Description
Anorexia is a condition characterized by being dangerously underweight. It is a compulsion to be thin and to lose more weight, no matter how skinny you are or what common sense tells you.
People who are 85% or less than the normal body weight for their gender, height, and build are considered anorexic. The disease usually manifests in adolescent or teen years but can start as early as age 10. Most sufferers however, are between the ages of 14 and 20. 95% of anorexics are female and about 1 out of every 100 women suffers from the disease. Most importantly, anorexia is a life-threatening compulsion: one out of ten people die from the disorder.
Dieting
Dieting is a futile, often harmful process of restrictive eating usually caused by body dissatisfaction, preoccupation with thinness, and the false belief that self-worth is dependent upon body size. Dieting makes you obsessive with food and, as a consequence, can lead to eating disorders, weight-loss surgery, and even suicide.
Social pressures to be thin have never been greater: 70% of women in North America are dieting at any given time while 40% continually "yo-yo" diet. 95% of people who lose weight through dieting will regain the weight lost and possibly more, which can lead to additional problems such as heart disease and even premature death.
The effects of dieting include an obsession with food, cigarette smoking, a strong desire to binge, irritability, nail biting, depression, lowered self-esteem, social withdrawal, reduction in sexual interest, impaired concentration and judgment, decreased body temperature, and lowered metabolism.
Symptoms and Signs:
Someone with anorexia usually displays several of the following characteristics:
If a person thinks: "I'm much too fat", even when emaciated If that person wears big sweaters to make herself/himself appear bigger -- and to keep warm If a person is voluntarily starving himself/herself Self-induced vomiting, periods of fasting, or laxative, diet pill, or diuretic abuse. If that person has an obsessive interest in recipes and cooking yet does not eat what he/she cooks If that person observes obsessive rituals around food and exercise If that person is a perfectionist If that person has a low self-esteem If that person exercises excessively If that person is introverted and withdrawn If their heads, hands and feet appear too big for their bodies -- anorexics can lose dramatic amounts of body weight but the head, hands, and feet remain the same size Depression, irritability, guilt, and self-loathing are usually involved Females will stop having their period
Causes:
The exact cause of this disorder is not known, but both social attitudes towards body appearance and environmental factors play a role in its development. Many anorexics suffer from feelings of inadequacy while others are constantly teased by peers or by parents. Many feel as if expectations for them, whether academic or otherwise, are too high. They are persuaded that they are not beautiful or intelligent enough, no matter how much healthy encouragement they receive. Anorexics are not just obsessed with their weight. Many have unhealthy obsessions concerning other aspects of their lives, such as school grades or other activities.
The disease is not strictly a psychological one however and some physical components of anorexia have been identified as well. For instance, chemical imbalances found in people suffering from clinical depression are similar to those found in people with eating disorders (people with eating disorders often suffer from depression). Severe zinc deficiency is also related to some cases of anorexia.
What to Expect:
Anorexia is not something you can just snap out of. It may take years for you to regain a healthy body image and to establish a normal diet. Some anorexics suffer with the disease all their lives and many more have life-threatening bouts with the disease. If the disease persists long enough, classic signs of starvation will appear: insufficient potassium and sodium levels, dehydration, muscle spasms, extreme weakness and dizziness, and, ultimately, cardiac arrest. The disease typically leads to cessation of menstruation, swelling of the neck, ulcers and erosion of the esophagus, erosion of the enamel of the back teeth from continued vomiting, disturbances in heartbeat, and irregularities in hormonal balances.
Remedies
Herbs
Dandelion, milk thistle, red clover, and wild yam help rebuild the liver and clean the bloodstream.
Ginger root, ginseng, gotu kola, and peppermint act as appetite stimulants.
Lifestyle
Engage in healthy, realistic attitudes toward weight and diet: understanding this is more important than forcing yourself to eat. Breaking bad eating habits and changing perception of body image are necessary lifestyle choices and people suffering from anorexia will have to willingly make those choices to truly beat the disorder. If this process is forced, it is far too likely the sufferer will return to his/her dangerous routines. If this is insufficient, do not hesitate to contact someone who specializes in treating eating disorders. Professional help/counseling is often a necessary step for recovery.
Make sure, above all, that you surround yourself in a healthy environment. Remove unnecessary stresses and consider lightening your schedule -- anorexics are often perfectionists and try to do too much at once. Strengthen those relationships that make you feel best about yourself, and avoid the people, places and things that make you question your worth.
A healthy diet will provide your body with the vitamins and minerals for proper, overall function. Carbohydrates are needed for energy, protein for muscle, fats for proper brain function and nutrient absorption, and fibre for correct digestive function. Raw fruits and vegetables are especially cleansing to the system and will help establish a normal appetite. Always consult your health practitioner or nutritionist before beginning a new diet. As self-destructive as your diet may have been, the human body tries to adapt to what it is given. Drastic changes in eating patterns can shock your system, especially if your diet consisted of little nutrients. This can lead to further damage to your body. Many people suffering from anorexia need to be hospitalized, given intravenous nutrient feedings, and supervised under professional care until they can properly adapt to a healthier diet.
Minerals
The following minerals are essential and are recommended to be taken in high doses. Your body is not used to being properly nourished and you will poorly assimilate these nutrients at first.
Calcium. Take 1500mg daily.
Magnesium. Take 1,000 mg daily.
Potassium. Take 99mg daily.
Selenium. Take 200mcg daily.
Zinc and copper work synergistically to prevent copper deficiency and to help increase appetite. Take 3mg copper daily and 80mg zinc daily. It is also recommended that you be under the supervision of your naturopath or other health practitioner when supplementing with copper.
Vitamins
A multi-vitamin with chelated mineral complex is recommended to provide full-spectrum supplementation of essential vitamins and minerals necessary for proper overall function.
Vitamin A stimulates healing and immune function. Take 10,000 IU daily.
Actions and Remedy Listings
For More Information ...
About -- Face
Web: www.about-face.org
Academy for Eating Disorders
Web: www.acadeatdis.org
American Anorexia/Bulimia Association Inc.
Web: members.aol.com/amanbu/index.html
Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Association
Web: www.ams.queensu.ca/anab/
Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders Inc. (ANRED)
Web: www.anred.com
Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention (EDAP)
Toll-free: 1.800.931.2237
Web: www.edap.org
Family Resource for Education on Eating Disorders
Web: www.cpcug.org/user/rpike/freed.html
HUGS International Inc.
Web: www.hugs.com
Males and Eating Disorders
Web: www.primenet.com/~danslos/males.html
National Eating Disorder Information Centre
CW 1-211, 200 Elizabeth Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 2C4
Tel.: 416.340.4156
Fax:. 416.340.4736
Web: www.nedic.on.ca
Email: josullivan@torhosp.toronto.on.ca
National Eating Disorders Organization
Web: www.laureate.com/nedointro.html
National Eating Disorders Screening Program
Web: www.nmisp.org/eat.htm
Something Fishy Website on Eating Disorders
Web: www.something-fishy.com/ed.htm
The Eating Disorders Resource Centre
Web: www.uq.net.au/~zzedainc/
The Renfrew Center
Web: www.renfrew.org
See also
Bulimia.
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However, errors in copy may occur. You are advised to consult with your naturopath or other health practitioner
when applying the information contained on this website.
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