The Bella Vita "I am a beautiful life", was founded by Dr. Patricia Pitts in 1985. She is a nationally renowned expert in the treatment of anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating and disordered eating. She has addressed a variety of national and international professional conferences in her more than twenty years of treating these disorders.

As a highly recognized expert in her field, Dr. Pitts was chosen as the Weight Control & Eating Disorder Specialist of the Year 1999. She was also listed in the Who's Who National Directory of Executives and Professionals and awarded the Program of the Year by the Adult Psychiatric Program. Her numerous broadcast appearances include Woman to Woman, NBC's Extra, and news programs such as KCAL, CBS and MSNBC, among others.

The Bella Vita provides a supportive, safe environment for males and females, pre-teens through adulthood, experiencing Eating Disorders and related disorders in Los Angeles and Woodland Hills, CA. locations. There are distinct programs for pre-teen/adolescents and adults; levels of care include partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs and outpatient services.

The Bella Vita facilities provide effective and affordable treatment guiding the clients to connect to mind, body, and spirit.

SOMETHING NEW: The Bella Vita is pleased to announce that we are contracted with Kaiser Permanente beginning January 1, 2010!

The following insurance companies are contracted with The Bella Vita: Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross of California, Cigna Behavioral Health, Holman Group, Magellan, MHN, PacifiCare Behavioral Health, United Behavioral Health, and Value Option.

Dr. Pitts is the primary doctor answering people's questions about eating disorders on MedHelp. Ask Dr. Pitts your questions about eating disorders

What is orthorexia?

The term orthorexia is used by some eating-disorder specialists to describe an unhealthy fixation with healthy eating. While not an officially recognized disorder, it is similar to several serious diagnoses. Like anorexia, it often involves severe weight loss, but so-called orthorexics are obsessed with food quality, rather than quantity, and strive for personal purity in their eating habits rather than for a thin physique.

The word orthorexia was coined in 1997 by Colorado alternative medicine specialist Steven Bratman. Implicit in the description are traits that resemble obsessive-compulsive disorder, since sufferers devote excessive attention to their own strict rules and often spend hours each day worrying about tomorrow's meals. Such a person may find himself socially isolated because he doesn't indulge in everyday dishes. "If your focus on healthy eating is interfering with your happiness and social life," says Bratman, "you might have a problem."

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It's that time of year when darkness descends like a heavy blanket beginning in mid-afternoon in much of the country. For some people, it also brings a desire to stay in bed and wait for spring.

Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, affects an estimated 6% of Americans, causing depression, lethargy, irritability and a desire to avoid social situations. It can also create an urge to overeat, particularly carbohydrates. As many as 15% of people in the U.S. may have a milder version that includes only some of these symptoms. The incidence rises along with the distance from the equator: Roughly 8% of Canadians, 10% of Britons and as many as 20% of Scandinavians suffer from SAD this time of year.

Light therapy, using beams many times more intense than normal light, is the most common treatment. But a host of new therapies—from simulating dawn in your bedroom and changing your thoughts through cognitive-behavioral therapy to taking mega doses of vitamin D—are having success in some patients.

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• Grease 7 flour 13" x 9" pan
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
  
• 2 sticks softened butter (not melted)
• 2 cups fresh whole cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1'2 cup golden raisins

Blend flour, eggs, butter and sugar. Mixture will be too thick for hand held mixer.

Fold in fruit & nuts
Blend thoroughly. Mixture will be thick.

Spread into baking dish
Bake for 60 minutes or until toothpick is clean.

Allow to cool before cutting into squares.