Anorexia in young adolescents - By: Fortune Eze
Anorexia is an eating disorder where a person starves himself or herself. Anorexia mainly affects adolescent girls. These young female have an intense fear of becoming fat and think that fat is ugly. They think they are overweight, but in fact most anorexics weigh a full 15% below their normal body weight. Anorexia strikes about 1% of adolescent females. This is about one in one hundred women. The fear is so intense that most of the Anorexia will actually throw up after eating anything.
Some psychiatrists think anorexia is not just about being thin or fat. It stems from fear of growing up and losing control. It's about fear of becoming a woman, growing up, building relationships, leaving home.
Her body is changing and growing and she doesn't like it and wants to be child sized again. Some psychiatrists think that eating disorders can also be caused by life experiences such as abuse and low self esteem. The inability to see your self as pretty or worthy of anything.
Some studies have shown that if a mother has anorexia a child is 12 time more likely to develop it than someone with no family history. This is simply because the mother will be unable to make the child fell worthy when she is unable to help herself.
The person who suffers with anorexia cannot help herself. She must be treated by a mental health professional experienced in dealing with anorexia. Some receive long term psychotherapy. With that being said one can be help spiritually as well as medically. Furthermore some anorexia patients have shown great improvement to social and psychological treatment.
The first thing however is to get this girl's health back as best as you can. This person may need to be coaxed to eat, and, may need a supportive caregiver to actually watch to make sure she eats. There are numerous health concerns with anorexia. Some of these are osteoporosis, irregular heart beat and in the most severe of cases permanent failure of normal growth development. Most women sufferers of anorexia will lose their normal menstrual cycle. If an anorexic woman would conceive a child she would be likely to miscarry or have a baby born prematurely.
Without treatment up to twenty percent of anorexia suffers will die. With treatment 60% can recover and maintain healthy weight. However, even with treatment about 20% of people will continue to have an unhealthy lifetime obsession with weight and food. This percentage greatly improves when treatment is combined with family and friends help to encourage socialization.
If you confront a loved one about anorexia get ready to deal with someone in a true state of denial. They will be angry, and may become more withdrawn and depressed. There is nothing that you can do to change your loved one's perception of himself or herself. You can't make your loved one eat. There are many organizations that are available to help anorexia sufferers and their families get the help they need. Yes, the family members need to change their perception as well.
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Anorexia Treatments - Are They Effective? - By: Mark Bridges
Today, thousands of people, men and women alike, experience the eating disorder known as Anorexia Nervosa or more commonly known as “Anorexia”. Because no one is exempt from this disorder any longer, anorexia treatments are becoming more sophisticated.
Whether it is the rich or poor, the high or low social class, singers, dancers, models or non-models, many people suffer from this disorder. Most of these people consist of girls in their adolescence and women in their late 20s, but there are frequently men who suffer from this harmful eating disorder.
Anorexia can cause damaging and permanent effects to your body if left untreated over an extended period of time. This kind of eating habit degrades the body over time, making it look slim at first, but eventually making it look skeletal or sickly from being underweight due to malnourishment.
People who suffer from this eating disorder can often find help in modern anorexia treatments available today. Among these treatments, the most referred is the psychoanalytical therapies.
These therapies are comprised of the latest innovations in psychological methodologies that evaluate the different behavior patterns of the anorexic in order to find out the root of the anorexia. The root can be a childhood trauma or stress in relation to being overweight or gaining weight.
Once the root has been determined, the patient is then submitted to a variety of psychological sessions with the intention of gradually training the patient’s mind into conquering his or her fear in order to eat properly and maintain the normal or average weight that they must have. This kind of treatment comprises of several sessions until the patient is deemed psychologically capable of conquering their fear of gaining weight.
There are presently no medicines available in treating anorexia, per se. But a person suffering from this disorder usually experiences regular episodes of anxiety mostly related to weight gain and management. Because of this, doctors frequently prescribe anti-depressants and stimulants as the treatment in order to help the patient fight against anorexia or bulimia.
Appetite stimulating minerals such as zinc are taken as supplements to help the patient gain back the lost appetite in order to maintain a normal body weight. These anorexia treatments and use of these drugs usually require a few weeks to a few months for the patient to overcome his or her anxiety.
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Male Anorexia - Men Are At Risk Too - By: Mark Bridges
According to the most recent research conducted in the U.S., among the eight million Americans afflicted with anorexia, 7 million, or roughly 90% of them are girls and women, while 1 million, or roughly 10% of them are boys and men. Strange to say that while most anorexics are females, there are also males that suffer from this strange eating malpractice. Thus, it can be concluded that anorexia is not restricted to the female population, but also can be a male problem as well.
There are several typical factors that may cause male anorexia. First among these numerous factors is the male’s genetics. If there is a history within the direct family of members suffering from anorexia, then the likelihood of developing this disorder increases. The more family members that have developed anorexia, the higher the chance is of other members acquiring it as well.
Second is the male’s brain activity. The male’s dopamine receptors are the parts that discharge the hormones from the brain for feelings of euphoria and pleasure, in order to regulate delight or satisfaction. Under eating results in over production of these hormones, that in turn makes the male anxious. In order to have constant feelings of delight and enjoyment, males under nourish themselves.
Another factor that may cause male anorexia is the family itself. There is an emotional factor accredited to episodes of criticism oppression from fellow family members. There are parents that exaggerate their children’s physical appearance. Because of this kind of pressure, anxiety and stress develop, particularly in males. In order to relieve himself from these anxieties and stress factors, he will tend to under eat. As such, male anorexia develops as a result.
Yet another significant factor that may cause male anorexia is society. There are several cultural, as well as social influences that may cause males to develop this disorder. Approval in society, portrayals of thin people on television and in advertisements, coupled with the wide spread mentality of joy being attained from being thin or skinny are considerations from society that influence a male’s eating habits. Wanting to fit into society with the mindset of happiness will ultimately lead the male into developing harmful eating habits that lead to male anorexia.
The best way to deal with the problem of anorexia among males is through accurate education and self-esteem building and development. The anorexic must be warned of the complications that anorexia may bring, together with the methodologies on how to prevent these complications. A gradual building of the foundation for the male’s self-esteem is also desired in order for the patient to deal with the factors that cause anorexia, like the family and society. By having ample self-esteem, the patient will eventually develop the right eating habits and thus free himself from the dangerous anorexia eating disorder.
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Anorexia And Treatment – The Symptoms And What You Can Do - By: Mark Bridges
In general, anorexia is an eating disorder where people willingly limit their food consumption in order to lose weight while starving their bodies in the process. People that suffer from this eating disorder are usually around the beginning of their puberty, and most of these people are women.
Anorexic is the term used to portray a person suffering from anorexia. Anorexics have a 10% to 15% decrease to their normal body weight, making them thin and skinny. Even though they are already slim, they still have the frame of mind that they are fat or overweight. This can be accredited to their extreme or intense fear of being fat, although they aren’t. Based on this unfounded fear, they develop these bad eating and nutritional habits which harm their bodies in a short period of time.
In order to establish anorexia and treatment needed to triumph over this psychological eating disorder, it must first be determined whether or not the person has symptoms pertaining to the disease. There are numerous symptoms in determining whether or not a person is an anorexic or not.
First is the eating or dieting habit of the person. If the person has an unusual eating or diet practice like refusing to eat in public or being obsessive with calorie intake when eating, then he or she may be suffering from anorexia.
Second, if the person focuses his or her daily life on controlling and managing their weight coupled with fixated episodes of food intake limitation, sugar and fat level scrutiny in food, and pain staking irregular diets, again the person has the potential of being an anorexic.
Today, treatment concerning anorexia has undergone tremendous changes and innovations. In severe or serious cases, weight gain is the first remedy or first aid in treating anorexia. This is done by supplementing the victim with 14 milligrams of zinc.
Research shows that ample zinc intake stimulates the appetite of the anorexic, showing increase in food consumption over a period of five days. The seriously low levels of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients in the body are immediately replaced, thereby averting any form of imminent danger to the victim of anorexia.
Another recent discovery in treating this disorder is through psychological treatment and dieting counseling. The victim’s mind is conditioned through a series of therapies and counseling sessions in order to encourage him or her to practice proper eating habits.
The disadvantages and dangers of suffering from anorexia and treatment with the current ways and means on how to avoid further damage by it are taught in detail. Treatments may take weeks, months or even years, but little by little the anorexic will be gradually cured of the dangerous eating disorder after going through this series of treatments.
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Anorexia Help – Tips and Strategies for Anorexics - By: Mark Bridges
Anorexia help for yourself or a loved one can often be difficult to find, but hopefully these tips and strategies for anorexics will at least give you a place to start.
Do have an extreme fear of gaining weight? Are you conscious of the calories of the food that you eat and limit yourself to not more than 500 calories a day? Do you suffer frequent episodes of faintness, tiredness or fatigue?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then you are in a state where you starve yourself voluntarily. This eating disorder is known as anorexia, which is usually characterized by an great fear of gaining weight coupled with voluntary starvation and other methods of losing weight.
Anorexia and bulimia can be deadly to your health if left untreated over a period of time. A victim of these eating disorders can depend on suffering several body dysfunctions. Often times, they find themselves in a hospital bed because of undernourishment. If the food needed by your body to function and heal itself is not consumed, your body deteriorates over a span of time.
Once your body reaches its limits, you will suffer the consequences of the voluntary malnourishment you undertook in order to lose weight. As such, early treatment for anorexia is strongly recommended in order to avoid complications.
People who fall victim to this disorder need anorexia help tips and strategies in order to overcome it. Since anorexia is psychological in nature, it can be treated in a psychological way. The most urgent treatment for anorexics is to gain weight. This is needed especially in extreme cases involving the victim’s hospitalization.
In the U.S., involuntary hospitalization can be authorized under the mental health law. The victim can be hospitalized even against his or her will in which forced weight gain shall be imposed. This isn’t the perfect method, but sometimes drastic measures need to be taken. One other alternative is an anorexia-bulimia home treatment program.
Psychotherapy is one more treatment for people suffering from anorexia. Here the victim or patient will undertake sessions of psychological treatments aiming to convince the latter into having a normal eating routine. The counselors or dietitians will make clear to the patient the complications that anorexia may bring together with the proper ways of nourishing the body without having to gain weight.
