Anorexia - Killing American Teens Everyday

Anorexia - Killing American Teens Everyday

The vicious eating disorder known to all as anorexia is one of the most deadly out there.  More common in females than males, it's estimated that 1% of all teenage girls have this disorder, and that out of that 1%, up to 10% may die from it.

The individual with this disorder believes they are obese or overweight and have a very poor self-image of themself.  In an attempt to quickly lose weight by whatever means necessary, people with anorexia have been known to starve themselves, take laxatives in order to expel food from the body, and it many cases extreme amounts of exercise.  Any of these three are enough to take a terrible toll on the body.

Don't confuse anorexia with bulimia.  Anorexia is when a person refuses to eat (or eats very little).  Bulimia is when a person consumes large amounts of food (binging) and then force themself to vomit in back up (purging).  Both stem from an incredibly poor image of self and the person thinking or feeling extremely overweight, but they are very different diseases.

What are the symptoms and medical problems?

If you think someone might have a problem with anorexia, here are some short term signs to look for:

Extreme weight loss over a short period of time

Unwilling to eat in front of others

Anxiety

Constant Fatigue

Unusual concern about calorie intake

For women only: 3 consecutively missed menstrual cycles

These are just some of the most common signs that someone may be anorexic.  This is by no means a complete list nor do these signs always indicate anorexia.  This is just a guide to use.  If you feel that someone you know and love may have a problem, sit down with the person, surround them with friends and family, and have a loving, understanding discussion with them.

And let's not forget the affects of pregnancy on an anorexic, or even a recovering anorexic.  Most women gain between 20-25 lbs during their pregnancy.  How well do you think someone with an eating disorder would react to this?

Depriving your body of food while you are pregnant can take away nourishment from your unborn child and put his or her life in jeopardy.  Children who are born to anorexic mothers may develop heart disease, underactive kidney and liver, and have weak bones and teeth.  No child deserves to be handicapped unnecessarily even before they are born!

If anorexia goes undiagnosed and untreated for too long, the effects of this disorder become much worse.  Some long term effects include:

Lowers Average Body Temperature

Loss of Minerals

Bone Shrinkage

Irregular Heartbeat

Increases the Risk of Developing Osteroperosis and Bulimia

Why do so many people develop anorexia and eating disorders?

The answer is quite simple.  Tragic, but simple.  We live in a society that equates skinniness with success, happiness, and beauty.  When young children are bombarded with these images daily, they develop the idea that they too must look a certain away in order to be accepted by society and be happy.  Without the proper education about healthy eating and weight maintenance, many will do whatever it takes to lose weight.  Here are some eye-opening statistics about anorexia, and eating disorders in general.

1% of American women binge and purge as a way to lose weight (bulimia)

10% of female college students have been diagnosed with a full or borderline eating disorder

Only 5 - 10% of all people with an eating disorder are males

10 - 15% of people who suffering from an eating disorder will die because of it

40% of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade girls want to be skinnier

80% of 10 year olds worry about their weight

Many children have begun to diet as early as age 9

What a happy world we live in!

These statistics are freightening!  What is our world coming to when a 9 year old is more concerned about their weight and appearance than playing and having fun?  There is more, MUCH more to life than worrying about weight and your image to others.  Sure, there are plently of health reasons to lose weight, but people with anorexia or other eating disorders are going about the entirely wrong way.  It's time to put an end to this tragedy.

What has led our society to such a low level of moral standard?  How can someone put themselves, their body, and their family through the rigors of a deadly disorder such as anorexia?  It's not the individual's fault, that's for sure.  Society is to blame for such an epidemic.  And yes, I do mean epidemic.  People are dying from these disorders daily just so that they feel like they fit into a society who could care less about them.

Is this fair?  Nope!

Is this what you want for your children?  Nope!

Is it time to do something about teach kids about anorexia and eating disorders?  You betcha!

No one deserves to feel like society is making our young ones feel.  To feel as if they aren't good enough, aren't pretty enough, aren't skinny enough to function in the world and be happy.  It's obvious that something needs to be done about this.  More health education needs to be taught in schools with an emphasis on acceptance of all body types so children and teenagers don't feel as if they is something wrong with them for not looking a supermodel.

Just imagine someone from a third world country would think if they knew about the anorexia epidemic happening in America and other, richer parts of the world?  To purposely avoid food and starve?  Insane!  That's exactly what it is.

Acting now can save lives!

Just imagine five to ten years down the road, I'm willing to bet that person will thank you for potentially saving their life.  Once a person gets their head out of the fog of being trapped with an eating disorder like anorexia, it will become clear to them how much better their life is without obsessing over food and how they look.  It really takes a drain on the body and the mind and can make life miserable and barely worth living.

Change your life for the better today!

