"Anorexia- to be caught and survive..."

Anorexia Symptoms and Signs: More Than Weight Loss

2010-04-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by abnormal weight loss: An anorexic in the late stages of anorexia nervosa ill exhibit symptoms of severe weight loss and starvation. Detecting anorexia nervosa in the early stages of the disorder, however, is more difficult. Initially, it may appear that the anorexic is just focused on losing weight, but not to excess. Symptoms of anorexia may be further masked as many anorexics are secretive about their eating habits and weight loss, and will often deny that they are losing weight.
Body Image and Anorexia
The anorexic has an unrealistic view of the ideal body: Even in the final stages of starvation, an anorexic will still perceive herself as "fat," and take pleasure in losing weight.

The obsession with ideal body image and losing weight is not seen as abnormal by the anorexic: She may feel in control of herself when losing weight, and feel guilty when weight loss does not occur. The anorexic's distorted view of ideal body image overpowers all other concerns. Even when in treatment and understanding the life-threatening nature of starvation-induced weight loss, anorexics are still influenced by their desire for weight loss, often to the point of resisting treatment.
Anorexic Eating Habits and Weight Loss
The eating habits of anorexics vary considerably. While some anorexics severely restrict their eating to achieve weight loss, other anorexics go through cycles of binge eating followed by purging food through self-induced vomiting or use of laxatives. Regardless, the end result is excessive weight loss.

Anorexics feel hunger intensely while losing weight, but will not eat. Any suggestion of weight gain is met with high anxiety and fear. To mask their eating habits (or lack thereof) from other people, anorexics may employ a number of strategies, including socially isolating themselves.

Eating habits common to anorexics:
abnormal eating rituals (cuts food up small, moves food on plate but doesn't eat it)
cooks for others but does not eat herself
frequent weighing to monitor weight loss
denial of hunger
rigid eating schedule and severe calorie restrictions
avoids or skips meals regularly
exhibits an obvious reduction in eating
throws out food to avoid eating it
exhibits fear or anxiety before eating, and guilt after eating.
An anorexic's preoccupation with food may also include collecting recipes and storing or hoarding food. As weight loss becomes more pronounced, the anorexic may start to wear baggy clothes to hide the fact that she is still losing weight.
Mental Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa
Certain mental symptoms are associated with anorexia nervosa. Anorexics often suffer from clinical depression, especially when weight loss is extreme and starvation results in low levels of the brain chemical serotonin. Anxiety is also a common symptom of anorexia, especially when the anorexic is confronted with eating.

Anorexics often have obsessive thoughts and/or obsessive compulsive disorders, regarding eating habits, weight loss, and other areas of their lives. Perfectionism or rigid thinking, while not symptoms of anorexia nervosa, are common personality traits of the anorexic and may contribute to her obsession with losing weight.

Denial of a weight loss problem and secrecy are common to anorexics. When asked, an anorexic is likely to deny being hungry, fatigued or thin. Due to the anorexic's abnormal ideal body image, she does not believe she is thin, so will sincerely believe she has not lost enough weight.

The drive to lose weight often leads anorexics to exercise excessively, and to continue exercising even if exhausted or injured. Despite starvation, malnourishment and low energy levels, anorexia nervosa patients are generally physically active. The goal is not for health but for continued weight loss.
Physical Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa
The classic physical symptom of anorexia nervosa is weight loss leading to less than 85 percent of an individual's normal weight. Such excessive weight loss is both startling and noticeable. In addition to losing weight, anorexia nervosa symptoms may include:
amenorrhea (ceased menstruation)
bloating
breast atrophy
brittle, twisted hair
constipation
hair loss on scalp
lack of sexual interest
loss of body fat
low blood pressure
muscle atrophy
yellow, "blotchy" skin.
Amenorrhea
Amenorrhea, or the cessation of menstruation, is a common symptom of anorexia nervosa in women. Amenorrhea is defined as a cessation of menses for at least three menstrual cycles.