Psychotherapeutic treatments normally consist of 5-10 sessions. After undergoing this kind of treatment, the anorexic is now better prepared with knowledge about anorexia and how to conquer the disorder.
Other anorexia help tips and strategies consist of nourishment rehabilitation. In this type of treatment, the anorexic undergoes a series of nutrition and food related tutorials and discussions. The different types of food, together with the importance of proper food intake are taught to the anorexic in a comprehensive manner.
Once the anorexic understands these, he or she will be given a diet to follow consisting of food that does not promote weight gain, but at the same time supplies the body the proper vitamins and nutrients needed. This rehabilitation can last for months until the anorexic has conquered the fear of weight gain.
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Fact About Anorexia Nervosa – Learn The Truth While There Is Still Time - By: John Warner
Some common facts about anorexia nervosa, more frequently known as “anorexia”, is that it is a psychiatric eating illness characterized by extremely low body weight coupled with the excessive fear of gaining weight. People suffering from this kind of eating condition are commonly known as “anorexics”.
Anorexics starve themselves by insistently limiting the amount of food they consume because of the intense fear of becoming fat. Their eating habits begin from this fear, especially women and adolescent girls. As such, the after effect is that these people become very thin and their weight is usually over 15 percent below their average body weight.
Anorexics, although they are thin and skeletal, believe that they are overweight. Driven by this fear, they do tedious workouts and exercises. Some even consume laxatives and do not eat or drink anything within any given day. Even though they have become thin overall, they still have the frame of mind that they have gained weight.
There are cases of people becoming very ill and in some cases, the anorexic even goes through a near death experience. People suffering from anorexia in general are amongst the top level of society and people occupying professions that call for thinness or being skinny, like dancing and theater acting.
Anorexics often develop bizarre eating practices and they normally refuse to eat in other people’s company. Some of these anorexics will eat a full meal, and then afterwards, force themselves to vomit everything they have eaten. Most of them limit themselves to less than 500 calorie intake per day while refusing any kind of food with fat or sugar in it. These anorexics also have a tendency to overuse laxatives or water pills so that they won’t put on even a quarter of a pound of weight.
Anorexia can be diagnosed by comparing the weight of a person to the likely weight of another person of the same sex, age, height and weight. Once these differences in the margin of weight and other factors are noted, additional tests will be initiated, like heart and lung checks, blood pressure monitoring, and skin and hair examination. There may also be additional tests concerning the blood and even X-rays.
Once anorexia nervosa is detected, the treatment for it needs to begin immediately. As of today, there are no known medicines to take care of this kind of eating disorder, but that does not mean it cannot be cured. Since it is both a type of physical and emotional problem, the primary step is to understand the problem.
Know the different facts about anorexia first by consulting a dietitian, a doctor, and a counselor. These people will help anorexics get through this kind of illness through therapy and other forms of supervision and instructions.
Therapy is typically the first form of treatment for anorexia, but can get quite expensive and is, quite frankly, a crapshoot. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. But there is a home treatment program available that has helped numerous anorexics and is endorsed by leading physicians.
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Anorexia - By: Alex Fyfe
What is anorexia?
Anorexia nervosa or simply anorexia is a condition that is characterized by weight loss significantly on account of an attempt to stop eating intentionally.
When you are anorexic you are actually very hungry, despite your not eating food. You just don't admit that you are hungry since you are morbidly afraid of gaining weight, even if you're under weight. 1% of teenagers (girls) in the US tend to develop anorexia and nearly 10% die due to the disorder. You may be diagnosed with anorexia according to the following:
-You are at least 15% below of normal body weight (considering age & height)
-Inspite of being underweight you are still continuing to dieting and lose more weight, and are unable or unwilling to stop yourself from doing so.
-If you are a female and have stopped menstruating for three months consecutively.
-When there is a distortion in how you perceive your shape and size
-When you are obsessed about your self-esteem, body shape and size, and facial appearance
-You are morbidly afraid of being "fat"
You need not have to experience the above conditions in totality for being anorexic. You may experience some of the symptoms partially. In Addition, if you're anorexic, you may be also having symptoms of bulimia: weight loss occurs through deprivation of food and also by vomiting & puking unnecessarily, intake of laxatives, exercising excessively and using diuretics.
Some danger signs of anorexia!
-Continuing to diet (although underweight)
-Losing weight significantly inspite of being thin
-Continuing to feel obese despite losing considerable amount of weight
-Being in constant fear of gaining weight.
-Irregular monthly menstrual periods
-Always being preoccupied with nutrition, food, cooking and calories,
-Exercising rigorously
-Bingeing and puking
Some of the physical complications of anorexia!
-Hollow facial features
-Hair loss
-Breasts Shrink
-Dry skin
-Bruises
-Bones protrude sharply
-Hands and feet turn cold & blue
-Puberty is delayed where preadolescent females fail to develop breasts and menstruate at the normal age.
In males, this causes the testosterone level to remain low ands leads to impotence.
-Level of menstruation hormones drop, where the body is unable to support a fetus; The menstruation cycle also becomes irregular or completely stops which may result in permanent or temporary infertility
-Permanent loss of bone: highly susceptible to fractures & osteoporosis
-Mood changes frequently with symptoms of irritability, depression, suicidal tendencies and impatience.
-Constipation, Insomnia, kidney failure, heart rate and blood pressure that is abnormally low, sensitivity to cold.
-Cardiac failure resulting in death.
Anorexia often begins with the following:
-A diet is intended to bring yourself into shape physically. But when you become anorexic this takes it toll on you where you find your self dieting rigorously despite feeling hungry.
You will be psychologically scarred of food and of gaining weight. You actually don't begin with the intention of developing anorexia. You tend to become over conscious about your self esteem and physical appearance.
-Living with anorexia is very painful both emotionally and physically. Lack of confidence and self esteem, feelings of incompetency often lead one to becoming anorexic. You tend to believe that you need to be cared and approved by others at the cost of your sentiments and desires. This ultimately leads to annihilation of the healthy sense of oneself and that of the physical being.
-Initially you may feel great about yourself losing weight and looking like one of those thin glamour models. But gradually as your body is deprived of food the mental effort required to maintain continued diet plans inspite of it not being required makes you obsessed about losing weight. You tend to shy away from the public eye and withdraw into a shell.
The body enters into a state of malnutrition since it is now under nourished and does not have what is required to function normally.
-On developing anorexia you will strongly deny food, fatigue, tiredness and any other thing from being wrong. You will refuse help from others as well.
-Anorexia can be fatal and life threatening. With the passage of time this becomes even more acute. But this condition can be reversed with proper treatment, nutritional, medical and psychiatric care.
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Leading Differences between Anorexia and Bulimia - By: Adella Klein
It may seem difficult to comprehend but Individuals diagnosed with eating disorders are suffering from very severe mental illnesses. Often, the seriousness of these disorders is overlooked and the blame is put on the individual for not being able to understand what it means to live a healthy lifestyle. Eating disorders, like other illnesses such as PTSD, OCD or Alzheimer’s, should be taken very seriously and all actions should be taken to help nurture the patient back to health.
One of the biggest misconceptions of eating disorders is that every illness is the same. A person diagnosed with an eating disorder isn’t necessarily skipping meals and eating next to nothing every day. In fact, it can be just the opposite.
Most people classify eating disorders into two categories – bulimia and anorexia. And while many individuals are quick to classify the two illnesses, few people actually know how to identify which is which.
Below you will find some of the major differences between bulimia and anorexia:
1. Anorexic individuals are likely to skip meals and refrain from eating while bulimic individuals are prone to binge eat and purging afterwards.
2. Individuals suffering from anorexia will appear weak, with physical characteristics such as frail bones and sunken-in cheeks while bulimia sufferers are more likely to have swollen cheeks and rotten/extremely unhealthy looking teeth.
3. Studies show that anorexia usually occurs in teenage girls while bulimia tends to affect women in their early to mid-twenties.
4. Individuals with anorexia are likely to appear much smaller than individuals suffering from bulimia. Generally, anorexic women lose the most weight (because they become obsessed with their appearance) while bulimic individuals are less obsessive about their weight but still scared of gaining extra pounds.
5. Anorexia is much more difficult to treat than bulimia. Often, anorexic individuals must undergo hospitalization and intensive suicide watch while being treated for this disease. Countless hours of therapy and counselling are generally needed to restore the individual back to stable health. Therapy and counselling is also recommended for individuals suffering from bulimia, but hospitalization if often rare. Antidepressant medication is sometimes prescribed in order to help the person refrain from binge eating.
If you have anorexia or bulimia or know someone who does, it’s important to seek help. There are many organizations dedicating to helping individuals overcome these illnesses.
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What You Must Know About Anorexia People - By: Darrin Reservitz
Anorexia people exhibit certain traits that manifest in different ways. Some of these traits include distrust of themselves or other people, overly critical thinking or being a perfectionist and having low or no self awareness.
If these traits are present, the risk of developing anorexia doubles. When a patient with these distinct traits live in communities that are critical about a person’s appearance, specifically about a person’s body, the pressure doubles and leaves them vulnerable to anorexia.
If you know any person that exhibits three or more of these traits, one should try to get them help. They should be very careful when going through a strict diet program. The risk is that they might transform the diet and eventually have an unhealthy view of themselves. They would look at the diet as a means to increase their self esteem. To them, they see controlling their weight as an easier option than controlling other aspects of life. As the illness progresses, it becomes increasingly hard to control both as they spiral further and further into despair.
Anorexia people would lower and lower their food intake until finally they would stop eating altogether. Eventually the body would respond by eating into their muscles for calories. Although it started as something to keep themselves healthy it would eventually change into something unhealthy.
The afflicted would be obsessed with their weight. They would starve; purge themselves to maintain their weight at a low level. Thin is not enough; they always have to be thinner.
The afflicted would often look at themselves in a mirror and see a fat person. In truth their bodies would be ravaged by all the weight loss it has been through. Their skin would be hanging off their bones but all they would see is fat. Their obsession about losing their weight would continue up to the point that they get hospitalized or worse.
Sufferers can be classified into two categories. They could be the type that restricts their food intake. In this category, anorexia people will limit the calories in their diet. They will stay away from food that can be fattening. They will also accompany this extreme dieting with excessive exercise and fasting.
