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We have focused a lot on the ever expanding waistline of Americans, and yesterday’s blog was all about disgusting restaurant menu items that are almost a guaranteed heart attack on a plate. The overweight and obese are definitely in the majority, and being overweight or obese leads to health problems that will kill you.
But the flip side of the coin, are the too thin … people with eating disorders who are anorexic or bulimic.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but I was. I was watching a story on the Today Show about how teenage girls are finding websites that support and encourage eating disorders. Eating disorders are a mental illness that kills more people each year than any other form of mental illness, and yet it is consistently hushed up or joked about.
Unbelievably, there are over 10,000,000 websites that are promoting anorexia; giving tips and online support to help people become thinner through anorexia. There are more than 2,000,000 other pro bulimia websites offering encouragement, tips and advice on purging. That these sites exist is to me, morally reprehensible.
So what is anorexia? Anorexia is an eating disorder where people starve themselves. Anorexia usually begins in young people around the onset of puberty. Individuals suffering from anorexia have extreme weight loss. An anorexic individual will usually be 15% below the person’s normal body weight. People suffering from anorexia are very skinny – too skinny, actually – but are convinced that they are fat. Weight loss is obtained in many ways. Some common techniques used are excessive exercise, intake of laxatives and not eating.
Anorexics have an intense fear of becoming fat. Their dieting habits develop from this fear. Anorexia mainly affects adolescent girls. Current estimates are that 1% of teenage girls are anorexic – and 10% of them will die from the illness. Another 10% of all anorexics are white males, and while anorexia is more common in the male homosexual community, heterosexual males are not immune to the illness.
People with anorexia continue to think they are overweight even after they become extremely thin, are very ill or near death. Often they will develop strange eating habits such as refusing to eat in front of other people. Sometimes the individuals will prepare big meals for others while refusing to eat any of it.
The disorder is thought to be most common among people of higher socioeconomic classes and people involved in activities where thinness is especially looked upon, such as dancing, theater, and distance running.
Symptoms of Anorexia
There are many symptoms for anorexia, and some individuals may not experience all of them. The primary identifying symptom of an individual with anorexia is body weight that is inconsistent with age, build and height (usually 15% below normal weight).
Some other symptoms of anorexia are:
•Loss of at least 3 consecutive menstrual periods (in women).
•Not wanting or refusing to eat in public
•Anxiety
•Weakness
•Brittle skin
•Shortness of breath
•Obsessiveness about calorie intake
Medical Consequences of anorexia
There are many medical risks associated with anorexia. They include: shrunken bones, mineral loss, low body temperature, irregular heartbeat, permanent failure of normal growth, development of osteoporosis and bulimia nervosa.
Continued use of laxatives is harmful to the body. It wears out the bowel muscle and causes it to decrease in function. Some laxatives contain harsh substances that may be reabsorbed into your system.
Back to the topic at hand … we all know how bad anorexia is for you and we all know that starving yourself is not a healthy way to deal with body image issues. So why are there websites that promote anorexia as a positive, giving young people tips and advice and encouragement on their path to potential death and serious health consequences?
The internet is largely unregulated, so maybe the answer is here is parental filters at home and filters at school. Since the majority of anorexics are young people, more parental involvement in the lives of there children should be the key. Provide positive support at home; obtain counseling for the child when necessary. Leave judgment behind and let them know they are loved. This is a mental illness. When an anorexic person looks in the mirror, they do not see themselves as we see them. They see themselves as fat, and for this, they need professional help … not the help they get on these websites that encourage them to become thinner.
Tomorrow’s post will talk about bulimia in more detail. It is also a deadly illness with its own set of identifying factors and affects a different group of people. Be sure to check back tomorrow!
Posted by Laurie Puckett at Remmel Wellness Center, a full service wellness and chiropractic center located in beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida. The Remmel Wellness Center specializes in healthy weight loss with Ideal Protein products and incorporates coaching and mental health counseling to address the patient’s needs.
