Eating Disorders
If you know of someone that is enduring an eating disorder,
there is help for such individuals. An eating disorder can be
dangerous and it can ultimately lead to poor health and death.
There are three primary eating disorders, Anorexia, Bulimia, and
Overeating. Although the latter is rarely viewed as an eating
disorder, but because overeating can lead to dangerous health
effects, it too must be counted among eating disorders.
Anorexia is a disease in which the victim starves themselves.
The starvation is brought on by an extremely poor body image and
the person, although they are in no way overweight, believes
themselves to be fat. In a continued effort to lose weight, a
victim of Anorexia will go on a starvation diet, depriving
themselves of all the nourishment a healthy body requires. They
will also induce vomiting when forced to eat, begin strange and
overly cumbersome exercise regimens and most of all, will lie
and hide their actions from others. The reason an individual
with Anorexia will lie is because the disease makes them desire
the thinnest body possible and they will do whatever they have
to to keep thin.
Anorexia is a disorder that affects both males and females,
although it is more commonly reported in females. The symptoms
of Anorexia can be revealed in the sudden appearance of dramatic
weight loss, brittle hair, extremely dry skin from lack of
nourishment, the individual partaking in bizarre eating habits
(like counting how many times they chew their food), and a poor
image of the self.
Bulimia, a cousin to Anorexia, is the result of a poor body
image. Yet, with Bulimia the victim will eat massive amounts of
food and then work feverishly to rid the body of the food that
has been ingested. Bulimia victims will use laxatives, will
induce vomiting and will abuse diuretics, all to rid themselves
of the food or drink they have taken in. Like Anorexia, Bulimia
is extremely dangerous and can eventually result in death. The
imbalances created within the body from binging and purging can
ultimately affect the heart of the victim, the esophagus can be
damaged or ruptured from repeated acts of vomiting, and the
enamel can erode from the victim's teeth because of repeated
vomiting.
Overeating is also a disorder. Some people engage in overeating
as a way to quell emotions they have difficulty dealing with
while other individuals may overeat because of an addiction to
certain foods. Obviously, overeating can result in weight gain
and significant weight gain has consequences of its own. For
example, high blood pressure, heart trouble, diabetes, and
respiratory problem can be caused by obesity.
There are associations aimed at battling disorders that evolve
from issues with eating. Such organizations aim to educate the
public about the different disorders that exist, the symptoms
associated with such disorders and what steps should be taken to
help people with disorders that have evolved from food issues.
Thus, there is help available for individuals in need and the
sooner the victims of such disorders get the help they need, the
better off they will be.