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Eating disorders ( Bulimia )Eating disorders develop at any age and in both sexes, but occur overwhelmingly in young women, most of whom come from stable, well-educated families. Eating disorders are unknown in Third World countries. Anorexia is most commonly found in adolescents between ages twelve and twenty, while bulimia is more frequent in women in or around their twenties. There are many more for whom food is an addiction, including those who are overweight because they cannot refrain from compulsively overeating for comfort from problems; others maintain their regular weight, but become obsessed with eating and dieting. A self-deceptive view of the body leads to an internal struggle about food, which turns into a continual battle over whether or not to eat. Food becomes an obsession, and is used to bring about self-inflicted suffering since all desires, needs and emotions are suppressed. This obsession is most extreme and disturbing in anorexia nervosa. Here, the tremendous fear of gaining weight and the unchanging view of the body as fat, regardless of actual weight, causes self-starvation. In young anorexics, the disease is often used as a means to bypass problems of adolescence by stopping themselves from growing up. Food becomes an obsession. Often, rituals centering on food are developed, where, for instance, the whole table is set to eat a minute portion of food. Self-induced vomiting, and laxatives are used after a meal either as a means to fulfill an overwhelming craving for food, or as an attempt to deceive family and friends about changed eating habits. Loss of weight is the most disturbing sign, and is accelerated by athletic activities. Dehydration and malnutrition result. Extreme weakness, dizziness, constipation, and halted or late-developing menstruation follow. Other symptoms include headaches, nervousness and difficulty concentrating. Loss of appetites not a symptom because anorexics are actually hungry and do crave food, but refuse to eat. Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental health condition. Within twenty years of diagnosis, thirty-six percent will die. Bulimia is characterized by a continual cycle of binging and purging. It begins with overpowering cravings for food, leading to binging on large amounts of very rich, high-fat foods. This is followed by horror, guilt and hopelessness at the inability to control these desires, and finally leads to self-induced vomiting. In both anorexics and bulimics, such frequent vomiting spells cause tooth decay from the excess of stomach hydrochloric acid. The actual weight of the person varies from normal to under or overweight. Unlike anorexics, bulimics go about daily life rather inconspicuously, since a maintenance of their weight usually allows them to lead otherwise regular social and sexual lives, and to perform regular tasks. Eating disorders that focus on dieting in particular begin with a mistaken belief that the body does not meet the idealistic and often extreme criteria of thinness and beauty. Modern social ideals of beauty equaling thinness put incredible pressures on adolescents and young women who are not naturally thin. Repeated dieting has a strong psychological component. It begins at a particularly difficult time in teenage life when an overwhelming multitude of pressures causes feelings of inadequacy and low self-worth. The adolescent decides to diet, having always wanted to lose weight, and suddenly sees dieting as a way to dominate his or her inability to cope with other problems in life. The feeling of hunger is welcomed as a sign of control over the body and the self, so the least is eaten for as long as possible. Physical starvation causes the mind to obsess about food, but there is a great deal of societal acceptance of dieting. This attention, along with diet-promoting advertising, provides strong psychological encouragement to continue diets, even to the point of obsession. Lack of food and poor nutrition cause low energy, lack of drive and mood swings. They also cause the body to lower its metabolism, as the body strives to maintain its natural weight. Losing more weight becomes virtually impossible and causes the dieting person to believe he or she has failed due to a weakness in will-power. Starvation is like a drug. It causes the body to produce endorphins, chemicals which stimulate a natural high used to ease human suffering. Unfortunately, this process encourages dieting. Binging, or filling the stomach with food, is often used to comfort feelings of inadequacy, loneliness and failure. Frequently, a poor self-image is connected to feeling unloved, and a disturbed mother-daughter relationship can be the root problem. New research has shown, however, that eating disorders are linked to a severe zinc deficiency, which causes significant behavioral changes. There is also growing evidence that low serotonin levels in the brain can cause obsessive/compulsive eating disorders. Supplements and herbsSupplements can help improve the health of the gastrointestinal tract and provide the entire body with more strength and the ability to better cope with stress. A lack of zinc plays a role in causing anorexia nervosa as it supports enzyme activity, immunity, brain function and synthesizes protein. Supplementing this mineral can improve mood, appetite and sense of taste. The depression that is common in anorexics and bulimics can be countered by using other amino acids, such as L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine, with vitamin B6. In all eating disorders, a good multivitamin is highly recommended to improve energy and combat deficiencies. Take vitamins with some form of food for better absorption. Vitamin C with bioflavonoids is recommended to fend off infections and build strength. magnesium levels are usually low in people with depression and eating disorders. Vitamin B6 is essential for absorbing zinc and magnesium into the body's cells. Smokers should have 2,250 mg of vitamin C in addition to vitamin B complex. Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium cultures help to re-establish healthy intestinal flora that is usually altered as a result of faulty eating habits and laxative abuse. Supplementation will improve digestion and fend off candida and other infections. B vitamins are good for treating fatigue and lack of energy. Vitamin B6 is particularly important. As most people with anorexia have absorption problems, supplement with B6's active form, Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate. Green food supplements such as kelp contain many important minerals and other essential nutrients to rebuild energy. When taken regularly, these supplements help prevent overeating. Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid in evening primrose oil, is also highly recommended for its balancing effect on body weight. Essential fatty acids are necessary for many body functions and are usually lacking due to dieting. Inositol is an isomer of glucose, the simple sugar that feeds the brain. Levels of inositol have been found to be low in depressed patients. If digestion is poor, supplement with betaine and pepsin, glutamic acid, apple cider vinegar, Swedish bitters, pancreatin, vegetable enzymes or other digestive aids. Food allergies, candida infection, parasites and toxic heavy metals may all have deleterious effects on digestion and, hence, tryptophan absorption or utilization. Tryptophan is made more effective by also supplementing vitamin B3 (niacinamide), B6 and C. If tryptophan is taken along with niacinamide, dosage of tryptophan should not exceed 4 grams per day. Herbal remedies can assist a change in diet to provide essential nutrients and stimulate the appetite and ward off depression.
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