Another category is the purging type. These people would resort to vomiting and use of laxatives and diuretics to remove the calories that they have consumed. They would also go through fasting and other radical means to maintain and reduce their weight.
Such people can be anyone. In most cases they, are adolescent girls between the ages of 13 and 20, but it is not too uncommon to see this condition in men and children.
It is also hard to tell an anorexic from a normal person because they make a conscious effort to hide their condition. Most of them are ashamed of what they are doing and will go to great lengths just so they don’t get discovered. You will only notice them when it has gone overboard. At this point, the condition can lead to death.
This condition is very serious and could be fatal. Fortunately there is still hope. It is important that people that have anorexia seek proper treatment. The condition can be controlled with proper support but it is important to catch the symptoms early.
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What You Must Know About Anorexia Causes - By: Darrin Reservitz
Unlike other diseases where the main cause is identified, anorexia causes could be perplexing. To arrest this eating disorder, one should have an understanding of the anorexia symptoms.
In our present society, it is fashionable and in to be thin. This standard of beauty is further motivated by media hype. Women are constantly exposed to advertisements of diet pills, of cosmetic surgery centers where body enhancement procedures are ordinary occurrences. One of the major anorexia causes is cultural pressure. Women who are inordinately dissatisfied with their bodies often start excessive dieting.
Anorexia can be the result of a medical condition. This eating disorder may also be the side effect of a medication. Kidney failure, diabetes, and liver disease could result. Fortunately, once the illness is treated, the anorexia symptoms will be eliminated too.
Depression, stress and anxiety could cause a person to stay away from food. Psychological anorexia symptoms are more difficult to treat. Anorexia causes people to have a notion that they are fat even though the bones in their body are sticking out and they have an emaciated appearance. In some instances the family’s lifestyle can contribute. Parents’ over protectiveness may suffocate the child, causing him/her to rebel and to refuse to eat as a sign of independence.
People who have suffered from physical and sexual abuse are most likely to be afflicted with anorexia nervosa. These people would starve to death to avoid the sexual demands of the abuser. The same thing is true with physical abuse. Anorexics have this notion that self starvation is the only way by which they can avoid physical abuse.
Whatever the anorexia causes may be, it should be understood that anorexia is a serious eating disorder. Anorexia people may inadvertently cause severe damage to their own vital organs by self starvation. So if you see a family member, a loved one or a friend with a compulsive desire to lose weight to the point that she/he is no longer eating proper meals, if you see that he/she is using large baggy clothes to hide an emaciated body, if you notice that she/he is exhibiting drastic mood swings…this person has anorexia symptoms. Act at once for your help is urgently needed!
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The Skinny on Anorexia - By: kristine
Because of mass media’s rising campaign on beauty products and weight-loss products, people have been given the idea that they need to be appearance-conscious to get noticed. And with a lot of skinny celebrities and models in the media spotlight, it gives people a misconception that being skinny is synonymous to being beautiful. And because of this misconception that a lot of women become obsessed in losing weight, by any means necessary, be it naturally or not.
An alarming emergence in eating disorders
Eating disorders have become increasingly prevalent in western countries because of a drastic change in the feminine body ideal towards thinness. An estimated five to ten percent of girls and women, an approximated five to ten million people, and a million boys and men suffer from eating disorders. Among these eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and other dietary conditions. An estimated fifteen percent of young women adopt unhealthy eating habits and behaviours about food.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia is the second most common eating disorder. Anorexia and bulimia nervosa are common in terms of having an intense fear of becoming fat or even just to be perceived as fat. However anorexia differs in the sense that anorexic people starve themselves to lose weight, on the other hand people with bulimia eat to their hearts content and then purge by forcing themselves to vomit.
Anorexia and other eating disorders usually start during early adolescence. People with anorexia nervosa often do a good job at hiding their eating disorder until the side effects have become prominent. And anorexic people also have a tendency to deny that something is wrong with them, that they’re already finished eating, or that they’re not hungry at the moment. They also keep insisting that they need to lose more weight.
Anorexia and other eating disorders may have stemmed from a misunderstanding of a wide range of social influences that dictate for women to be skinny and imitate supermodel looks. Or sometimes it may be self-inflicted as a way of refusing to enter puberty. Some experts relate having low self-esteem, loneliness, a history of abuse, peer pressure, inferiority complex, and perfectionism as triggers of such conditions.
Side effects
Side effects are mainly classified into psychological, social and physical. Physical side effects may come as a result from lack of nutrition from very little food intake, this may put serious strain on a lot of the body’s major organs. Anorexia may also cause psychological side effects, changing the way a person thinks, giving anorexics a distorted view on things.
Physical side effects:
Fatigue and loss of energy
Hypotension (low blood pressure)
Dizziness due to low blood pressure
Fine hair growth on body (lanugo hair)
Hair loss
Pins and needles (parathesia due to changes in the peripheral changes in the nervous system)
Brittle nails and fragile bones due to low calcium
Increased vulnerability to osteoporosis
Anaemia and pale skin due to low iron levels
Easy bruising
Cramps
Ulcers
Susceptibility to cold due to loss of insulation
Edema (tissue swelling from water) due to electrolyte imbalances
Cessation of menstruation
Strain on most of the bodies organs
Thyroid dysfunction
Irregularity in the secretion of growth hormone
Potential kidney failure
Urinary tract infections
Chronic indigestion
Potential liver failure
Osteoporosis
Psychological side effects:
Low self esteem and loss of confidence
Feelings of being ineffective and powerless
Fear of losing control
Mood swings
Irritability
Anxiety and depression
Loneliness
Feelings of being worthless
Now that you understand what anorexia is all about, it will be easier to look out for tell-tale signs of the disease. Of course the best way to prevent this condition is to educate your kids early of proper nutrition and showing them a healthy attitude towards food. Of course, the best way to educate is to lead by being an example to your children. After all, if your kids see you eating healthy, what are the chances that they would develop an unhealthy eating habit?
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The Princess' Secret Disease - By: gayle
“...And that's like a secret disease. You inflict it upon yourself because your self-esteem is at a low ebb, and you don't think you're worthy or valuable. You fill your stomach up four or five times a day-some do it more- and it gives you a feeling of comfort. It's like having a pair of arms around you, but it's temporarily, temporary. Then you're disgusted at the bloatedness of your stomach, and then you bring it all up again. And it's a repetitive pattern, which is very destructive to yourself.” Thus declared Princess Diana, who struggled with an eating disorder and also admitted that she used to harm herself. She also added in a television interview that she intentionally cut her arms and legs and had thrown herself down a flight of stairs on more than one occasion. The Princess first revealed her own battle with bulimia in 1992, when it was described in Andrew Morton’s controversial book Diana: Her True Story. In later interviews she spoke of the “secret disease” that had preyed on her for many years.
Bulimia is a type of eating disorder in which people are preoccupied with their weight and shape, often judging themselves severely and harshly for perceived flaws. People with bulimia experience episodes of binging and purging. During these episodes, they typically eat a large amount of food in a short period of time and then try to rid themselves of the extra calories in inappropriate ways, such as self-induced vomiting or excessive exercise. In between these binge-purge episodes, people with bulimia actually eat very little or often skip meals altogether. A person with bulimia often feels a loss of control over their eating as well as guilt over their behavior. They are usually aware that their behavior is abnormal. Bulimia is currently very common in adolescent and young adult women. People with bulimia are often of normal or near-normal weight, which makes them different from people with anorexia, another eating disorder in which the person does not eat at all.
Probably the earliest and most obvious sign of bulimia is an over concern with weight and body shape. People suffering from bulimia will try to hide their binging and purging behavior from others. This secrecy often makes it difficult to identify the actual problem until a serious complication from the physical self-abuse occurs. People with bulimia may also complain of generalized weakness, fatigue, abdominal pain, and loss of menstrual cycles. Vomiting or diarrhea is also present on persons with bulimia without revealing that it is self-induced. People with bulimia often have constant stomach pain. In fact, bulimia can actually damage a person's stomach and kidneys as a result of constant vomiting. Bulimia can also cause a person's teeth to decay because of the acids that come up to the mouth while vomiting.
Studies have shown eating disorders occur more frequently in relatives of people with bulimia than in others. This frequency appears to be related to genetics, but family influences may also be important. Researchers have suggested that altered levels of the chemical serotonin in the brain play a role. Serotonin levels can be related to the development of clinical depression. Experts also agree that cultural factors are very important in the development of eating disorders. Television, ads and modern society's emphasis on health, in particular thinness, can greatly influence those who seek the acceptance of others.
People with bulimia often need several types of treatment. If a bulimic person's life is in immediate danger, they may need treatment in a hospital emergency department for such issues as dehydration, electrolyte imbalances or severe psychiatric problems. Treatment is generally done using a team approach that includes medical providers, mental health professionals and dietitians, all with experience in eating disorders. With proper treatment, most people with bulimia recover. For some, though, the condition becomes a lifelong battle. Periods of binging and purging may come and go through the years, depending on life circumstances.
Whatever the cause of an eating disorder, the effects can be damaging, if not downright devastating and life threatening, such as the case of Princess Diana. However, the good part of it is that the decision by the princess to publicize her harrowing battle with bulimia resulted in double the number of sufferers coming forward for treatment. A study by the Institute of Psychiatry in London shows that reported cases of the illness rose to 60,000 during the 1990s after the Princess’s revelation. Since she first spoke of it in 1994, the number has almost halved, a trend attributed by researchers to the “Diana Effect” that persuaded them to acknowledge and seek treatment for their condition.
Fortunately, people with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, can get well and gradually learn to eat normally again. Because bulimia involve both the mind and body, medical doctors, mental health professionals, and dietitians will often be involved in a person's treatment and recovery. Therapy or counseling is a critical part of treating eating disorders, in many cases, family therapy is one of the keys to eating healthy again, and let's not keep that a secret.
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Behavioral maladies: bulimia and anorexia - By: Groshan Fabiola
Eating disorders are associated with emotional and personality disorders and even with a biologic susceptibility, and a culture in which there is an overabundance of food and obsession with thinness. The general categories of eating disorders are: bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa and binge eating.
