Archive for May, 2009

Eating Disorder Types and Treatment

sorders are caused by abnormal eating patterns. These could be overeating or inadequate food intake. Many people tend to eat more food to suppress extreme emotions and depression. They use the snacks and food indulged in as escape routes to deal with emotional stress or bad relationships. Some common eating disorders are anorexia, compulsive eating, binge eating and bulimia.

Psychologists qualify an eating disorder as something of a mental illness that affects a person’s eating habits in such a way that drastically disturbs the physical health of that person. An in-depth analysis by psychologists and psychiatrists list the types of eating disorders as Anorexia Nervosa, Beriberi, Bulimia Nervosa, Hyperphagia, Kleine-Levin Syndrome, Rumination, Binge Eating Disorder, Orthorexia, and Pica. Among these, Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa rank as the most common eating disorder.

Eating foods with addictive substances such as sugar and salt. Overtime people become addicted to these ingredients as does their body. It’s very difficult to stop eating disorders. Most of the time people who try to stop eating a certain food they are addicted to or change their way of eating to stop eating disorders can’t last for 1 week. And in most cases these things can take up to a month or more. however, there is a way for you to get rid of eating disorders and food addictions in 10 days or less.

Eating disorder treatment will look into many different areas of an eating disorder. When an individual receives eating disorder treatment that individual will find out what caused or triggered their eating disorder to start. This is one of the most important phases of eating disorder treatment. For a person to recover from an eating disorder one has to know the underlying causes.

Among the known eating disorders, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating rise as the most adamant cases particularly in western countries. Research sums up that over a span of one lifetime there are at least 50, 000 people who will die because of eating disorders. If untreated, a total of 20% of individuals inflicted with eating disorders will die. But if applied with treatment, it is trimmed down to between 2-3%.

Eating disorders do not discriminate on the basis of age, either. While eating disorders seem to be more common in young females, the fact is eating disorders can affect those in their elderly years, as well. More treatment centers are beginning to see women in the fifties and beyond and the unfortunate issue with eating disorders in the elderly is they become more deadly.

When treating eating disorders, many experts recommend that both the psychological and physical issues be treated at the same time. Experts also recommend that sufferers of anorexia or bulimia start eating small amounts of fruits and vegetables along with adding a small amount of protein to their diet. Food that is high in zinc is also a good idea as it can help to stimulate the individual’s appetite.

It is essential to be vigilant about these disorders. The family support system can be of great help. It is not unusual for young girls and boys to be worried about their appearance and unhappy with their weight. This worry and unhappiness sometimes results in eating disorders. It is important to treat them as soon as possible, as left unchecked, eating disorders can prove fatal.

By: yourasthmatreatment

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Anorexia – Elle’s Story

summergirly007 asked:


For my loving sister Elle who was taken age 14 by anorexia. It’s a hard thing to understand. She was sooo happy, funny and crazy :D but something inside her told her differently. She had her whole life ahead of her. She could have been anything but she will always be with us. x If any of you know anyone who is suffering please help them. Don’t let time run out for another.

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The earlier a person with a meticulous type of eating disorder is diagnosed and treatment is begun, the sooner their weight can be restored to a normal level for their age and height.

What causes a particular type of eating disorder to manifest itself from the occasional suffering realized by a good number of the population into a serious illness is a subject still unlock to debate among professionals. One true fact that is agreed upon, however, is that regardless of what type of eating disorder is being suffered, they are all dangerous.

Two of the common disorders, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa have been classified as illnesses, whereas the third type of eating disorder, binge eating, falls into the group of dangerous and possibly uncontrollable, but has not been classified as an illness.

The special effects of anorexia nervosa are obvious as the person loses so much weight they may perhaps appear to have paper-thin skin stretched over their bones. People suffering this type of eating disorder strongly believe that they are still overweight no matter how little they weigh and strive only to lose more weight.

