Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor.  ~Dr. Alexis Carrel

My next two blogs will focus on eating disorders that affect mostly adolescent girls and young women.  These mental health conditions are known as Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia.

First up is Anorexia, a mental health condition whose most distinguishing characteristic is the desire to be slim.  Granted, most of us women watch our A woman with Anorexiacalories so that we can keep our weight down, but anorexics have an irrational fear of putting on even one pound. Consequently, they are always monitoring their caloric intake and feel guilty whenever they eat. Women with this mental illness therefore are painfully thin and have no body fat at all, most of them truly look like skin on bones. Their "starvation diet" may cause a complete breakdown of the the fatty tissue lying just below their skin. We need a certain amount of subcutaneous fat to be healthy.

Anorexics are very much out of touch with reality when it comes to their body image, they perceive themselves as fat, when in actuality they are dangerously thin.  A scale is an important part of their daily routine, they don't merely weigh themselves A woman with Anorexiaonce a day, but, rather throughout the day.  They are very obsessive about it. If they do eat, they are compulsive about burning up the calories, so they may exercise vigorously. In addition to this, an anorexic may ingest laxatives and pills to stop their hunger, or they may purge themselves. This is the mental health illness call Bulimia, which I will feature in my next blog.  Some of them even refuse to eat at all, at which point their illness  becomes a hazard to their health. If they go indefinitely without food, they will end up being hospitalized and fed intravenously. If left untreated the mortality rate is about 5-18%.

Those suffering from this disorder may actually be  hungry but still refuse to eat.  They have an extremely poor self image and try to control their surroundings and Ribs of an Anorexictheir emotions by starving themselves. Quite often, eating disorders come from internal and external conflicting forces as well as stress, anger, anxiety, and sadness. Unfortunately, refusing to eat is the only way that an anorexic  deals  with these issues, but it is a very negative way of coping. They may think to themselves, "you can't make me eat", therefore gaining the upper hand, or so they think.   Some people truly believe that they don't deserve to enjoy life's simple pleasures, namely eating, hence, they starve themselves .

Family issues play a very important role in Anorexia Nervosa. If a girl has parents  who are overly protective and smothering, unwilling to bend, are critical of her appearance, including weight,  place too much  emphasis on looks, and in some cases sexually abusive she may become anorexic to rebel against their authority. Refusing to eat is the only way that she will be able to gain some independence and maintain a sense of individuality.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that society also plays a role in this severe mental illness. Everything we see tells us that "thin is in." Have you ever seen a heavy model? I think not! We are constantly barraged with media messages telling us that we should diet to stay thin. This so called "perfect lean body type" is especially difficult for women because biologically, we are built to have extra weight in certain areas. So many of us may be dissatisfied with the shape of our body and our weight.

There is a way to conquer Anorexia please continue reading

Once organic causes for weight loss are addressed and ruled out, Psychotherapy is essential. There are many counselors and facilities that deal with eating disorders.  Sadly though, many anorexics refuse to get help because they believe that there is nothing wrong with them.  Once they do get help however, attention must be given to proper eating habits, and healthy nutrition. In addition to therapy, there are many alternative remedies out there, such as herbs,  acupressure and relaxation techniques.

Lets talk a little about what to expect from psychotherapy. A therapist will help the anorexic to gain an awareness of some of their subconscious, and or conscious issues. In order for them to feel better, their self-image, self-worth, behavioral patterns, sexual identity and other emotional conflicts leading to their illness will have to be taken care of. Though painful, this will help them to become whole again and to get on with their life. There are also groups that offer support and reassurance for those people with eating disorders. They are quite helpful because they help the anorexic to realize that they are not alone.


Family therapy is a very effective method of helping an adolescent with anorexia, especially since some of their difficulties may stem from their upbringing.  What is important here is to understand the family dynamics that  led to the problem and to help them relate to each other in a more positive and healthy manner. Parents are unaware of the harm that they can do to their children when they expect too much, or are hyper-critical of things that they do. Through the guidance of a qualified family therapist, they can be successful in helping the anorexic to get better.

Let's take a look at ways that the recovering anorexic can be reintroduced to food. First of all, they need to start eating healthy foods by ingesting nutritious soups, fresh fruit smoothies, juices and other liquid meals that are easily digested. Eating many small, high caloric healthy meals is much better for the anorexic than eating three large meals. Hot and spicy foods as well as those that are full of fat and salt should be avoided so as to prevent further damage to an already compromised digestive system.  The addition of multi-vitamins and other natural supplements will also help in preventing deficiencies that come from poor nutrition.

Speaking of nutrition, there is a medicinal herbal tea mixture that helps to enhance the appetite.
I would like to briefly mention that there are many relaxation techniquesWoman meditating they include yoga, deep breathing and meditation to help control stress, discouragement and fear that are part of this illness.

Last but not least is the alternative medical practice of acupressure which can stimulate appetite by working on pressure points.
  • Approximately 20 minutes before eating, apply pressure to the area halfway between the sternum and navel, do this for 3 minutes.
  • You can also press firmly on the bottom of the nail located on the pinky finger for 5 minutes to accomplish the same thing
 Remember, In order to have a healthy mind and body we need to eat healthy foods!


Reference:

The Complete Guide to Natural Healing, International Masters Publishers,
      Pittsburgh, PA.
Anorexia Nervosa