A Letter from Mirasol's Founder and CEO
 Dear Friends,
I want to apologize for being late this month! I'm currently in California helping my oldest son recover from surgery. He severely injured his shoulder while surfing — the latest in a series of injuries he has suffered after years of extreme sports. Yes, the waves he surfs are extreme. So is the skydiving, bungee jumping, backcountry skiing, cliff jumping, windsurfing acrobatics, etc.
I'm sharing this with all of you because this month we're going to talk about compulsive exercise. My son is not a compulsive exerciser, but he is an example of what can happen when you abuse your body with inappropriate forms of exercise.
I hope you will enjoy this month's Sunflower, and please feel free to ask me any questions you might have. Let me know if I can be of any help!
Warmly,
Jeanne Rust, PhD
We in the United States have developed a skewed notion of healthy exercise. I talk to hundreds of people every month about admission to Mirasol, and nearly all of them either don't exercise at all, or they exercise far too much.
What is compulsive exercise? For me, the difference between healthy and unhealthy exercise is all about enjoyment. Compulsive exercisers often find no satisfaction in their athletic achievements, and they almost never do it for fun. I ask many of our callers about exercise, and they often report that at least one or both parents are compulsive exercisers whose days are "ruined" if can't get their five-mile daily run. Exercise addicts will find time at any cost — including cutting school, taking off from work or hiding in the bathroom — to exercise.
Read more about compulsive exercise 
News Flash: Mirasol Awarded Full CARF Accreditation!
Just as we were putting the finishing touches on this month's Sunflower, we received the very welcome news that Mirasol has been awarded full three-year accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).
 Mirasol received provisional one-year accreditation in July, 2006. Obtaining full accreditation is an important step toward being able to offer a higher level of care, which will help more clients obtain insurance coverage for their treatment at Mirasol.
In its detailed report, CARF made note of the strengths that set Mirasol apart from other residential eating disorder treatment facilities, namely:
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Mirasol is well respected in the field in which it serves. |
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The leadership is dedicated and committed to developing and delivering a unique treatment program that strives for excellence in providing services to a population that has eating disorders. |
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The creative leadership of Mirasol provides quality supervision of ... persons served and offers creative, therapeutic intervention, including non-traditional treatment such as acupuncture. |
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The administrative and clinical staff members are deeply committed to the individuals served .... |
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Mirasol [employs] a diverse group of specialists ... utilizing multiple therapeutic interventions to meet the holistic needs of individuals served. The high ratio of staff members to persons served demonstrates the organization's focus on individualized treatment. |
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The treatment facilities ... in the Sonoran [Desert] are warm, clean, nurturing environments that allow for healing and recovery. |
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The aftercare groups/programming that takes place throughout treatment allows for a smooth transition from the program to the natural support environment. |
CARF accreditation means that you can be confident that Mirasol has made a commitment to continually enhance the quality of its services and programs, and its focus is on patient satisfaction. We are very proud of our new status!
Recipe: Noodles with Peanut Sauce
Doesn't this sound like the perfect lunch for a warm spring day? By the way, the peanut sauce will keep for months if you store it in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator.
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Pasta
1 lb. linguini
2 tbsp. sesame oil
½ C chopped cilantro leaves
6 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
½ lb. package silken firm tofu, cut into small cubes
Chopped roasted peanuts or toasted sesame seeds for garnish |
Peanut sauce
6 large garlic cloves
1 bunch cilantro, leaves and upper stems only
½ tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
1 tbsp. peanut oil
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. hot chili oil (optional)
½ C peanut or sesame-peanut butter
½ to 2/3 C soy sauce
3 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar or to taste
Hot water if necessary
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In large pot of salted water, cook noodles until just done. Immediately dump into colander and rinse with cold water. Shake off excess water and toss the noodles with the oil, cilantro, scallions and tofu. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, then toss with the peanut sauce. Garnish with the peanuts or sesame seeds and fresh cilantro sprigs.
Peanut Sauce: Put garlic, cilantro and ginger in a food processor and process until they are finely chopped. Add the oils, peanut butter, ½ C soy sauce and sugar and process again until well combined with the seasonings. Stop and scrape down the sides once or twice. Add the vinegar and season to taste with additional soy sauce, if necessary. Thin with hot water if necessary.
Store the sauce in an airtight jar and keep it refrigerated. Thin it again with hot water as needed before using. This sauce will keep for months.
Serves 8 |
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