Some consider binge eating may be a predecessor to bulimia nervosa and should also be classified as a type of eating disorder illness, as people will tend to eat even when they don’t feel hungry. They feel the necessary to ingest food to the point that no more could possibly fit. They may then feel sickened with themselves and eat more to comfort themselves.

Bulimia nervosa sufferers will as well eat large portions of food, but with this type of eating disorder they will eliminate themselves following binge eating episodes. By means of diuretic or abusing laxatives helps them get relieve of the food they just ate, as does intentional vomiting, making the effects of this type of eating disorder less noticeable.

Since they get rid of the overindulgence food, their weight usually does not usually show as with a person who does not purge, their loss of indispensable vitamins and minerals that can make this a dangerous type of eating disorder just the same as anorexia nervosa. Any form of eating disorder is treatable and the sooner the better.

What is Known As The Nighttime Eating Disorder?

There are numerous different types of eating disorders, and one of these especially is that of the nighttime eating disorder. The nighttime eating disorder is a condition which is characterized by a lack of appetite in the morning and then a problem of overeating at night.

The nighttime eating disorder is dissimilar from other eating disorders such as binge-eating and bulimia; individuals with the nighttime eating disorder devour relatively small snacks at night but far more often whereas individuals who suffer from binge-eating or bulimia have very large and infrequent binges.

There are handling methods that can be used in regards to this eating disorder, and this treatment would involve such things as counseling and making sure to pay attention to your own detailed medical and nutritional needs. As well, consider that the treatment should be tailored to the individual and will be different according to both the severity of the disorder and in regards to the patient’s particular problems, needs, and strengths.

What is a Pica Eating Disorder?

A pica eating disorder is an eating disorder which is characteristically defined as the constant eating of nonnutritive substances for a period of at least one month at an age in which this type of behavior is developmentally improper, for instance a toddler. Fundamentally the pica eating disorder definition is sporadically broadened in order to include the mouthing of nonnutritive substances as well.

Besides, a pica eating disorder can include the ingesting of many unusual substances, such as: clay, dirt, sand, stones, pebbles, hair, feces, lead, laundry starch, pencil erasers, ice, fingernails, paper, paint chips, coal, wood, plaster, light bulbs, needles, and string for example.

This disorder is considered as being a severe behavioral problem, in that it can result in significant medical squeal. It has also revealed to be a truly predisposing factor in regards to accidental ingestion of stuff such as poisons, for the most part in reference to lead poisoning, for instance.

This eating disorder is extremely unknown, in particular when compared to the other eating disorders; in the United States, for example, prevalence of this eating disorder is unknown because the disorder often is unrecognized and underreported; also, studies have shown that children with mental retardation and autism are affected more commonly than children without these conditions, and among those individuals with mental retardation, this eating disorder is actually the most common.

This is an eating disorder which is present all through the world, and lead toxicity is the most generally reported type of poisoning in regards to this disorder. Ingestion of high doses of lead can affect that of significant intellectual impairment as well as behavioral

And learning problems and studies have also shown that neuropsychological dysfunction and deficits in neurologic development can in fact consequence from very low lead levels, even levels that were once believed to be safe.



By: Cindy Heller

About the Author:

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit Nighttime Eating Disorder to learn more about the type of eating disorder and eating disorder symptom.

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Signs of Anorexia

Anorexia Nervosa is a life threatening condition that can put a serious strain on many of the body’s organs and physiological resources. Weight loss is usually 15% below the person’s normal body weight. People suffering from anorexia are very skinny but are convinced that they are overweight. Weight loss is obtained by many ways. Some of the 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. People who have an ongoing preoccupation with food and weight even when they are thin would benefit from exploring their thoughts and relationships with a therapist. The term anorexia literally means loss of appetite, but this is a misnomer. In fact, people with anorexia nervosa ignore hunger and thus control their desire to eat. Women with anorexia often also limit or restrict other parts of their lives besides food, including relationships, social activities, or pleasure. Anorexia can cause severe medical problems and even lead to death.

