People with anorexia place a high value on controlling their weight and shape, using extreme efforts that often significantly interfere with their lives. Anorexia nervosa, also known as loss of appetite, is an eating disorder characterized by an abnormally low body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted perception of weight.
People with anorexia typically severely restrict their food intake in order to avoid gaining weight or to keep losing weight. They may do this by abusing laxatives, diet pills, diuretics, or enemas to control their calorie intake, or they may severely restrict their food intake while exercising excessively.
When a person has anorexia, they frequently equate thinness with self-worth. Anorexia is an extremely unhealthy and occasionally fatal way to try to cope with emotional problems.
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SYMPTOMS OF ANOREXIA NERVOS
Anorexia nervosa includes behavioral and emotional problems involving an irrational perception of body weight and an extremely strong fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, in addition to the physical signs and symptoms of starvation that are related to anorexia.
In addition to the fact that people with anorexia frequently conceal their thinness, eating habits, or physical problems, what is considered a low body weight varies from person to person, so it may be challenging to identify the signs and symptoms in some cases.
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS OF ANOREXIA NERVOS
Anorexia may exhibit the following physical symptoms:
- Extreme weight loss or failing to gain the anticipated weight during development
- Thin appearance
- Abnormal blood counts
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Dizziness or fainting
- the fingers are stained a bluish color.
- thinning, damaged, or lost hair
- Body covered in downy, soft hair.
- Absence of menstruation
- Constipation and abdominal pain
- Dry or yellowish skin
- Intolerance of cold
- Irregular heart rhythms
- Low blood pressure
- Dehydration
- swelling in the legs or arms
- Calluses on the knuckles and eroded teeth due to the inducement of vomiting
While some anorexics and bulimics engage in binge-and-purge behavior, the majority of anorexics struggle with abnormally low body weight, whereas most bulimics tend to be of normal to above-normal weight.
Emotional and Behavioral Symptoms
Behavioral symptoms of anorexia may include attempts to lose weight by:
- severe dietary restriction, including fasting
- Exercising excessively
- Using laxatives, enemas, diet aids, or herbal products, among other methods, to induce vomiting and binge-eating in order to get rid of food
Emotional and behavioral signs and symptoms may include:
- Food obsession, which occasionally involves preparing elaborate meals for others but not eating them yourself
- regularly refusing to eat or skipping meals
- the refusal to eat or the use of justifications
- eating just a few “safe” foods that you know are safe, usually foods that are low in fat and calories
- establishing strict eating or mealtime customs, such as spitting out food after chewing
- avoiding eating in front of others
- Misrepresenting the amount of food consumed
- Frequently weighing or measuring oneself out of fear of gaining weight
- frequently examining oneself in the mirror to look for flaws
- expressing dissatisfaction over one’s weight or the presence of certain body parts
- wearing multiple layers of protection
- Lack of feeling or a flat mood
- Social withdrawal
- Irritability
- Insomnia
- Reduced interest in sex
CAUSES OF ANOREXIA NERVOS
As with many illnesses, the precise cause of anorexia is unknown, but it is most likely a result of a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors.
- Biological –Some people may have a genetic tendency toward perfectionism, sensitivity, and perseverance — all traits associated with anorexia — while it is still unclear exactly which genes are involved or which genetic changes put some people at a higher risk of developing the illness.
- Psychological –Some anorexics may have obsessive-compulsive personality traits that make it simpler for them to maintain strict eating regimens and abstain from food even when they are hungry. They may also have a strong drive for perfection, which makes them believe they are never thin enough.
- Environmental –Peer pressure may contribute to the emphasis on thinness in contemporary Western culture, which frequently equates success and worth with being in shape. This is especially true for young girls.
TYPES OF ANOREXIA NERVOS
The following are two prevalent forms of anorexia:
- Binge/Purge Type– The individual with Binge/Purge Type anorexia may purge by exercising excessively, vomiting, or abusing laxatives. Purging as a compensatory behavior by the individual with Binge/Purge Type anorexia reduces the fear of gaining weight and offsets some of the guilt of having ingested forbidden, or highly restricted food.