Bulimia nervosa have been found in medieval writings as self-starvation. It is more common than anorexia and it begins early in adolescence. It is characterized by cycles of bingeing and purging and takes the following pattern: bulimia is triggered when young women attempt restrictive diets. Patients are taking laxatives, diet pills or drugs to reduce fluids.
Patients revert to severe dieting, excessive exercise or both. Patients with bulimia average about 14 episodes of binge-purging per week. However a patient must binge and purge at least twice a week for three months to be diagnosed with bulimia. The body weight may fluctuate by more than 10 pounds because of the binge-pure cycle.
An aversion to food that leads to a state of starvation and emaciation is called anorexia nervosa which includes: normal body weight with about 15%-60%, an intense fear of gaining weight, even he or she is severely underweight and the distorted image of the weight and shape. The people with anorexia are called also anorexia restrictors or anorexic bulimic patients.
Anorexia restrictors reduce their weight by severe dieting while anorexic bulimic patients maintain emaciation by purging. Literally anorexia means absence of appetite. For example severe anorexia is common in the elderly. Anorexia nervosa is another kind of anorexia called psychological disorder. Compulsively over eating is also called binge eating and means becoming overweight.
A person suffering from binge-eating disorder has the following characteristics: bingeing at least twice a week for six months, consuming 5,000 to 15,000 calories in one sitting, eating three meals a day plus frequent snacks, over eating continually throughout the day, rather than consuming large amounts of food during binges.
Binge-eating disorder is associated with weight gain. Another category of eating disorders are not otherwise specified (NOS) disorders. It has been established to define eating disorders not specifically defined as anorexia or bulimia. NOS includes the following: infrequent binge-purge episodes, repeated chewing and spitting without swallowing large amounts of food and normal weight and anorexic behavior.
Bulimia and anorexia are the most common disorders nowadays but fortunately a variety of techniques and modalities improved a lot so people can be helped.
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Anorexia: Who Are We To Blame? - By: Matthew Wagner
More and more anorexia sufferers are appearing each day. Should we blame ourselves for creating a society in which anorexia seems necessary for a young person? When a teen begins to suffer from anorexia nervosa, it is never just a quick onset but rather there are always conditions that lead the anorexia sufferer to believe he/she can’t be good enough, which ultimately leads to anorexia. These conditions come from every single aspect of the sufferer’s life.
The main cause cited for anorexia among teens is the media. Many media images portray individuals as being extremely thin. This image is very prevalent in the media, and may create the delusion in young people that this is how they were meant to be. Lots of people are naturally heavier during their younger years. When an anorexia sufferer looks at his or herself in the mirror and compares this image with the magazines and TV ads that they are constantly bombarded with, it can seem like there is a huge discrepancy. This makes it harder for anorexia sufferers to feel good about their self-image.
Although the perfect image created by society is not really what a person should look like, this always needs to be made clear to anorexia sufferers. Models in magazines are usually modified by computer programs, and they (the models) don’t even look like their pictures in the magazine. It is a very unfortunate double-sided standard that society had drawn up which is endangering the health of young people in the form of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.
Many anorexia sufferers can also be affected by their peers. At a young age teens can be extremely cruel in their teasing. A few insults expressed by another teenager could leave the other teen completely crushed, particularly the anorexia sufferer, focusing on the negative comment. It is unfortunate that teens can be affected so much by the thoughts or comments of a peer, but it is a fact. It is critical that everyone in the anorexia sufferer’s life be supportive, not just family, but peers as well.
An anorexia sufferer needs to get help as quickly as possible. This means that if someone suspects anorexia he or she should immediately arrange an appointment with a mental health professional. In particular the anorexia sufferer should attempt to find a professional who deals with anorexia and in particular uses Cognitive Behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is thought to be the most effective treatment for anorexia.
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Some facts about the eating disorders - By: Groshan Fabiola
Anorexia, an eating disorder that can determine self-starvation affects mostly women, especially the younger ones. A factor that can lead to anorexia is the norm of the modern society that appreciates a woman is beautiful and full of success if she is thin, and a lot of people might want to become just like that, believing that being very thin is the most important thing. A lot of persons may think that having control over our body is one way to exert power over the forces that surround us. This can lead to an obsession, and so, there appear eating disorders. Many persons become obsessed, they start having a distorted vision about their body and about how it should look. Someone affected by anorexia will have this distorted vision about the body, will believe it is fat and must lose weight, will be permanently afraid not to get weight. That person will not believe is thin and underweight, even if a lot of people say that.
In women, there can also appear loss of three consecutive menstrual periods, and it was seen that interest in sexual desire among males will decrease.
It seems that the eating disorders appear because of a combination of psychological, interpersonal, and social conditions.
Our culture that makes an ideal for a thin body, troubled family and personal relationships, depression, anxiety, loneliness and feelings of inadequacy may provoke the apparition of an eating disorder.
There are a lot of warning signs that can show us a person is about to get or got an eating disorder. We can mention obsession with calories and fat content of foods, visible food restriction and self-starvation, fear of eating around and with others, hiding food in strange places to avoid eating it, wearing big clothes to hide weight loss. Other signs are the use of diet pills, laxatives or enemas, preoccupied thoughts of food, weight, and cooking, loss of menstrual cycle, complaints of often feeling cold, depression, fatigue, low self- esteem and the sensation of being worthless, perfectionalist personality and other.
It is true that nowadays there is a great pressure in our society to be good- looking. Women want that, and they believe it is possible only if they look thin like a young girl. It is important for all of us to remember that according to our age and height, we need to have a certain weight, and we also must remember that many of us will never be skinny or fat, it is important to live in total harmony with our bodies.
It is important to eat when we feel hungry, sleep when it is necessary and try to raise our self- esteem, and enjoy the life.
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Natural remedies for anorexia - By: Groshan Fabiola
Besides specialized treatment, anorexia can also be treated at home using natural products.
Oranges are recommended during anorexia treatment because they stimulate the appetite and increase the digestion due to the fact that they increase the level of digestive fluids. Oranges can be taken two a day in order to get a maximum effect.
Another useful home remedy is using sour grapes in your alimentation. When preparing chapattis you can mix the flour with the juice of sour grapes and consume this aliment for two to three weeks. This will also improve your digestion, toning up the stomach and stimulating the appetite.
Lime and ginger are known as effective in restoring a lost appetite. Prepare a mixture out of equal quantities of lime juice and ginger juice and add one gram of rock salt over it. Then, for three days this liquid should be placed in sunlight and only after you can take one teaspoon after each meal from it. Ginger can also be taken separately once a day, by licking it with a little salt.
Apples are something you should not avoid. Due to the fact that they stimulate the digestive enzymes in the stomach, especially pepsin, they help your digestion and appetite. The doctor recommends eating an apple a day for being healthy.
Garlic is also known for its properties of increasing the appetite and improving the immune system. Use four cloves of raw garlic to prepare a soup which should be taken daily. This garlic should be boiled in a cup of water along with half a lemon.
Treatment of anorexia can be effective only after cleansing the digestive tract, adopting a rigorous diet and changing the life perspective and habits. At first the anorexic person should try to drink for three to five days orange juice and water. Every two hours beginning from 8 am and ending at 8 pm the patient should drink the juice of an orange mixed with a cup of warm water. It is recommended for the patient not to take anything else otherwise all the treatment would have been in vain. If the patient dislikes orange juice than the orange can be replaced with carrot but in this case the juice must contain equal quantities of water and carrot juice.
After the fast is done, the patient will pass to the next level meaning that he will be allowed to eat fruits in the next five days. Three meals a day containing apples, grapes, peaches, pears, pineapples and melons will be taken at a five hour interval.
The next step is eating easy digestible foods, butter milk, cooked vegetables, and juicy fruits. This level lasts for ten days at least.
During the first days of this diet the patient can receive warm-water enema every day in order to clean the toxic substances that cluster inside the bowel. Sun baths are also recommended daily because they are good for the body but for the spirit too. Long walks on a sunny day can only bring an improval of the metal status of the patient which is already depressed.
Family and friends must support the patient during this recovery process and must stick together and hope for the best.
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How can you know if you have anorexia or not? - By: Groshan Fabiola
It seems that 0.5 to 3.7 women all over the world are being affected of anorexia during lifetime. Anorexia does not refer only to skinny women. Anorexia affects also the psychic disturbances due to the disease.
Anorexic persons refuse to maintain a normal weight for their age and height and continue to lose weight. They are terrified about the fact that they could get fat and this is why they eat less and less every day. They are so desperate that they can not see that they are underweight, their mind is affected by this disease and all they see on their body is fat. They deny their eating problems and make up excuses for their strange eating habits. They eat only some foods which they consider to be good and even weight and portion the food. After a while these women will have a lack in their menstrual periods and will become infertile, all due to the intense loss of weight.
In order to control their weight better they exercise a lot and even use laxatives or vomit after eating. In young girls the process of growing up is delayed and the first menstruation fails to come.
Some of these women recover well after such an episode; some gain weight for a while but they end up having another anorexia crisis and some even die due to heart affections and electrolyte imbalance. Suicide is not excluded is such persons.
Doctors follow the signs and symptoms a patient comes with and after analyzing them they diagnose that person with an illness. Sometimes an anorexic person analyses its symptoms and those read in a medical book for example and thinks that if she has not got all the written symptoms she is not suffering of anorexia. This is wrong, because not all the symptoms must be present in order to be affected of anorexia. These symptoms are different in one patient and another. For example you can be underweight and have a fear of getting fat but still have menstruation. This does not exclude you from being a possible anorexic person. This only means that the disease is not yet so advanced in order to make your menstruation fail from coming. Therefore the family must guide them towards a special clinic of eating disorders in order to get them cured of this serious condition.
Also, there are two types of anorexic people: those who eat a lot and then go and throw up all they have eaten and those who are very careful with what they eat and do not throw up regularly.
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Tips to control and cure nervous anorexia - By: Groshan Fabiola
Many persons may think wrongly it is not possible to become too thin. A very frightening thought is that many teenagers especially girls look for ways how to become anorexic, many more than ones trying to get help. Anorexia nervosa is a dangerous and hard to kill condition and can be life-threatening. It is an addiction to losing weight and not to food in particularly, it becomes an obsession and patients are extremely concerned about how they look and about the imperative need to loose weight. By considering yourself fat you deny the real issues and problems in your emotional life and also tend to deny the problem instead of solving it.