Anorexia may be a serious disease for old men. Anorexia nervosa” is frequently shortened to “anorexia” in both the popular media and scientific literature. Many persons with this disorder restrict their intake to fewer than 1,000 calories per day. Most avoid fattening, high-calorie foods and eliminate meats. Anorexia nervosa often starts between the ages of 15 and 25, but it can develop in children as young as 10 and in older people. Although 90% of those who develop anorexia are women, the condition also affects men. Anorexia nervosa is found in all social groups and almost all cultural groups. One percent of teenage girls in the U.S. develop anorexia nervosa and up to 10% of those may die as a result. There are two types of anorexia. Classic Anorexia (Restricting Anorexia) – The person eats very little and loses weight through self-starvation or excessive exercise. Binge-Eating/Purging Anorexia – In addition to cutting the intake of calories, this person also binges and purges.

Anorexia may be used as a way to express control when the rest of one’s life seems out of control. There are many signs that someone may have anorexia nervosa. The most frequently noticed is the extreme thinness that characterizes someone with this eating disorder. Common warning signs of anorexia incliding is a person suffering from anorexia is thin and keeps getting thinner. A person with anorexia may end up losing 15% or more of her ideal body weight. Anorexia creates a distorted body image—a person with anorexia feels fat even when she is thin or underweight. Anorexia may cause a person to complain about feeling bloated or nauseated even when she eats normal—or less than normal—amounts of food. A person suffering from anorexia may feel cold even though the temperature is normal or only slightly cool. Support groups are also invaluable in treating anorexia.



By: Juliet Cohen

About the Author:

Juliet Cohen writes articles for online medical clinic and skin disorders. For more information visit our site at http://www.diseasestreatment.com.

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Jasper M asked:


im becoming more and more worried about my close friend. we have had conversations about weight before but it was more about me but thinking back i remember her saying comments that worry me about anorexia. she is 5’4 and weighs less then 100 pounds wich she never used to weigh. she picks at food (though shes always been picky) and always complains of being cold. she also says she hates her thighs but they are tiny. im getting rly worried but aso im not sure. what should i do? how do i know?

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Binge Eating Part One

petulantrumble asked:


from Mike and Juliet

sammygine asked:


I have an eating disorder and im just wondering when my therapist will decide..don’t take the impression i want too but she keeps threating me with it..and she never does so how bad do i have to get…i mean i lost 6 pounds in 9days..and i exercise 4-5hrs daily..and i don’t eat fat..and of couarse i think im fat
i don’t want to be put in but like why does she threatin and nothing happens

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Bulimia is one of the most rapidly increasing psychological problems around nowadays. But what causes bulimia? Is it an extreme response to Western society’s pressure on young girls and women to be slim?

Or are there other factors contributing to the problem?

Can we influence these factors and change their effects on people?

Genetic, environmental, biological are all common factors that have to be looked at when we talk about the causes of any diseases or disorders.

Let’s look at these things in the case of Bulimia.

Scientific research recently has shown that people are born with an inherited predisposition towards developing bulimia, particularly where susceptibility to addiction is in the genes.

It reveals that bulimics inherit a gene responsible for the addiction from their ancestors. This addiction can appear in different forms: alcohol addiction, drug addiction, food addiction, nicotine and the like. That’s why many bulimics also suffer from addictions to other substances also, making recovery difficult.

So a genetic predisposition to bulimia may be there but it is not a single bulimia gene itself that is the culprit but a general addiction gene. And in many bulimic families we can trace backwards to past members of the family who suffered from other kinds of addiction in their lives.

But on the other hand not all people who get an addiction gene suffer from bulimia or other addictions. So we have to look at other things like environmental factors.

Environmental factors can contribute to triggering the onset of bulimia. These include peer pressures, family attitudes, the influence of the media creating a need for thinness, poor self-esteem and a lack of acceptance of self and body shape.