Even a few months of amenorrhea have been associated with a higher risk of osteoporosis (a severe loss of bone mass). Amenorrhea during the teen years is especially serious, as amenorrhea-caused osteoporosis can hinder normal bone development and stunt growth.
Severe Weight Loss and Starvation Symptoms
In the latter stages of anorexia nervosa the anorexic exhibits signs of starvation. Weight loss has become so extreme that the anorexic has practically no body fat. Bones are clearly visible through the skin, and muscles and breasts have atrophied. At this stage of anorexia, depression is common.

Once anorexia nervosa symptoms reach this level of severity, the prognosis for the eating disorder is grim. Intense and immediate medical intervention is required to save the anorexic's life.
Resources

American Psychiatric Association. III. Disease definition, epidemiology, and natural history. Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients With Eating Disorders, 2nd Edition. American Psychiatric Association, Washington, DC, 2000.

Beers, M.H. & Berkow, R. (ed). Eating disorders: Anorexia nervosa. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, 17th Edition. Merck Research Laboratories, NJ, 1999.

Behrman, R.E. & Kliegman, R.M. (ed). Nelson Essentials of Pediatrics, 3rd Edition. W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 1998.

Gowers, S. & Bryant-Waugh, R. (2004). Management of child and adolescent eating disorders: The current evidence base and future directions. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 45, 63-83.

Health Information Publications. (2003). What are the warning signs and symptoms?

National Library of Medicine. (updated 2004). Anorexia nervosa. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia .

Rome, E.S. & Ammerman, S. (2003, December). Medical complications of eating disorders: An update. Journal of Adolescent Health 33(6), 418-426.

The main one: www.psychiatric-disorders.com

Hunger

2010-03-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

Hunger is a feeling experienced when one has a desire to eat. Satiety is the absence of hunger. The often unpleasant feeling of hunger originates from the hypothalamus releasing hormones that target receptors in the liver. Although a healthy, well-nourished individual can survive for weeks without food intake, the sensation of hunger typically manifests after only a few hours of without eating and is generally considered to be quite unpleasant. The sensation of hunger can usually be alleviated by consumption of food.

Hunger is also the most commonly used term to describe the social condition of people who suffer from a chronic lack of sufficient food and constantly or frequently experience the physical sensation of hunger.

A little girl is dying from hunger and the

Egyptian vulture is waiting for his food....

Hunger pangs

When hunger contractions start to occur in the stomach, they are informally referred to as hunger pangs. Hunger pangs usually do not begin until 12 to 24 hours after the last ingestion of food. A single hunger contraction lasts about 30 seconds, and pangs continue for around 30–45 minutes, then hunger subsides for around 30–150 minutes. Individual contractions are separated at first, but are almost continuous after a certain amount of time. Emotional states (anger, joy etc.) may inhibit hunger contractions. Levels of hunger are increased by lower blood sugar levels, and are higher in diabetics. They reach their greatest intensity in 3 to 4 days and may weaken in the succeeding days, though hunger never disappears. Hunger contractions are most intense in young, healthy people who have high degrees of gastrointestinal tonus. Periods between contractions increase with old age.

Biological mechanisms

The fluctuation of leptin and ghrelin hormone levels results in the motivation of an organism to consume food. When an organism eats, adipocytes trigger the release of leptin into the body. Increasing levels of leptin results in a reduction of one's motivation to eat. After hours of non-consumption, leptin levels drop significantly. These low levels of leptin cause the release of secondary hormone, ghrelin, which in turn reinitiates the feeling of hunger.

Some studies have suggested that an increased production of ghrelin may enhance appetite evoked by the sight of food, while an increase in stress may also influence the hormone's production. These findings may help to explain why hunger can prevail even in stressful situations.