Think of it this way: do you really want to live this way for the rest of your life?  Not only are you harming yourself, but think of the emotional damage you are pushing on your friends, family, and loved ones?  Do you really want to put them through that?  Like anyone with a disease or disorder, it takes time to heal and fully recover.  Don't fear.  Once you get going and your life starts to improve, I'm sure you will see how much better it feels to be healthy and free from the vices of deadly disorder like anorexia.

So start reading and beat anorexia once and for all!

Hopefully these resources will help those in need and give them the knowledge and treatment they need to turn their life around and escape the grip of this deadly disorder.

Getting help from medical professionals

If you feel you would like to learn more, do not hesitate from contacting your medical doctor with any questions and concerns you may have.  Remeber, medical professionals deal with patients with these disorders everyday.  They know how to help you.

Do not feel embarrassed or ashamed, you are not the only one who has ever had this problem.  Leave those emotions in the past because the misery you've dealt with is over.  With that in mind, be willing to take constructive advice on how to change and be willing to implement those changes in your life.

Why Advance Health Care Directives Are Important

Why Advance Health Care Directives Are Important | Consider this scenario. You are in a hospital with a terminal illness, unconscious, connected to all kinds of medical machines, and has a very poor prognosis. Who will speak on your behalf during this time of illness? Who would tell the doctors, the nurses and your family members what your medical wishes are if ever you get into this terminal condition? Who would let your caregivers know what you would like to happen to you and your body in such a condition like this? Would you like to be kept alive by all means? Or would you rather decide not to be subjected to futile treatments knowing that this is not a dignified living for you? But how would you let everyone know all these wishes now that you are no longer capable of speaking up for yourself?

This is why Advance Health Care Directives (AHCD) are very important. As a clinical counselor working in a hospital for several years now, I have personally worked with families and witnessed them break apart because they could not agree in making medical and end-of-life decisions for the dying loved ones. Their loved ones, who were unable to speak up for themselves, did not have an advance directive. Remember the Terry Schiavo case?

I have witnessed many cases where, because patients did not have an AHCD, families and caregivers are plagued with guilt and have constantly asked themselves if they were making the "right" decision for their loved one or for themselves. Yet, I have also witnessed many cases where, because patients had an AHCD, their families and caregivers felt at peace, in spite of the pain, just because they knew they were honoring their loved one's medical wishes as reflected on their AHCD.

WHAT ARE ADVANCE HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVES (AHCD)?

AHCD are legal documents that enable you to do the following:

1. Appoint or designate a primary and secondary power of attorneys for health care whom you trust to speak on your behalf and honor your medical wishes in an event that you could no longer speak up for yourself.

2. Appoint a primary physician whom you trust to be your doctor or caregiver.

3. Make your end-of-life wishes known.

4. Make your wishes known regarding organ donation.

5. Make your wishes known regarding pain control.

For an AHCD to be legal, it has to be signed by you (the person creating the document) before two witnesses. These witnesses could not be your designated power of attorneys or your immediate family members or your health caregivers where you receive medical care. Close friends or distant relatives could be witnesses. If you cannot find witnesses, the document could be notarized by a notary. The notary can only notarize an advance directive if you have a valid photo ID (e.g. driver license or passport). This process applies particularly in California. Other states may have different processes.

I would also like to mention that a Living Will is a kind of AHCD. Likewise, an AHCD could also be known as "Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care."

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR ADVANCE HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVE?

Once you created your AHCD, you keep the original and remember to keep it in an accessible place in your home. If possible, make several copies to give to your designated power of attorneys, your primary physician and to your hospital. I strongly encourage people to always bring a copy with them whenever they go to the hospital so that the hospital will not only have a copy of your document but also will know and honor your medical wishes. While creating an AHCD is not mandatory, it is a Federal Law that hospitals have to ask patients during their admission if they have an AHCD.

WHERE CAN YOU GET ADVANCE HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVE FORMS?

Most, if not all, hospitals have AHCD forms. You can always ask your hospital if they have available forms. You can also ask your doctor if he/she has a form. There are many websites now on the Internet that offer AHCD forms. Just do a search on "Advance Health Care Directives."

I believe that your completed (properly witnessed or notarized and signed) AHCD is legally recognized in states other then your own. However, since each state may have its own froms and probably laws on AHCD, the best thing to do is to always bring an extra copy with you when traveling.

WHO CAN FILL OUT AN AHCD?

Many folks think that an Advance Health Care Directive is only for patients who are terminally ill. Not so. Any competent adult, 18 years old and above, can fill out an AHCD. I remember dealing with the family of a 20 year old woman who ended up on a persistent vegetative state (PVS) as a result of a car accident. Her parents ended up divorcing just because they could not agree as to what to do with her in her grave condition. The mother believed that her daughter loved life so much that she would not like to be living in such a terrible medical condition where there is no dignity of life any longer. The father thought otherwise. This sad break-up of a family would have not happened if, even at early age, their daughter had an advance heatlh care directive.

I strongly encourage you to talk to your physician or family members about this difficult yet very important subject. I just hope that this article has been a source of help.