08 Jan Podcast – Lessons From 2025: New Medical Insights in Eating Disorder Care
Looking back at 2025, this episode of iaedp Voices offers a thoughtful look at what the past year revealed about eating disorder care—and where the field may be headed next. Host Kyle Woodson is joined by clinician Sabrina Richardson, LMFT, CEDS, founder and owner of Intrinsic Therapy, and Dr. Philip Mehler, Chief Science Officer at Eating Recovery Center and the only individual to have received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the iaedp Foundation and the Academy for Eating Disorders.
Dr. Mehler reflects on what he describes as a meaningful shift in how eating disorders are understood medically. Rather than viewing them solely as mental health conditions, he makes the case for recognizing eating disorders as metabolic–psychiatric illnesses—a reframing that has significant implications for treatment, outcomes, and clinician humility. Throughout the conversation, he emphasizes the importance of staying open to new theories, emerging science, and alternative approaches when working with a population that continues to face high medical risk.
A major portion of the episode focuses on newly recognized and underappreciated medical complications. Dr. Mehler shares recent insights into covert hypoglycemia as a possible contributor to mortality in restrictive eating disorders, challenges long-held assumptions about cardiac risk, and offers updated guidance on potassium repletion in patients who purge. These discussions underscore the need for vigilance across disciplines and for closer collaboration among therapists, dietitians, and medical providers.
The conversation also explores broader developments shaping the field, including advances in genomics, the growing understanding of the gut–brain axis, and renewed interest in adjunctive treatments such as ketamine, TMS, and other emerging modalities. As the episode looks ahead to 2026, Dr. Mehler calls on clinicians to remain evidence-informed, prevention-focused, and deeply respectful of the seriousness of these illnesses—especially given how early in life they often begin.
This episode is both a clinical reflection and a call to action, offering practical insight and cautious optimism for professionals committed to improving care and outcomes for those affected by eating disorders.
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