Behavioral response

Hunger appears to increase activity and movement in many animals - for example, an experiment on spiders showed increased activity and predation in starved spiders, resulting in larger weight gain. This pattern is seen in many animals, including humans while sleeping. It even occurs in rats with their cerebral cortex or stomachs completely removed. Increased activity on hamster wheels occurred when rats were deprived not only of food, but also water or B vitamins such as thiamine. This response may increase the animal's chance of finding food, though it has also been speculated the reaction relieves pressure on the home population.

Similar cravings

A food craving is an intense desire to consume a specific food, as opposed to general hunger. Similarly, thirst is the craving for fluids. Withdrawal craving is a "hunger" for administering addictive drugs.

Your hungry organs are the same to these baby birds who are crying asking for some food!!!

Source: Wikipedia

Food is very important for your organism!!!

2010-03-12T13:51:00.000-08:00

- Do no go anywhere without food! It should be the first of your rules! Never! Appeared again hungry your organism can begin to panic what will be noticed in your mood, in your brainwork, in your health changes… it will bring to naught all your diligence to recover. Moreover, having tried to stop to eat once more your body appears an easy target for anorexia again what will catch you much stronger at the second time! Even if you should go somewhere and you know that there you will not have where to eat anything – bring something with you from home, whatever you like or simply an apple. Even when you feel some little scarcity- eat at once what you want. Now I am going to explain why. I know that you have a very strong volition, in the other case you would not be able to be on that cruel diet all that time because for to starve your body to death you need a lot of strength of will, not everyone can do that, not everyone at all. We know that you have a will power. So let’s use it again, just this time we will direct it into the right channel. We will use your strength for to fight anorexia! Let’s return to the subject of starvation. When your body does not receive food for a long time, there appear a famine. All your organs and systems begin to work slower using less energy what leads to bad feeding of your entire organism. Your skin, nails and hair react and suffer immediately, your organs stop to give them nutrition the first, moreover your body takes that fare from them. That is why a person, who is even on a short-time diet, has a worse look rather than a person, who has a rational nutrition. Going further, already on the fifth day of your starvation your liver begins to work badly generating acetone and delivering it into your cardiovascular system and you know how bad it is.

How anorexia appeared in my life...

2010-03-07T14:11:00.001-08:00

Anorexia had caught me not at once, not in a moment. She had been waiting for the perfect opportunity for to pick me up. When you only start to think about a light diet that time anorexia already marks you as her potential victim. Having a thought about dieting you tell her by yourself that you would love to meet her, you invite her into your life. We can never know what is waiting for us in further and she uses that against of us. In my life, anorexia had come slowly and silently, like a cat on its soft pillows of paws. At first, I had eliminated from my ration all fried, fat, salty, sour and spicy food. In couple of months I had refused from sweets and bread, and, moreover, I had halved my portions.
Later I had heard about separate nutrition and started it after what I began to eat only vegetables. As soon as such a food was not tasty, I had lost my appetite at all. It was the ultimate time for anorexia to grab me into her hands. I began to notice an overweight in my figure. A huge desire to lose my weight came into my head. And since that time the most awful period of my life had begun, the period with a name- anorexia!
When you are complitely sure in anything - it is your first step into a huge precipice! Do not promise to yourself or anyone elce that that awful case will never happen with you, that that killing diseas will never knock into your doors, that you will never do anything you think is bad.... When you do this you become weak in front of the face of all those adversities. You say "I will never..." and with these words you open your mind and your heart to negative. Remember this and, who knows, maybe this knowledge will save your whole life one day!

Some advices how to fight anorexia:

2010-03-06T10:57:00.003-08:00

- If your close person suffers from anorexia and you want to help her to pass that awful stage you should always remember about some rules:

-first of all- help her to follow my recommendations, let her know that she is not alone! Tell her that after recovering she will not lose you, that you will always support her not only now when she is under anorexia advantage. But do not forget your promises! It can hurt her to much and provoke a huge stress what should not have a place in her life.

-tell her the words of love, do not be afraid to show your positive feelings, she needs them a lot!

