In this week's episode, Han is joined by Rachel Egan. Rachel is a mental health campaigner who has personal experience of anorexia, laxative use, depression and anxiety. Rachel is the Strategic Communications and Marketing Manager for Dump the Scales, a trainer and activist who delivers eating disorder training sessions and has appeared on Sky News, BBC News and has her own column on the Huffington Post, all to improve the understanding of eating disorders

This week, we discuss:

• Rachel’s experience of anorexia and laxative misuse
• Why laxative abuse felt like a form of self-punishment
• The serious physical health risks associated with laxative misuse
• Rachel’s concerns about GLP-1 weight-loss drugs being marketed to the general public
• Why GLP-1s could be especially dangerous for people with eating disorders
• The urgent need for regulation, education, and behavioural support alongside medication
• How social media, body ideals, and fatphobia influence our health choices
• Rachel’s optimism about Gen Z and their resistance to appearance pressures

Timestamps:

• 01:00 – Rachel’s experience of anorexia and laxative misuse
• 07:00 – The shame and secrecy around bingeing and purging
• 09:30 – Physical and emotional toll of laxative misuse
• 13:00 – Recovery journey and finding support
• 16:30 – Concerns around GLP-1 weight-loss medications and eating disorders
• 24:00 – The impact of weight stigma, fatphobia, and diet culture
• 30:00 – The risk of normalising disordered behaviours through medication
• 34:00 – Body image, steroids, and pressure on young people

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of anorexia, binge eating, laxative abuse and GLP-1 mediations.

Resources & Links:

• Rachel's Instagram
• Rachel's Website
• Dump The Scales Instagram

Connect with Us:

• Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast here
• Follow Full of Beans on Instagram here
• Read our latest blog here

Thank you for listening and being part of this important conversation!

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Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