Eating Disorders are affecting an increasing number of
adolescent girls. The two most common are Anorexia Nervosa
and Bulimia Nervosa. Anorexia is the refusal to eat and can
lead to extreme weight loss, hormonal problems, and death.
Bulimia involves cycles of binge eating followed by
self-induced vomiting.
It occurs most often with pre-teen and teenage girls, but
has been known to develop in both men and women from
adolescence through adulthood. The extreme attitudes and
behaviors that these girls have towards food and weight
lead to inaccurate perceptions and life-threatening
complications.
Symptoms
Anorexia usually starts with normal dieting to lose weight,
switching to less and less eating each day. The less she
eats, the more emotionally fulfilled she may feel, leading
to eating even less.
There may be the occasional binge where she eats enormous
quantities of food and then purges her indiscretion by
vomiting. She may regularly use laxatives to help pass the
food she does consume. If she follows the binge-purge
pattern more consistently than starvation, she is
considered bulimic.
When weight drops to about 26 pounds below normal, an
anorexic will most likely stop having periods as her body
attempts to avoid the stress of a pregnancy. Also, her body
will grow more hair to help conserve the heat that would
otherwise escape without sufficient body fat. Her skin may
begin to look sallow, waxy, and thin.
Someone with an eating disorder learns quickly how to hide
her behaviors. She may throw food away claiming to have
eaten it. She may be abnormally energetic. She will
continue to complain about being fat and having problem
areas despite her emaciated appearance.
Risks
Many teenagers will go through a phase of excessive
dieting, but only a minority develops anorexia or bulimia.
Up to 15% die as a result of starvation, infections from
poor nutrition, dehydration from laxatives and vomiting, or
from suicide.
Bulimics often have severe damage to their teeth due to the
exposure to stomach acid from repeated vomiting. Their
entire digestive systems become imbalanced by the
binge-and-purge cycles, affecting the heart and other major
organs. People with eating disorders have a high risk for
heart failure. They also reduce their bone density
(osteoporosis), have muscle loss, dry hair and skin, and
have hair loss.
Treatment
As with many disorders, treatment of bulimia and anorexia
is much more effective the earlier it is caught. Depending
on the severity and progression of the disorder,
psychiatric evaluation and/or hospitalization may be
necessary. A team of experienced physicians, nurses, and
dietitians is the best bet for managing this illness.
Detailed programs including well-planned diets,
psychotherapy and other tactics are initiated within the
treatment center where full attention can be placed on
getting emotional and physical healing. However, even after
a patient is considered recovered, it will continue to be a
struggle in her life.
A strong support network of friends and family is
imperative to her continued health and her resistance to
slipping back into old habits.
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John Russell of IH Distribution, LLC brings you health,
anti-aging and skin care products from around the world.
Find fabulous skin care tips and great articles on a wide
range of topics for women at
http://www.hormones-beauty-health.com
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