Bulimia often begins with a dissatisfaction of the person’s body. The individual may actually be underweight, but when that person looks in a mirror they see a distorted image and feel heavier than they really are. At first, this distorted body image leads to dieting.

As the body image in the mirror continues to be seen as larger than it actually is, the dieting escalates and leads to bulimia. The bottom line however, is that bulimia is the misuse of food to try to resolve emotional problems.

When a person is unable to face their feelings, define problems, and resolves them effectively, that person is more prone to become susceptible to the onset of bulimia.

A significant correlation between the development of clinical bulimia nervosa and sexual abuse has also been proven. Other forms of abuse (physical, emotional or combination of both of them) also link to developing of dissatisfaction with the person’s body that can lead to bulimia any time in the future.

Strict and cold parental attitude and luck of showing love to children from parents can become a trigger for developing a wrong body image in children that can turn into bulimia in susceptible people. That is why you should never tease your child if they are a little bit over weight as this could just be a normal growing process for that child’s body shape. But a wrong word from a parent or family member may inadvertently send that person down the track to bulimia.

The next factor which can cause bulimia is biological or biochemical factor. This happens when one or a few biological processes in the human body have gone off track. Some research has shown that an insufficiency of a special hormone in the brain called serotonin can cause depression and bulimia at the same time. This is probably why many bulimics also suffer from depression.

Some antidepressants that work on restoring the level of serotonin in the brain can help some sufferers stop their binges while taking them. This could also mean that many sufferers, who manage to stop their bulimia for a short while, go back to binging again when they stop the antidepressants.

Anyone who has been on antidepressants and has stopped should look for other supplements where they can substitute the loss of serotonin; I believe you can get serotonin in the health food stores in capsules form. Although taking serotonin on its own will not automatically stop your bulimia, as it is a much deeper psychological problem that a single chemical imbalance: but it would not hurt either.

As you can see, many factors can contribute to the development of bulimia. For some sufferers it is the environmental factors that come into play, like desire to be thin, peer pressure to be thin or influence from the media to be thin. Some people may have a strong genetic influence that can be traced to past relatives who may have suffered from bulimia or other addictions.

Depressed sufferers will blame their low serotonin level in the brain for their bulimia. But the majority of people probably have a combination of factors that has caused their bulimia.

In conclusion, the causes of bulimia could be many: genetic, biological and environmental. So far we can’t change the genes we are born with but we can manage to control certain behaviors brought on by defective genes, with the correct methods.

To change biological factors like low serotonin levels in the brain, it is possible with certain drugs or supplementation, but it does not work for everyone. The only bulimia factor we can change easily is the environmental factor. This includes changing our attitude to body image, our perception of real beauty and our eating habits.

By promoting a healthy environment we can eradicate or significantly diminish one of the main causes of bulimia – the environmental factor. The other causes can also be controlled if we are aware of their existence.

To see how some other people have managed, go to www.mom-please-help.com



By: Dr Irina Webster

About the Author:

Dr Irina Webster MD is a recognized authority in dealing with eating disorders. She is an author and a public speaker. She successfully uses revolutionary methods to treat eating disorders that are not the standard conventional programs practiced by main stream medicine. http://www.mom-please-help.com

She believes that an eating disorder must be treated where the sufferer has the most chance of relapsing or losing control and that is at home.

Information on her Eating Disorder Home Treatment Program can be accessed at http://www.bulimia-cure.com

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Thrash Till Death asked:


I’m not talking about people who just like to eat, I mean people who literally can’t control themselves. All they think about is food and all they want to do is eat. If so, how did you get over it? Are you still a binge eater? how did it make you feel? What are your thoughts on this issue?

fallenangelc03 asked:


I’ve had bulimia for about 4 years, Ive stopped ever since I got married and have been wanting baby, but ive had three misscarriages, Has anyone had bulimia and gone on to have successful pregnancies and deliveries? Please let me know

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