Anorexia Symptoms and Cures

Anorexia is a condition where people have an irrational fear of being overweight and they obsess about the food they eat and how much they weigh. Someone with anorexia exercises excessively or eats very little in an effort to maintain a weight that is far below the normal range.

The most obvious symptom of anorexia is profound weight loss; however there are other symptoms to watch out for as well. A person with anorexia may insist that she is fat even when she is severely underweight. She may vomit after eating, take laxatives, exercise nonstop, or limit her food intake in order to lose weight.

The lack of proper nutrition causes other signs and symptoms in the body. These include absent menstrual periods, dry skin, brittle hair, hair loss, cold extremities, swollen hands, low blood pressure, bloated stomach, extreme fatigue and irregular heart beats.

Anorexia symptoms also include behavioral issues such as being obsessed with food, depression, refusing to eat, OCD, poor memory, and refusing to admit to the illness. A person with anorexia may develop food rituals such as eating the same food or cutting it in a certain way; they may exercise compulsively and weigh themselves constantly.

Anorexia is a difficult condition to cure. It is a condition that can last a lifetime with relapses brought on by stressful life events. Successful anorexia treatment includes medication combined with therapy. In some cases, hospitalization may be required in order to treat anorexia. This is particularly true if the low body weight is causing abnormal heart rhythms, suicidal tendencies, or severely low blood pressure.

While there is not a specific medication to cure anorexia, doctors have had good results with drugs that treat depression, anxiety, or OCD. The best results are obtained when the drugs are combined with regular therapy sessions including psychotherapy and family therapy. The goal of therapy is to establish an eating routine based upon a healthy diet and to help the patient control the compulsion to constantly exercise or get on the scales.

Anorexia is not an easy medical condition to treat or cure. It is not fully understood why some people become anorexic. The symptoms can become life threatening. Anorexia can be a fatal condition. Therefore it is important to seek treatment early in the disease before too much weight has been lost and there is permanent damage done.

When you suspect anorexia symptoms in another person, it is important that you intervene and prompt them to seek medical help. Many times, a person with anorexia refuses to believe they have a problem. In fact, they may not even be able to tell they are underweight. They may not want to see a doctor for help. Keep in mind those thoughts are just symptoms of their disease and they do in fact need medical intervention.

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