Some specialists seem to think the cause of anorexia is nutrition, others talk about a genital inclination to become anorexic, some say its caused by the upbringing, some see it as a complication of a brain chemical imbalance. Most of the specialists agree to the idea that the poor self-esteem is at the bases of developing anorexia; patients seem to see themselves as very fat even if their weight is normal or under the average weight of the age and height. The feeling of imperfection, emptiness and unworthiness leads the anorexia sufferers to desperate measures for improving their image so they can feel better about themselves.
Diets and excessive exercise fails to improve the mental problems and risks to start a new chain reaction of physical conditions; the way they know to solve the problems fails to help and the self-image tends to deteriorate continuously. The vicious cycle causing the problems must be interrupted in time and can be interrupted but usually only with help of the family and friends.
Anorexic start by avoiding food and creating a serious imbalance to all vital systems of the body and causes an extreme pathological fatigue. In advanced forms it creates an imbalance in the relations of sufferers with family, friends and tends to highly deteriorate the physical condition; the symptoms become more and more serious as the vicious cycle is not interrupted. The chronic condition resembles a terminal cancer when the body is forced to use all the reserves remaining to maintain the vital functions. General symptoms of the disorder are hypertension, stress, asthma, muscular and cardio-vascular problems. If not cured in time, anorexia can produce unstoppable damages to vital organs and cause death.
Self –image is especially important for teenagers who are very sensitive to physical image and can fall into all kinds of addiction anytime. Anyone who realizes its anorexic like problems must know help is available in many aspects. Do not hesitate to seek professional help if you notice any changes in your eating habits.
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Signs of Anorexia - By: Groshan Fabiola
All types of media information advices the population more and more often to eat healthy and exercise daily to avoid obesity and other nutritional issues. Still, the message seems to be misunderstood as many persons, especially young girls become obsessed with loosing weight and counting calories; this is the negative part of the media tendencies and leads to the apparition of many eating disorders and dangerous physical and emotional consequences.
The most common and vital symptom of anorexia seems to be the irrational and uncontrolled fear of weight gain and body fat. This is however associated also with the will to become thinner and thinner even while loosing normal weight and becoming underweight.
Patients suffering from anorexia deny their problems and refuse to see the danger they expose their body to. These persons are usually very preoccupied with calories, fat grams and weight and become often angry and irascible when help is offered. The constant denial of having a major eating disorder turns into a difficult disease and also leads to a separation of the person from the society that is willing to help.
Warning signs of Anorexia seem sometimes very hard to observe as patients do their best to hide and deny any symptom or sign of their condition. They make huge efforts to avoid their family and friends to observe something is wrong as they are certain they are very fat, must loose weight and no one can help.
Anorexia patients refuse to keep at least a minimal accepted weight for their own age and height and become dramatically thinner every day; this is associated with a poor self image and low self respect. They seem to find excuses every time for skipping meals, eat very few foods only with little calories, weigh frequently and are attentive to the smallest weight change. The tendency of wearing large clothes is due to the need of hiding their body, excessive obsessive training program occupies a lot of time in their lives. Time is also controlled by the need of looking carefully into the mirror, looking for flaws.
Anorexia sufferers find excuses for skipping gatherings implying food and continuously complain about how fat they are. The most dramatic physical signs of the condition are low sexual appetite in men and irregular menstrual periods in women.
The two basic types of anorexia are:
1. Classic restrictive Anorexia involves very little calorie intake and excessive rapid weight loss. The food income is mostly insufficient to maintain normal vital functions.
2. Purging Anorexia works through self induced vomiting and excessive use of laxatives. This is called bulimic anorexia and associate low food intake with the need of purging after meals. Most patients with anorexia develop symptoms of additional bulimia.
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Anorexia, Anorexia Symptom sand Anorexia Treatment - By: Candy Williams
Anorexia is something more drastic than just a problem with food. It is a strange way of using food, body weight or starving oneself to feel more in charge of one’s life, to ease nervousness, anger, and anxiety. Most people with anorexia are females.
Anorexia nervosa can be termed as a psychiatric disorder.
What is anorexia?
People with anorexia have an intense fear of being fat. Their abnormal eating habits develop from this panic psychosis. This cycle of self-starvation gradually becomes an obsession, which in severe cases becomes life threatening.
The person suffering from anorexia is usually 15% below his/her ideal weight and still considers him overweight. He hardly eats at all - may even weigh food before eating it. A person with anorexia will avoid high-calorie foods and exercise constantly.
Anorexia is an eating disorder where people, especially the teen group (adolescent girls) starve themselves – the main reason is to lose weight and turn lean. Anorexia usually begins in young people around the onset of puberty. Weight loss is obtained by many ways – some harmful also. The common techniques used are excessive exercise, intake of laxatives/ diet pills, vomiting after a meal and starving oneself to limitless extent.
People with anorexia continue to think they are overweight, and will resort to dieting even after they become extremely thin.
Symptoms:
There are many symptoms for anorexia; not all individuals may experience similar symptoms. The common symptoms include a body weight that is inconsistent with age, build and height (usually 15% below normal weight).
Other symptoms include:
• Constant exercise
• Loss of hair on head
• Fatigue and muscle tiredness, headaches
• Obsession with food and calories
• Irregular menstruation in women – loss of atleast 3 menstrual periods
• Amenorrhea (loss of menstruation)
• Unusual eating habits (ie. cutting food into tiny pieces, picking at food)
• Mood swings
• Anaemia
• Loss of hair on head
• Fine downy hairs on face, neck, back
• Dizziness
• Pale complexion, dehydration
What are the risks of anorexia?
There are many biological and psychological risks associated with anorexia nervosa. They include shrunken bones, mineral loss, low body temperature, irregular heartbeat, debility of the brain due to lack of nutrients, permanent retardation of normal body growth, development of osteoporosis.
People who do not receive treatment may become chronically ill or even die in severe cases.
Continued use of laxatives is extremely harmful for the body. It gradually wears out the bowel muscles and causes a decrease in its functional ability. Some laxatives may also contain harsh and toxic substances that may be reabsorbed into the body.
Long spells without adequate intake of food can cause fragile bones leading to osteoporosis, as well as damage to the heart, liver, kidneys and brain.
Anorexia can impede normal growth in the young, adolescents and cause difficulties in concentration.
People with anorexia nervosa may also experience mental health problems such as depression and increased risk of suicide.
Common causes of anorexia -
Until today, no definite and single cause of anorexia nervosa has been determined. It is likely that both inherent biological factors and factors in the person’s social environment play an integral part in its development. Some experts feel that demands from peer pressure, society and families could possibly be underlying stress causes for anorexia.
Some believed causes include:
• Frightened about getting fat
• An obsessive and constant thinking about their weight, especially losing weight.
• Demonstration effect - If you have a mother or sister with anorexia, you are more likely to develop the disorder.
• Perpetual fear of putting on weight
• Emotional problems
• Stressful events - traumatic events like rape, assault, puberty, death in the family as well as other stressful things like starting a new job, can lead to the onset of anorexia.
• Pressure to be thin and attractive, because of a poor self image, and also to fit into a certain ideal of beauty.
• Dysfunction in the part of the brain, which regulates certain metabolic processes.
• Genes, hormones and family history
How is anorexia nervosa treated?
Treatment of anorexia varies depending on the individual circumstances. There is no one single line of treatment. The initial treatment for anorexia is usually focused on immediate weight gain, especially with those who have particularly serious conditions that requires hospitalisation.
Psycho-therapy is also an effective form of treatment and can lead to restoration of weight, return of menstrual periods in female patients, improved psychological self-image and normal social functioning.
Treatment for anorexia, which includes drugs and psychological support, aims to:
• Bring back the person to a healthy, normal weight.
• Re-instate normal food habits.
• Treat any physical complication or associated mental, psychological problems.
• Bring in family support to treat the condition.
In some cases, medication such as anti-depressants may be necessary, especially people with severe depression or serious obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms.
Anorexia nervosa is a potentially life-threatening illness, and should be treated as soon as possible..
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Most common therapy for nervous anorexia - By: Groshan Fabiola
The actual treatment for this type of eating disorder must be oriented according to the severity of symptoms and the patient’s needs. The primer target of the therapy is to reestablish the physical health of the patient by helping him gain weight.
The patient must know the negative effects anorexia has upon his physical health and understand the importance of gaining weight. A complete eating schedule must be established with about 6 meals a day and the person must learn to adjust and increase weight. After obtaining a healthy physical status, improvement of the mental status of the patient can begin.
Very important as symptom of the disease, the psychological damages of the person making her have low self-esteem and poor self image can also be corrected by proper therapy. Every therapist has its own methods to talk about anorexia and solve its triggers that might be stress, fears or concerns. He will discuss with the patient all potential causes that may be related to anorexia. The relationship between patient and food must also be discussed during sessions, he must keep a diary of his interaction with food and learn to manage hunger or not be disgusted after eating. This is the cognitive method.
The Behavior related therapy is meant to reward the patient for the progresses and punish him for his temptations. The therapist must also identify and try to solve the problems in your emotional or social life that may trigger low self-esteem. Massages and relaxation can contribute to mental health improvement. Family therapy can make the members understand how their actions can negatively influence you and how their acting can help you get back to normal. When patients deny they suffer from an eating disorder, a subtitle family therapy can correct the main causes and increase the patient’s trust.
Group therapies lead by a specialist can help the patient reduce its sensation of isolation and give him the mental strength to fight anorexia. Persons with the same disorder can share their problems and find new ways of working them out. Support groups are lead by nutrition problem specialists or by volunteers which can help you find the most benefic group according to your own personal needs.
You will also need to be seen by a medical doctor that will determine the effects anorexia has on your body and teach you how to overpass the physical illness. He will closely monitor your vital signs, hydration level and electrolytes.
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Hospital care for Anorexia Nervosa - By: Groshan Fabiola
Family and caretakers of patients with Nervous Anorexia must always consider hospitalization as the most benefic way to save them from starving themselves. Although the patients will try to avoid hospitalization and look for other treatment options, we must not forget these options have frequently been tried before without any success.
