Anorexia Symptoms - What to Look For

Anorexia is not a disease of vanity and anorexia symptoms cannot be shamed away. When your loved one, usually between 13 and 24, decides to diet you tend to be supportive. Many of us have pounds to lose for better health. Somewhere along the line though, something happens, and the person you love and wanted to support in their efforts to improve their lives becomes a walking skeleton obsessed with food they won't or can't eat.

The first thing most people notice is the protrusion of bones, usually the shoulder bones across the chest. You make jokes about the dieter being skin and bones but don't really think anything is wrong. You might start nagging them to eat more or ask them what they had to eat that day, but you believe it'll be ok. Soon, though, you notice that their hair is thinning and they are easily confused. They develop strange rituals at the dinner table like needing the food cut into a specific number of pieces or it has to be positioned on the plate just so. Maybe, they will only eat off a certain plate or with a certain fork. Many of these are symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, but they are also Anorexia symptoms.

It isn't just that the dieter loves dieting, either. They literally cannot quit dieting and exercising. Many anorexics will exercise themselves into exhaustion several times a day. It's important to understand, this person who is trying their damnedest to starve themselves to death is no longer in control of their own mind, though, they believe they are exerting tremendous control.

If you trust nothing else you hear about Anorexia, trust this; what you see when you look at your dieter is not what they see in the mirror. They see a person they can't stand to look at when they look in the mirror. That in itself is an anorexia symptom and one that is easy to pin down. If you suspect someone of suffering this disorder confront them on what they see in the mirror. If all they see is something ugly, you need to get them help. This is not addiction. Don't treat it like one.

The most commonly asked question about anorexia is, "how can anyone starve themselves that way and not know it is bad?" The answer to that has troubled physicians and psychologists for more than forty years. There are common anorexia symptoms. If your dieter is exhibiting two or more of them, seek help right away.

o Diminished cognitive functions will occur rapidly from excess dieting and exercise.
o An obsession with nutritional information about foods you can't get them to eat.
o Exercising beyond benefit to the dieter.
o Refusing to eat with others or excusing themselves from the table quickly after eating.
o Growth of fine body hair to help keep the dieter warm.
o Hair loss from lack of nutrition
o Drinking excessive amounts of water or using diet aids excessively.

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Anorexia Symptoms and Causes - Is That Fat Person in the Mirror Really You

How many parents fear the word "diet" if brought up in a subject by their child? How many parents who see their child dieting when already in a perfectly healthy condition becomes greatly concerned because they know where it can lead. Anorexia is not a rare condition therefore making it all the more frightening because it proves "many" people suffer from the disease. This is a good thing in a way because doctors are familiar with the disease which enables them to diagnose severity along with prescribing appropriate medication.

If you believe your child has an eating disorder, then they most probably have. As a parent you know your child best, and if eating behaviors change then you will be the first to notice. Understanding anorexia nervosa will always be difficult for a non sufferer and vise versa, where the patient finds it hard to understand why those close to them is not agreeable to what they do..

For the person with anorexia they can never be too thin despite being dangerously below their natural weight. Sadly neither do they see the physical and emotional damage that they impose upon them self. Anorexia is a serious and potentially deadly eating disorder. With support from the right source it is curable. Unfortunately it is not a condition remedied overnight. The healing process is long but comes with great rewards when the fat person you believe you are disappears. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an illogical fear of becoming fat.

Anorexics go to great lengths to reach a dangerously low body weight. It is a continuous turbulent battle to lose more weight for the ailing. Evidence of protruding ribs is not enough to have them see sense.

Are you worried over your child's eating habits, if so seek medical help as soon as. Sooner is always better than later. Nipping an illness or disease in the bud will up the odds in curing the health issue

There are two types of anorexia.
1. Weight loss is attained by restricting calories. Anorexics religiously follow radical diets and exercise exertion to an unhealthy level.
2. Weight loss is attained from ridding calories by vomiting or using laxatives and diuretics. Both of which are dangerous ways to shed excess pounds.

Anorexia is typically recognized in teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 20. Nonetheless it is also suffered by men and children. About one in 250 women and one in 2,000 men get anorexia at some time. Scarily anorexia can rise from just dieting. Once the scales show weight loss it then becomes a desire to lose more.

Each individual aside from the overweight issue will have their own reasons why they allow the condition to continue. Some folk feel powerless. Some abstain from eating because they find it helps them cope with different emotions, i.e. anger, shame and self-loathing. Anorexics are a class act in hiding their eating disorder; nevertheless it comes to light when the bones begin rattling regardless of the baggy cardigan and pants.

To clear up the confusion between losing your appetite and the disease, anorexia nervosa is when a person denies them self food. With the eating disorder bulimia nervosa; the person goes through times when they binge eat only to purge it back up again. Some anorexics may also do the same

Symptoms of anorexia can include:

- Hair loss
- Feeling cold
- Disturbed sleep patterns
- Constipation and stomach pain
- Face and ankle puffiness
- Dizziness
- Fatigue - aching muscles
- Hard to control concentration
- Nervousness and mood swings
- Missing three consecutive periods

Anorexia nervosa can cause osteoporosis, infertility and damage the heart. Death has been the outcome for some untreated anorexics. Starvation, dehydration, infections and heart failure were the designated causes. It is said if you suffer from type 1 Diabetes you are likely to develop anorexia. Also a past weight problem increases the risk of anorexia. Emotional upsets such as family breakups or abusive relationships can also give cause.

If you can openly address you have the problem then you are on the road to recovery.

Contact your GP. The doctor will ask questions to determine severity of the condition and to how far in to the disease you have fallen. A referral to see a psychiatrist or psychologist may be suggested.This does not mean you are mad, in fact it means your sensibility has come to the fore and you now have the people at your side that can help. Now you have faced up to having anorexia - treatment sessions are easier. Therapy is to re-establish a healthy attitude towards food and a consistent pattern of eating. Talking to fellow sufferers can be a huge help.

Although there is no specific medication to heal anorexia, there is for the causes of eating disorders. Psychotherapy is ideally therapeutic. Psychotherapy helps identify the reason that may have caused anorexia. Hospital may be imminent for some - mainly because anorexia has reached the stage where it is life threatening. In an attempt to get the patient back to a healthy state, hospital treatment will entail giving the body back vital fluids and nutrients that the body lost.

If you are looking for help or looking to help someone then you will find the resources below helpful. With your own determination and patience and support from them closest to you will make the road to recovery one with no bends.

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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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