol L. Otis explains how to prevent falling into the triad and strategies for reclaiming a strong and healthy body. She also offers inspiring examples of women who have fallen into the triad trap and how they've fought their way out. Because the triad is preventable, the book provides suggestions for changing the attitudes of those who work with female athletes and active women. Suggestions are included for coaches and parents on providing positive reinforcement about the female's weight, self-esteem, and body image. With the help of The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide , athletes can find out how to get help so they can once again train, compete, and be healthy all at the same time.About the Author

As physician for the UCLA Student Health Services, Carol L. Otis, MD, has worked with many women, seeing firsthand the devastating effects of the triad. She received her medical degree from the University of Southern California and currently serves as the chief medical advisor for Women's Professional Tennis (SANEX WTA Tour). Dr. Otis was also a former assistant team physician for the UCLA varsity athletic teams and adjunct assistant clinical professor in UCLA's Division of Internal Medicine. Dr. Otis has worked with athletes in numerous sports, acting as physician for the Boston Marathon, Ironman World Championship Triathlon, gymnastics teams at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. She's worked to draw awareness to female athlete issues through her position as former chairperson of the Strategic Health Initiative for Women for the American College of Sports Medicine, as well as her work with the USTA Sports Science Committee and ITF Medical Commission. Dr. Otis also maintains an extensive lecturing schedule, has published many research studies and articles on women in sports, and has appeared on the Today Show to discuss female athletes and amenorrhea. She and co-author Roger Goldingay are married and live in Los Angeles, California. The authors can be contacted through their website, www.sportsdoctor.com. Roger Goldingay, a former professional soccer player, is presently a Web designer, writer, and photographer. With his wife, Dr. Carol L. Otis, he co-authored Campus Health Guide (College Board, 1989) as well as monthly columns for Shape and Women's Sport & Fitness. His own writing has appeared in many magazines, including Runner's World, Men's Fitness, and Sports Medicine Digest.

The book contains black-and-white illustrations.

Content: ch. 1. Why the triad now? : developing a positive body image -- ch. 2. Thin is in : disordered eating -- ch. 3. Dying to be thin : anorexia nervosa -- ch. 4. Out of the kitchen and into the closet : bulimia nervosa -- ch. 5. The power of your period : amenorrhea -- ch. 6. Old bones in young women : osteoporosis -- ch. 7. Getting help : teamwork for success -- ch. 8. Peak performance : preventing the triad. Abstract: Many active women find themselves suffering from one or more of the three health problems of the ''female athlete triad'': disordered eating; amenorrhea; and osteoporosis. Carol Otis informs and counsels readers who are susceptible to these complaints, and offers guidelines and strategies. Read more...