Eating Disorders

In today’s world everyone is image conscious and tries maximum possible ways to improve his appearance. Most of us get inspired by TV Ads, Magazines and other media which gives emphasis on buying certain products, clothes and especially food items that play a vital role in weight loss.

These days’ people eat less and do more exercise in order to look fit and healthy. And of course it is always good to watch what you eat as it is not an eating disorder. But when the eating behavior of a person is accompanied by some unhealthy beliefs, perceptions they are abnormal & harmful too. Such individuals face difficulty in accepting & feeling good about themselves. They are always conscious about their weight, body shape, feel insecure & think they look fat or ugly. Such persons quest for thinness & try to control their eating behaviors to overcome perceived fatness.

Causes:

The possible causes of eating disorders are families, stressful life changes, personal characteristics, biology or culture and other emotional disorders.

Types

1. Anorexia

Anorexia means “lack of appetite” and people with this disorder appear like skeletal & have fear of gaining weight. Thus they control body weight by starving and excessive exercise. Brittle bones, skin, nails, anemia, constipation are some symptoms of anorexia.

2. Bulimia

Bulimia is combination of anorexia and overeating. Such a person eats a lot of food (binging) at a time and soon compensates this binge eating by variety of ways like excessive exercise, vomiting, taking laxatives/diet pills, fasting etc. Binging cause feeling of shame and so person tries to “undo” the binge.

Cure:

The main cure can be psychotherapy, so if you know someone struggling with eating disorder, simply show your concern and talk to him or her about it. You can take help of their family members or guardians to find out next possible steps to cure it. Antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication will help one to control but not completely cure the problem. Yoga works best to tackle the ill effects of eating disorders. One can consult with nutritionist that can change the thinking about diet which will help in attaining healthy body weight.