- Restrictive –Because they limit the amount of food they eat, the number of calories they consume, and frequently avoid high-fat or high-sugar foods, people with restrictive anorexia are frequently seen as being highly self-disciplined. This heartbreaking form of self-starvation involves consuming far fewer calories than are necessary to maintain a healthy weight.
RISK FACTOR FOR ANOREXIA NERVOSA
Girls and women are more likely to suffer from anorexia, but boys and men are also more likely to do so now, perhaps as a result of mounting social pressures.
Teenagers may be more susceptible to anorexia because of all the changes that occur during puberty, as well as because they may experience increased peer pressure and be more sensitive to criticism or even casual comments about weight or body shape. However, people of any age can develop anorexia; it is uncommon in those over 40.
Anorexia is made more likely by a number of factors, such as:
- Genetics-Those with a first-degree relative — a parent, sibling, or child — who had the disorder have a significantly higher risk of anorexia, which may be caused by changes in specific genes.
- Starvation and weight loss may alter how the brain functions in susceptible individuals, which may perpetuate restrictive eating behaviors and make it challenging to return to a normal eating pattern.
- Transitions.Change can cause emotional stress and raise the risk of anorexia, regardless of whether it involves moving to a new school, home, or job, ending a relationship, losing a loved one, or being diagnosed with a serious illness.
COMPLICATION FOR ANOREXIA NERVOSA
Death may occur suddenly — even when a person is not significantly underweight — and may be caused by abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) or an unbalance of electrolytes, which are minerals like sodium, potassium, and calcium that keep the balance of fluids in our body.
Anorexia also has other side effects, such as:
- Anemia
- Heart issues like heart failure, irregular heartbeats, and mitral valve prolapse
- Osteoporosis, a bone loss condition that raises the possibility of fractures
- Loss of muscle
- the lack of a period in females
- In males, decreased testosterone
- issues with the stomach, like bloating, nausea, or constipation
- abnormalities in the blood’s electrolytes, including low levels of potassium, sodium, and chloride
- Kidney problems
Every organ in the body, including the brain, heart, and kidneys, can suffer damage if a person with anorexia becomes severely undernourished, and this damage may not fully recover even when the anorexia is under control.
Other mental health disorders are frequently present in anorexics, in addition to the plethora of physical complications.
- other mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression
- Personality disorders
- Obsessive-compulsive disorders
- Alcohol and substance misuse
- Suicidal ideation, self-harm, or attempted suicide
HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT FOR ANOREXIA NERVOSA
Alfalfa :The best medicine for anorexia nervosa and loss of appetite with weakness, fatigue, and exhaustion is verueful. It helps to tone up the appetite in a very natural way. It is advised for patients who experience a loss of appetite accompanied by weight loss, loss of flesh, and emaciation.
Antimonium Crudum :Given when nausea and a bitter taste in the mouth are accompanying symptoms.There is thickly coated tongue.Very helpful for those who experience a loss of appetite along with an aversion to every type of food, though in some cases the patient can eat acidic and sour things and has an aversion to all other food.
Psorinum :It is helpful when there is a loss of appetite but a persistent thirst for water. There is belching that tastes like rotten eggs. It is also helpful when there is a loss of appetite and weakness following an acute illness. It helps to increase appetite and give the body strength.
China :Very helpful medication for reduced appetite with a feeling of fullness in the abdomen. Helpful when there is a constant feeling of fullness in the stomach, bloating, and distension in the abdomen, as well as an aversion to all foods. Works well when there isn’t a total loss of appetite but the patient still feels satisfied by eating only a small amount. Most recommended medication for a complete loss of appetite during malaria.
Colchicum :An effective medication for appetite loss. Beneficial when nausea also coexists with appetite loss. Administered when a person becomes queasy at the mere thought or smell of food.
Ignatia :Useful medication for patients who have lost their appetite because of depression. Typically recommended when appetite loss is brought on by sadness, grief, and depression. Suitable for those who constantly feel depressed and let down, avoid being around other people, and feel mentally and physically exhausted.
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