As a patient in a psychiatric unit for persons with nervous eating problems, they will have an exact meal schedule and a certain weight target they must reach. For all progresses such as eating regulate meals without purging afterwards the patients will be rewarded. After completing the rehabilitation as an inpatient, Anorexia sufferers will be taught how to continue the treatment at home, also sustained by group therapy or even a support group. Without a proper care inside the hospital and then at home, the patient’s progress tends to be much slower as these types of persons seem to have neither personal will nor strength to fight their disorder.
Patients will need to be supervised a few hours after every meal in order to prevent them from throwing up. The daily weight must be carefully monitored as well as the intake of fluids. The daily calorie value in the beginning of the cure must vary around about 1500-2000 and will increase progressively when the patient begins to eat and act properly. The daily number of meals for anorexics should be about six; regular meals can be substituted by intra venous nutrition or liquid food in case of patients with severe anorexia symptoms.
In hospital care, the doctors and caretakers must be careful not to overly insist on the importance of gaining weight, as the weight problem is only a physical symptom of the more complex eating disorder. Correcting the poor image of themselves and the low self-esteem are the primer major steps in confronting the nervous eating difficulties. Weight gain must be used only as a real objective in the main target which is correcting the psychological problem.
There are some additional therapy methods like certain medication that can be extremely helpful in decreasing the disease’s symptoms. The intake of the medication in patients at the begin of the therapy must be carefully monitored as the vomiting may interfere and diminish the effect of the chemo. To avoid such problems, a relation of reciprocal trust must be established between patient and physician; the absence of honesty and trust will negatively influence the final results.
Obsessions, anxiety and agitation can all be managed and controlled by the intake of chlorpromazine. Also the recovery process will be fastened by antidepressants. Support groups are always necessary to sustain the will of the patient of getting better and prevent reoccurrence. Although very important, this therapy method is often overlooked by physicians.
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Here Is What You Need To Know About Anorexia - By: Mike Herman
With live in today high standards of beauty, falsly influenced by the media, and it brings on the eating disorders that so many are effected by with disorder such as anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders.
Anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders are problems simply for the fact that sex sells, and advertisers know it. By projecting impossible images for one to model their body after, companies can more accurately market to individuals who feel that they have a problem with the way that their body is.
To that end, many feel such pressure to maintain a perfect body form that eating disorders may arise.
One of the most commonly occurring eating disorders is known as anorexia nervosa, and in this article, we’ll discuss the disorder in-depth in order to help you to understand it and so that you’ll be able to see when someone you know is exhibiting warning signs.
Anorexia is a eating disorder in which people, in effect, starving themselves so as the can lose weight.
It’s a mental, as opposed to a physical, disorder that most often developes in younger persons, even pre-teens, who feel the ’social pressure’ of needing to fit into society. Most anorexic persons have a body weight that is less than 85% of what a healthy body should be.
Anorexics often use different methods to help them lose weight, everything from using laxatives so as to decrease their caloric intake, to extreme dieting, the use of weight-loss supplements, and over-exercising.
Those that are afflicted with anorexia are often never satisfied with the state of their body, and even those who are stick-thin may still feel fat. When you are looking for the warning signs that one may have anorexia, there are a few things to consider. For one, a drastic amount of weight loss will be present within the individual.
They may decline eating when in a public circumstance as to lead friends and family to believe that they simply aren’t hungry. Girls who suffer from anorexia will experience a loss of their menstrual period, and when it occurs for at least three months in a row, anorexia is probably evident.
A sufferer may also exhibit signs of weakness such as anxiety, a weakness of the body, and a shortness of breath.
**The health effects that anorexia can have on an individual are quite bad:
* Those who are afflicted often experience an amount of bone loss and mineral loss.
* They exhibit a lowered body temperature, and an irregular heartbeat can develop from the body’s lack of nutrition.
* Growth may permanently cease after a period of time, and osteoporosis may occur.
It’s a relatively common problem within society, with one out of a hundred teenage girls in America developing a case of anorexia. Nearly ten percent of these girls will eventually die as a direct result of the disease’s effects on the body, clearly illustrating the damage that it can do. Those with anorexia require a high level of support, and you may want to suggest your friend or family member who may be afflicted with the problem to discuss it with an eating disorder therapist.
Doctors and counselors can be of great assistance when it comes to conquering an eating disorder such as anorexia.
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Controlling Anorexia - By: Groshan Fabiola
The eating disorder known as anorexia is mainly induced by low self-esteem leading to dangerous catastrophic complication when the person becomes to suffer in silence from unreal, not existing weight problems. All human is fighting with painful feelings of his own person and image sometimes and some of us even get obsessions caused by the lack of the most wanted feeling of self-worth.
In order to be able to cure this condition we must get to understand the reasons lying behind the manifestations of anorexia. Many persons get compliment quite a lot but cannot accept them and refuse to agree with other people’s opinion about their outer image. A very frequent but also much avoided and not discussed cause of turning a person into an anorexic is an earlier physical, sexual or emotional abuse dating from childhood that tends to have dangerous repercussions. The emotional abuse is the most frequently encountered one as most of us have at least once been victims of a person using us to fulfill its own needs.
Emotional abuse can also mean the lack of attention especially from family and parents, in the time when it is most required. Many adolescents have no material or economical problems but must face the lack of emotional support which makes them feel something is wrong with them. Many parents cannot deal with their children’s emotional needs as they have been or still are exposed to a sort of misunderstanding and personally require attention and emotional support.
Some affected teenagers manage to pay attention to their parents’ needs but are mostly ignored and the care and concern is never turned back. Parents are glad to have someone to talk to and share their thoughts but most often are unable to do the same for the child and spend quality time with him/her and listen to its concerns. In such cases the adolescent feels it is needed but at the same time begins to develop feelings of abuse and abandon, loneliness, frustration and low self –esteem and turns into an anorexic.
The sensation of low self worth leads to a type of addiction when the child tries to hide who he really is or become someone else out of deception, denial and lies. Feeling fat keeps the person busy and controls the cycle of frustration. To avoid the others from seeing who they really are and out of fear from deception, teenagers get into a game of control and try to control others and finally themselves by excessive actions. Many children start by using their condition to make their parents notice them and become accepted.
Anyone with a low self-esteem can develop such dangerous conditions like the eating disorder called anorexia. We advise anyone with the disease-related symptoms to seek for professional help.
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The most usual ways to treat anorexia - By: Groshan Fabiola
Treating anorexia is a complex problem, which involves especially regaining physical health. That is the first step of the treatment, and after that step is accomplished, other treatment follows.
The parts of the anorexia treatment are involving especially the eating habits. Anorexic persons must try to follow a healthy eating plan. Their main objective must be to gain weight. When the body is in healthy condition, it is important to create a mental state that will help the patient, he or she must believe that are looking just fine, and must try to raise the self-esteem.
Following psychotherapy is an important step in treating anorexia. Therapy is essential because it helps to find out a person’s fears, concerns, and inner thoughts. The therapist is talking with the patient about that problems, and is trying to solve them.
There are different types of therapy:
-A therapy can be based on working with the thoughts that comprise eating and food. One of the main purposes is to find out exactly which is your relationship to food, and the therapist will ask you to analyze carefully your thoughts about food, will even suggest keeping a diet journal.
-Another type of therapy is using rewards and penalties in order to change the habit of self-starvation. Following the doctor’s recommendations will be rewarded with a small prize.
-Other types of therapy are analyzing patient’s social life, his emotions, finding out which are the factors that might have lead to anorexia, because there surely is something that provokes low self –esteem, bringing then anorexia.
-Group therapy is another method, in which the patient is allowed to talk to a supervised group, composed by persons having the same problem. Sharing thoughts, opinions to each other, feeling the support of other people helps anorexic patients raise their self-esteem and be more confident.
During the physical treatment of anorexia, the presence of a medical doctor is important, because he is monitoring your vital signs, is taking care of the hydratation level, and he is also evaluating the effects that anorexia made to your body.
Of course, you must get help from a dietician also, because he will take care of creating special meal plans, will include the proper number of calories so that you can gain weight, and achieve a healthy state.
Another thing that must be taken in consideration is self-medication. Drugs must be taken only if the doctor prescribes them, and you must be aware of the potential risk they have.
The doctor will recommend you drugs that treat depression, and the unrest that can cause anorexia and other drugs that help you to stop the obsessive behaviors.
If the problems caused by anorexia are severe, and they seem to become dangerous for your life, the doctor may decide to start anorexia treatment in a hospital or in a treatment center.
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Anorexia: inappetence or unconscious exposure - By: Groshan Fabiola
Eating habits can change your life into a healthy one, but can also lead you to anorexia or bulimia. It all depends on the healthy or disordered eating habits. Media shows us all kind of diets and exercises confirming that losing weight and calories has become an obsession even though they can lead to illness, with not so pleasant consequences.
Up to 4 percent of females suffer from anorexia. Sings of anorexia include:
- fear for weight gain and body fat
- great ambition in losing more and more weight
- misperceptions of weight
Anorexic persons that deny the food do not realize the danger they are exposing to and they keep seeing themselves as overweight even though they are incredibly thin.
The symptoms of anorexia are:
- considerable weight loss; refusal to keep a normal weight according to age and height
- deliberate choosing to skip meals
- eating especially non-fat
- often weighing
- visible food restriction and self-starvation
- obsession with continuous exercise
- obsession with weight and complaining of weight problems
- isolation. Fear of eating around and with others
- wearing big or baggy clothes or dressing in layers to hide body shape and/or weight loss
- dizziness and headaches
- loss of menstrual cycle
- lack of sexual desire
Two types of anorexia (combined or not with bulimia) are known:
Restricting Anorexia - The first type of anorexia is found at those anorexics who severely limit their caloric intake and/or who exercise to excess to lose weight.
Binge-Eating/Purging Type: The second type of anorexia is found in those anorexics who eat in binges and then purge the body of the ingested food either by self-induced vomiting, the ingestion of large quantities of laxatives, the overuse of diuretics and enemas to rid the body of food.
Eating disorders also have a treatment that in most of the cases has benefic results over the body weight and health. The complexity of anorexia requires appropriate medical care meaning psychological advice, nutritional counseling and sometimes medication.
After the medical treatment the anorexics should have restored their lost weight but they should also be psychologically remounted, being well known their need of rehabilitation.
