My life seemed glamorous and promising: I was in my 20s, living in Paris and Normandy, spending my days training in ballet, modern dance, and jazz, and spending my evenings clubbing with VIP actors, models, and athletes. There was just one little problem: I was killing myself.

It is my hope that colleges across the country will increase the eating disorder resources and support offered not only to college students, but also to family members and local communities.

Eating disorders are phobic disorders; therefore, we have to challenge the phobia and support patients in confronting their fears. To do so, we must find something they value more than their eating disorder, something that's so important to them that it overrides this anxiety.

Now, close to 20 years since those early, painful days when I first discovered I was not alone, my life has completely changed. That person I was all those years ago is not who I am now. But I still remain an addict. It is who and what I am.

Breaking through the common myths surrounding bulimia nervosa can help lead to healing. Understanding the truth may be what leads you or someone you love to getting the help that is needed to overcome this deadly disease.

Individuals with EDNOS experience severe disturbances in their eating behaviors -- such as extreme reduction of food intake, overeating, or purging -- and often have feelings of extreme distress or concern about body weight or shape.

The problem with this "good" and "bad" idea or thinking about food and eating is that it leads to weight gain over time. You end up on that yo-yo cycle. Even if it is not a ton of weight, you gain and lose that amount over time and you simply train your body to weigh more.

I know you're bulimic because I've felt your pain and I've suffered your story. Then again, I also know what life is like on the other side -- but only because I sought help.

Recently, a woman called me to tell me how her daughter was doing great recovering from an eating disorder with the help of a book called 8 Keys to Recovery from an Eating Disorder, by Carolyn Costin. The woman wanted me to pass the news along to the author.