Nat Geo Mundo Explores the World of those Plagued by Eating Disorders and Phobias

Aug. 2, 2012 - PRLog -- In a world obsessed with beauty, when does the quest for a better body cross over into an insatiable – even fatal – obsession?   How do you manage an intensely personal, crippling fear – when you spend your life in the public eye? Starting in August, Nat Geo Mundo delves deep into the world of anxiety through eight distinct episodes shot across Latin America. Extrema Obsesión uncovers the shocking worlds these individuals inhabit, investigating the varied perspectives of their lives rooted in fears and expressed in extreme behaviors.

Extrema Obsesión, a Nat Geo Mundo original production, is an anthology that showcases the riveting lives of those plagued by eating disorders and phobias, with analysis and insights provided by key experts specializing in each of these sometimes misunderstood conditions. Watch testimonials of people suffering inside their bodies, from one 19 year old girl who weighs a mere 55 pounds to a man trapped by his 750-pound body.

Meet celebrities like Emir Pabón, Juan Manuel Bernal and Fernando Bravo, each suffering from a distinct phobia that haunts their everyday lives, including a fear of spiders so intense it inspires powerful anxiety.  The episodes, filmed entirely in Latin America, air every Sunday beginning August 5 at 10 PM ET/PT on Nat Geo Mundo. Follow as they face what they fear and obsess over the most.

Extrema Obsesión: Anorexia y Bulimia
Investigate extreme cases of young men and women who suffer from anorexia and bulimia. Two renowned institutions opened their doors to Nat Geo Mundo cameras, immersing viewers in a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of those trapped in a prototype of beauty, leaving them weighing as little as 55 and 65 pounds. Successful singer Anahí shares her story of fame and how the demands of the media drove her spiraling deep into the world of anorexia. In even more extreme cases, some patients nearly took their own lives, like siblings, Angélica and Daniel, not only connected by blood, but by an illness that almost spelled their end. Extrema Obsesión: Anorexia y Bulimia confirms that while there are psychological, biological, family and social factors contributing to these conditions, their origin in each patient is in fact unique and personal.


Extrema Obsesión: Cirugías Plásticas
As more people go under the knife as a way to combat aging and imperfections, Extrema Obsesión: Cirugías Plásticas examines individuals whose compulsive pursuit of aesthetic or reconstructive plastic surgery results in dire consequences.  It also profiles two cases where plastic surgery has helped a child born with a cleft palate and helped a wounded soldier. Some people pursue cosmetic surgery motivated by uniquely personal factors – hope for a better life, social stigmas, psychological pressure – the quest to alter their looks ends in a much more dramatic and, in some cases, deadly, way than they could have envisioned. This episode of Extrema Obsesión shares the story of famous Mexican actress, Lucila Mariscal, who underwent plastic surgery and lost an incredible amount of weight – only to nearly lose her career and her life. Then examine the story of Argentinean model and ex-beauty queen, Solange Magnano, who died at age 38 after a very successful personal and professional life due to a failed surgical procedure.

Extrema Obsesión: Obesidad
Obesity has been cited as an epidemic of the 21st century, as populations across the globe see massive weight gains.  Nat Geo Mundo tackles this issue head-on, meeting the world’s heaviest man: Mexico’s Manuel Uribe. At one point, weighing a staggering 1,300 lbs., he has been left bedridden, his health in serious jeopardy and unable to lead a normal life. Spending the last 13 years of his life in bed, Manuel’s body is saddled with tumors on each leg weighing over 200 pounds. Another shocking case is that of Mateo, a 5-year-old boy suffering from childhood obesity. He now weighs 99 pounds – the same weight as the average 12 year old.  In danger of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, his family has decided it’s time to get this under control.

Extrema Obsesión: Fobia a los Animales
Fear helps us to protect ourselves from real danger – but when does fear stop being a means of self-preservation and transitions into an irrational and debilitating phobia?  While being afraid of lions, tigers and bears may be natural, for some individuals, the presence of a certain animal can cause absolute and uncontrollable terror.   Animal phobias affect many regardless of the animal, which could be a dangerous snake or a harmless frog. Animal phobias belong to the so called “specific phobias,” in which a certain object, in this case an animal, represents imminent danger to a phobia sufferer. One of them, renowned Colombian sports journalist Javier Hernández Bonnet, suffers from a paralyzing fear of snakes. He had a traumatic experience when he was a child and now the presence of a snake makes him run away in fear…even if it is just in a photograph!




About Nat Geo Mundo
Launched in 2011, Nat Geo Mundo is a non-fiction entertainment channel featuring original high quality programming linked to nature, science, culture and history. As a joint project of Fox Networks Group and National Geographic Ventures, the mission of Nat Geo Mundo is to encourage U.S. Latino families by expanding their horizons through programs about the world around them. Nat Geo Mundo is a contemporary extension of the National Geographic Society, an organization that has motivated people to become aware of the planet since 1888.

For more information, please visit www.natgeomundo.com.

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