Treatment is not the most wanted thing at an anorexic, in most of the cases they do not even admit that they are ill. When it comes to the treatment the anorexics strong opposition can lead to a hard psychological work which only a crony could take to an end.
Depending on the case, a short or long term treatment is needed. In most of the cases the long term treatment involves all main processes including especially psychological advisory.
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The signs and symptoms that unmask anorexia - By: Groshan Fabiola
We can define two categories of anorexia, but it is known that these categories often overlap and also the lines between them become blurred. In both cases, the basic characteristic is that those persons are quite emaciated.
The two categories of anorexic people are: the first refers to those who are restrictive when it comes to eating. They do not eat everything they want and need. They are also exercising way too much because they want to loose weight my any means. The second category refers to those who try to keep their weight under control by purging. This means that they are vomiting and using laxatives after eating. Some vomit after they ate much food, other might vomit even after eating a candy.
Anorexic people are can not be categorized easily because they are moving from one category to another all the time. Some might even be categorized in both classes of anorexic persons as they have eating habits that are found in both categories.
Besides the loss of weight, anorexic persons have other symptoms regarding behavioral and emotional status too. Physical signs are present too. The loss of hair, brittle nails, fatigue, dry skin, lack of menstruation, and constipation are only some of the symptoms that appear in an anorexic person. Irregular heart beats and low blood pressure are frequently found in anorexia.
Some of the emotional and behavioral characteristics found in anorexia are: the rejection of food, the denial of hunger, the lack of any emotions, the lack of concentration and way to many exercises taken daily.
These signs of anorexia can not always be easily seen because anorexic people sometimes do all they can to cover up this symptoms.
Here are some tips in seeing if a friend of someone you care for suffers of anorexia: if you see that he or she is skipping meals and always has excuses for doing that you should open your eyes and look closely to the following moves of that person.
Sometimes you can see that they are eating only certain foods like mostly those that are low in fat and calories. They even have strange habits like cutting their food into tiny pieces and chewing it and after that spitting it out.
Some like to cook foods but they never eat from it they only cook it for others, and if they eat they are always weighting that food.
These anorexic persons are always complaining on how fat they are even though this is false and like to wear large and layered clothes. They are obsessed with their image and always look into mirrors.
It is important for family members to keep in mind this signs and not to hesitate to act if necessary.
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All you need to know about Anorexia Nervosa - By: Groshan Fabiola
A more and more common disease in the XXI century, anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder manifesting itself in the mind of the pacient, cousing them to think they are always overweight. Begining at puberty, when self awareness usually apears in teenagers, it tends to gradually become more and more severe even if the individual is loosing a considerable amount of body weight... up to 20% of the initial weight, cousing them to be hospitalized to prevent starvation or even death.
Anorexia Nervosa pacients show an astonishing determination to acomplish that which in their mind is the perfect body, thus resisting terrible hunger pains, even if they are literally only skin and bones. The fact that they might gain weight is a serious problem for them, making them even more determined not to eat.
One of the weirdest things about Anorexic people is that they prepare big feasts for others, refusing to take part or even eating in front of other people. Weight and food are real obssesions for them, making them take strict and exousting exercises routines. Very severe problems may affect women and men: impotents in the case of men and irregular menstruatind periods for women are one of the many consequences they have to deal with.
The most specific symptom of Anorexia Nervosa is that the pacient refuses to maintain a healthy body weight in comaparasin with other people the same build and age.
Fear of gaining weight is a serious problem for anorexic individuals making them act in a drastic way, continuing to starve them selves even if they are in a very precarious situation. In their opinion their body weight is thightly related to the image that other people have of them, thus the concept the slimer the better.The seriousness of the problems that they have eludes them actually, rendering them incapable of evaluating their own body weight from an objectiv point of view, making the fact that they need a doctor even more obvious.
In women that might be suffering from Anorexia missing three consecutive menstruating cycles is a very serious symptom that must be taken in consideration. This only adds to the evidence that the pacient must be hospitalized. Only after treatment and hormone administration would the woman pacient be menstruating again.
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Tips to preventing anorexia - By: Groshan Fabiola
Anorexia is a very common disease, especially among teenagers. They find themselves at that terrifying age when they do not know what path to take, what they like and hormones are giving parties in their organism. So as a parent it is your responsibility to watch over your child and give him a good example through yourself.
Try to remember that what you do affects them. If you do not want your child to suffer from anorexia, then try taking some of the pieces of advice I am going to give you.
First of all, be careful what you say about the food you eat, about your body and be especially careful about what kind of food you buy. A little confused? Let me explain. Have you ever skipped meals, bought low fat food or with no fat al all? Ha ve you ever said that food is not good and because you eat too much you’ re too fat and hate yourself for that.
Your child has a fagile mind and all these remarks, which to you may seem normal, he/ she might take them otherwise. Incurage your child to lead a healthy life, explain them about food, and most important of all, communicate with your kid. Take interest in what they do, ask them about their lives, friends, school. Be their friend as well as their parents.
The media, the society has a big role as well in making anorexia become a more common disease than it was. We can only see skinny girls presenting lines of clothes, starring in the movies, almost everywhere. This might make a girl stop and think: I should be like her, right? In the past there were even weight limits in many for many of the jobs that a woman could do. Today the scenery has changed a little, but not enough.
Don’ t get me wrong. There is nothing bad in being slim, if this is the way you are. But to starve yourself to death to be this way is not good at all.
So besides all the problems parents must face with their family life, now they have another one: anorexia. Researchers say that most anorexics have been diagnosed with this disease between 15 and 21 years of age. So sit together at tha table, eat with your children, do not neglect this.
If you want to have a healthy child, and prevent him/ her from anorexia take time to eat together, take time to play ball together or whatever they like to do.
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Anorexia is a serious disease that needs to be unmasked in early stages - By: Groshan Fabiola
Anorexia is an illness that comes with loss of weight, physical and emotional problems. It is not a bad thing to lose weight but the affected persons lose too much weight and their lives are put into danger.
Besides this clear loss of weight anorexia can be recognized after some habits these patients have: they keep a diet for a long time, they always feel fat and are afraid of eating, they throw up and use laxatives and they practice sports too much.
Their body gets affected also. They will develop amenorrhea, meaning a lack of menstruation, they will lose hair, the breasts will shrink, and their skin will get dried and will get cold and blue. The heart will suffer, giving cardiac arrhythmias. Insomnia might also appear along with constipation, osteoporosis and low blood pressure.
In most of the cases mood changes will develop. The patient will feel depressed, impatient, will be much more nervous as before and some might even try to suicide.
In very young girls, puberty can be delayed by anorexia. The menstruation will fail to come and the breasts will not grow. If anorexia affects males, the level of testosterone might decrease, and provisional impotency will install.
Anorexia often begins sneaking. You take on a diet, because you want to loose weight, and when you do so, you start having a feeling that you can control your life. You might become addicted to that sense of control, and try to do more things, to keep proving your competence in a various shape of things. Because you succeeded to starve in order to loose weight, you might experience a raise of your self-esteem.
If people develop anorexia, it is often seen the fact that they have great emotional pain, they have a negative imagine about themselves, a dark perspective about their qualities.
They need to have the acceptance of the other people; they cannot have rest until they get this belief, even if this makes them feel uncomfortable. Living and guiding yourself after this concept has bad repercussions, you turn yourself from a healthy person into a sick one.
First, when you take on a diet, you see that you loose weight, and that will make you have a very fine perspective about yourself. You will think you look beautiful, and will have a great feeling, because our society is obsessed about thinness and the fact of being a thin person is assimilated with being a beautiful person.
The second step that follows is the idea that you permanently need to improve your aspect. You will try to do more in this way, and you might become obsessed of the idea of loosing weight. Your body is more and more devoided of the nutrients it needs, it cannot function normally in these conditions.
If others see that something is wrong with you, and tell you to eat more, you will deny your problem. You will say that everything is just fine, and you will deny the fact that you are tired and need more food.
Anorexia is an illness that can be fatal. With medical treatment, it can be reversible, and you can become again a healthy person. It will not be easy, it is quite hard to change your wrong eating habits and way of thinking, but with patience, counseling and typical treatment, you will get well, and this is a real reward for the will of defeating anorexia.
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Tips and tricks to being a better anorexic(part three) - By: Groshan Fabiola
Now here are some more important tricks that will teach you how to eat and not put on any weight at all. You must be active all day long and not let your body rest for one second. Do not eat many calories at once, but divide them for each meal. It is better to eat four times a day less calories then all those calories at once at one meal.
To better fool your body, change each day the amount of calories that you eat. For example, eat 300 calories on Monday, 200 on Tuesday, 500 on Wednesday, 50 on Thursday, no calories on Friday and so on. this change is very good for you.
Sleeping is also very beneficial. Yes, it is true that you burn more calories if you stay up late, but if you do not sleep enough, your metabolism will be sleepy, leading to an increase in apetite. So, would you like to eat more just because you did not sleep. That is out of the question!
Make sure you note everything you eat in your notebook. Remember, this is your friend that will help you go where you want to go. Writing everything down will also save you from eating more calories than necessary. Another benefit in writing everything that has to do with anorexia is helping you identify environmental or emotional triggers. You can see better if you are sad or bored, even depressed. And as we have learned before, this is a good thing, remember? This will make you eat less.
Also drink sodas, because they give you a full stomach feeling, therefor you won’ t need to eat. Diet coke is one of the best, for it only has one calorie per glass.
But not only soda is good for you. water is as well. Drink as much water as you can. Drink more than a fish does. If you feel you need to eat something, better go get a glass of water. Water will give you a felling of fullness in your stomach. Ice water is even better, because the body will have to burn more calories then to heat up. Also drink it when you eat, so you won’ t be fooled into eating too much.
Brushing your teeth fequently, as well as your tounge is another trick. The refreshing feeling you get after words will stop you from craving any food. And more, we all know that food has a funny taste combined with toothpaste, so why eat?
Like these tricks, we have more. Read the fourth part for even better ones.
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Tips and tricks to being an accomplished anorexic(part one) - By: Groshan Fabiola
The most important thing to do if you want to become the best anorexic you can be is to declare war to food and everything associated with it. Don’ t have any ideas, no problem, we’ ll give you some. You must definitely hate the kitchen, the refrigerator, fast food’ s, restaurants. You can go as far as hating the places where food is made. Wow, here’s a thought, why not hate animals, even plants, for they are actually food! if you can do this, well you’ re off to a good start, but this is only the beginning.