- tell her how pretty girl she is just she would be even more beautiful if she put some weight on. Tell this very careful, try to chose a right situation when she is in a good mood.

- do not make any sharp changes in your attitude to her, do not how her that you began to take care of her more than before, do not start to single her out others just because she became an addicted person, do not tell that she became not like everyone having stopped to eat. All that can provoke even deeper immersion into anorexia. If she feels that anorexia can draw more of your attention, care and love- she will not fight it. But at the same time do not be careless! You should take a golden middle.

- do not accentuate your attention on her being skinny, do not remind her about that.

- do not criticize her severely for her eating disorder, but if it about something another- do not make any indulgences to her if you would not do that before.

- one of the most important rules- cook with her together normal food, always try to accompany her eating, gather all your family for each meal- create a pleasant home tradition from meals. It will show her how nice and important meals are for to be happy in your family, it will help you to become closer, she will see what and how much other people eat and will little by little follow your positive example! Just do not tell that she must eat, do not push at her! Propose to eat gently, ask her to make a company for you, begin pleasant for her subjects during your meal.

a passage from my book:

2010-03-06T10:57:00.001-08:00

- If your close person suffers from anorexia and you want to help her to pass that awful stage you should always remember about some rules:

-tell her the words of love, do not be afraid to show your positive feelings, she needs them a lot!

- tell her how pretty girl she is just she would be even more beautiful if she put some weight one. Tell this very careful, try to chose a right situation when she is in a good mood.

- do not accentuate your attention on her being skinny, do not remind her about that.

- do not criticize her severely for her eating disorder, but if it about something another- do not make any indulgences to her if you would not do that before.

Becoming free...

2010-02-26T16:07:00.001-08:00

Please, go away, I’m begging , do!

I want to live without you!

You cut my heart for hundred pieces,

You drink my blood with poisoned kisses…

My mind is working just for you…

Please, go away, I’m begging you!

I’m begging you to set me free,

Or, no, I’m asking you to stay with me!?

…………………………………………………………….

I don’t know now who dwells inside

Inside my body, in my mind.

I don’t know who I am in life

Or, maybe, it’s your world, besides,

What if you’ve taken all of me?

D`you think I never will be free?

Oh, no, my lady! I will fight you!

I’ll kill you like you did with me!

I’m proud, want to live without you!

I will be free! Becoming free!

Simple diet what everythig began from...

2010-02-22T08:10:00.001-08:00

One day I had noticed some strange changes in my state of health: I felt tiredness more often, I wanted to sleep during a day, I was always hungry and sometimes so much that I could not fight with my starvation anymore and I began to eat! After each meal, I was in a huge panic. All my body had been shaking. My brains had been like a broken computer that I could understand almost nothing- all my moves were slower than usual, I had no control on them any more; my eyes were like behind a curtain; all my sensations had been tied up by unknown power; the only one wish had taken a top over me- the wish to die… . Best of all I wanted to leave that body what had lost control and had eaten. I realized how many calories had been added into my organism and that knowing aroused a huge hatred inside of me. I could rush around the room for hours. It seamed to be the end of the world for me. In a while, I fell onto the sofa or anything what was nearer to me with no strength, no emotions, no wishes. I fell like a lifeless body what had lost its life in a cruel battle. My tears were the last alive particle of me. They were flew across my sunken cheeks leaving warm wet lines and disappearing somewhere in the darkness of my clothes.

Anorexia!!!

2010-02-22T08:09:00.001-08:00

Well, a time has come at last… the time when I am finally ready to share all events what have happened with me within the last 5 years of my life…
Such a decision to confide my story to other people, to other girls like me, to their parents, relatives and friends, had been made after several years of my wandering in the darkest corners of my soul. I had been in that part of life where I would not wish to appear anybody, even my greatest enemy. I had got into the grids of one of the most dangerous addictions what sucks you in like the drift sands. And my tragedy had a name “Anorexia”. She had been rife and rampant inside of me, inside of my body and head. I did know no salvation from that idiopathy.