When you’ re anorexic your mission is to loose weight, right? Good, if we agree on this, then take my advice and write this down. There is not a better thing to do than reaffirm what you belive in. Search the house for a blank notebook, or better yet, go out and buy one, especially for this adventure. Make this notebook your anorexic diary, your friend, pal, who listens and helps you achieve your goals. Begin by writing why you are so obsessed with the way you look and why you want to loose weight. Be careful not to forget to write everything that you are experiencing during this period. For example, write how you think you’ ll fell after you will have lost 15 kg and how admired you’ d be or what great clothes you’ ll be able to wear then. If your goal is to loose these 15 kg, a good thing would be to devide this weight into smaller pieces and give yourself a prize for every new barrier you cross.
Things are starting to get a little more complicated, but do not worry, we’ ll get through this together. First we must make food be the number one enemy in your live. Food must be associated with disgusting things. If you can draw pictures of some foods that you can easily associate with something nasty and place them all around the house as a constant reminder.
Pictures have their one way of expressing themselves and can give you even more detail than your mind can. So start putting as many pictures of fat, ugly girls on the walls. Better yet, put pictures of you, for there is no difference. And next to these grotesque photos put some of the most sexy and beautiful pictures of iamy women.
Another thing to help you get to being the best anorexic is to say over and over again that you are fat. Deep down inside of you, you know that! Say it: I’ m fat!!!
Wanna know more, well do not worry, I’ll tell you, but in part two.
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Tips and tricks to being an accomplished anorexic(part four) - By: Groshan Fabiola
Like what you have read so far? I have told you that now we’ re getting to more serious an interesting things. And this is not very complicated, right? Want to read some more, no problem, be my guest, there are more where these came from.
So, another thing to drink, and a lot is coffee. We all know this is a buster, and will help your organism speed up. So do not limit yourself to one coffee per day, make it three or four. Be careful though not to use any sugar or milk. Drink black coffee or caffeine pills. An aspirin along with your coffee will speed up the organism even more, but this is very dangerous, so take extra care.
When one wants to burn more calories than usual, he exercises. You should do that as well. Try running, skipping rope, going to the gym. Doing exercise will make you burn calories and increase the metabolism. It can also make you loose apetite.
If you find yourself at a desk almost all day, there are some things to do as well to burn calories. Twitch your legs, arms, stand up a lot, do as much movement as you can. Also standing up straight is thought to help burn calories.
Replace food with other things that do not have any calories or fat. Chew gum, eat sugarless mint, drink plenty of water, ice tea or diet coke.
Another tip so find yourself very satisfied with your progress is to put a coin into a jar every time you resist eating something. When the jar fills up, this will give you a feeling of stisfaction, make you feel proud. Giving money away to other people or organization that help people stay skinny is another great thought that could help you.
Music can also affect the way you eat. For example, if you listen to fast, angry music while eating, will determine you to eat more and faster. Instead try to listen to slower music, and relax while eating.
If you indeed cannot resist the temptation and must eat some sweets, try eating them in the morning. This will allow you to have more time to burn those calories and will stop you from wanting to eat some more later.
Another thing that should not allarm you is if you are feeling hungry. This is a good thing. Beeing hungry means that you are about to loose some weight, which, of course is a very good thing. So remember hunger is your friend, not your enemy.
Finally, one more thing you could do is eat in front of the mirror. If you look at yourself while eating and do not look what you see, this will tregger your mind into heating food. And you do not like what you see, because this is the reason why you do not eat in the first place.
So as you can see, there are lots and lots of things to do if you want to become anorexic. You only need now to fallow them.
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Things to know about anorexia - By: Groshan Fabiola
In people’ s desperate attempt to look good they tend to overlook one very important detail, their health. Nowadays, people, especially women want to bee skinny, look like super models and loose weight a lot of weight in as little time as possible. What most of them don’ t even realize is that with time this becomes an obsession, a deadly one.
Anorexia is not a food disorder, but an obsession with loosing as much weight as possible. This is a psychical problem, because if a person is very slim, but suffers from anorexia, when he/ she looks into the mirror all they can see is a person who is too fat and needs to drop some weight. It all begins with starting to eat less, in order to look better and leads straight to starving oneself because they become obsessed.
What they do not realize at that point is that this could actually kill them. This is a very complicated disease and it is very difficult to treat an anorexic. They become so obsessed with the idea of weight that they don’ t eat, do a lot of exercise and more frightening, do not take advice and understand that they suffer from a disease.
There are various causes that make a person become anorexic. It is believed that nutrition could be a cause, or that this disease is genetic, some say that there could be a chemical imbalance in a person’ s brain which leads him to anorexia, it is even believed that upbringing may be a possibility. But there is one fact that almost all people agree on, and that is that anorexic people have a bad perspective about themselves when their
apereance is concerned. This is thought to be the the root of this disease.
What happens to an anorexic’ s body? Well, at first there is only a food imbalance, which adds stress to one’ s body, which leads to fatigue. This is just the starting point, a moment when thing can be remediated very easily. But from there, if the disease is not treated it can get very ugly. The body will struggle to produce nutrients from practically nothing, for the anorexic does not eat, and the organism will soon start to waste away
like it has cancer. The body is faced with asthma, stress, cardio vascular and muscles problems, hypertension and many more.
There are no certain treatments available yet, because there is still doubt about the roots of this problem. Some doctors prescribe anti depressives and work with the patients self image. For the moment the most indicated thing to do is to talk to a psychologist or a doctor and get a better opinion of oneself. The medications are only a temporary option, so the only thing one can do is better his/ her opinion about the way the look.
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Teenage girls and anorexia - By: Groshan Fabiola
Everywhere we look these days, we only see beautiful women, skinny and very well dressed. The society today apreciates this more than almost anything at a woman, her appearance. And a slim, curved body is a hit. So there is no wonder why all girls want to be slim. The problem is that this desire kills.
Teenage girls only see on tv supermodels or actresses that have the perfect bodies. So they start eating less, to be more like them. And then they eat less and less until they start to starve themselves. This is called anorexia. It is a mental problem that kills. It has a 16 percent mortality rate and it is the first
mental disease that claims so many victims.
Surviving this ilness is very hard, because it is very difficult to treat it. And even if one survives, the scras he/ she may have can be very big and remain for the rest of their lives. Nobody can actually see how important anorexia is and how many young girls suffer from it. Treatment for anorexia should start as soon as possible for hope to exist. Support from family and friend is crucial.
There are lots of places where anorexic people can be treated. Some of these places even have group therapies, where patients come with their families to get help. This kind of therapy should the most progress. Girls started to gain weight, not try to starve themselves again and furthermore even did this in less time than believed.
The best thing to do in case you have a daughter, a tennage daughter is to observe her eating habits. Anorexia has many signs and for a carrying mother it is very easy to tell if your daughter has problems. If this disease is noticed in time, it can be treated and stopped. Most of the anorexic girls have problems concerning their image. They belive that they are not pretty enough, so they could be if they would just loose a little weight, or
they think they are too fat, and need to look more like their tv idol or like other girls in school. The only way to get where they want is not to eat. This is the thing that an anorexic can control and be sure, that she will. In time she will loose control and things will start to get from bad to worse, but an anorexic is not able to realize that. When she looks in the mirror, no matter how skinny she is, she sees herself fat. It is a mental problem.
It can get as worse as to the point of lying about everything concerning eating and food. An anorexic will always say that she has eaten earlier, or that she is not hungry, will try to trick you and if forced to eat, she will throw it all up afterwards.
If symptoms of anorexia are seen in your child, ask for help as soon as you can. Treatment include both phisycal and mental help, because the disease hurts the body, but had it’ s roots in the mind.
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Who Is To Be Blamed For Aneroxia? Top Supermodel Gisele Bundchen Replies - By: Sandra Kim Leong
Would you say that it is the fashion houses and the media that is at fault in the increasing number of anorexia cases seen nowadays? This was the question that was posed to top supermodel Gisele Bundchen in an interview last Friday. Gisele Bundchen was ranked the 16th richest women in Forbe’s list of 20 richest women in entertainment recently.
Not so, replied Gisele Bundchen. Instead, she lay blame on weak family support for anorexia. In the interview last week, Gisele said that she never suffered from the problem because she had a strong family base.
Gisele herself comes from Brazil and has credited her family from being supportive of her since young despite looking skinny. In school, her peers had often teased her by calling her names like Olive Oyle, a thin character from Popeye. Gisele attributed her genes for giving her the silhouette that is suitable for modeling.
Despite having a faboulous killer body, she claimed that she was a popcorn, candy and McDonald’s sundae lover. In fact, she was discovered when she was 14 years old while having a McDonald’s Big Mac with her friends at Sao Paulo on her way to school.
Interestingly, the interview was conducted during Fashion Rio show, which has banned models of under 16 years of age and also required models to prove that they are of good health. The strict guidelines follow the death of a top Brazilian model from complications due to anorexia nervosa.
Nonetheless, the fashion industry has also started to pay heed. In September last year, Spain refused to allow models below a certain weight from the Madrid fashion shows. The Italians also signed a pact not to take in sickly and skinny girls onto the catwalk.
Here are a couple of messages that can be learnt from the supermodel herself. Good family support is essential in preventing anorexia in the first place. Thus, surround yourself in a warm and loving environment whereby there is constant communication of love and acceptance of each other, despite perceived flaws or imperfections in body shape or behaviour.
Anorexia patients themselves should also seek out the company of a close, supportive network of family and friends. Often enough, they are ashamed of their body and condition and do not want others to know about their condition. Having the assurance of love and support can help the patient put things into perspective and to overcome their eating disorder.
While it may be that the media and the fashion houses play a role in promoting the idea of a stick thin frame as the perfect body image, anorexia patients have to learn to take responsibility for themselves. The most important thing is to get help instead of resisting help. Anorexia patients should pay heed to well meaning advice from family and friends about their condition and seek proactive measures to stop their eating disorders. Where support from family is lacking, it appears that there are now plenty of support groups and treatment centers for counscelling and professional help available.
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