Treatment of Eating Disorders: Anorexia

Eating disorders can take several forms. Anorexia is one of the most severe. It is characterized by an obsession with dieting and weight control. Unlike average dieters, people who suffer from anorexia refuse to maintain weight within a normal range. They continue to diet even after they have become alarmingly thin. People who suffer from anorexia typically develop a variety of disordered eating behaviors to help sustain their efforts to lose weight. They become preoccupied with counting calories and start weighing their food to better control calories. To mask their disordered eating, they may cut their food into tiny pieces and then simply move them around on their plate. They may engage in excessive levels of exercise to burn calories after eating. They may turn to diet pills and laxatives to further control weight. These disordered eating behaviors are maintained, in part, by a distorted body image. People who suffer from anorexia develop abnormal perceptions when it comes to their own body size and shape. Despite being severely underweight, they may actually see themselves as fat. If intervention does not occur, anorexia becomes a very real threat to health and life. Treatment of eating disorders may involve a number of different therapeutic approaches. And, it is likely to require professionals from several different healthcare specialties. This is nowhere more evident than in the treatment of anorexia. If left unchecked, anorexia leads to malnutrition. As malnutrition takes hold, a variety of adverse physical changes are set in motion. These changes range from mild to serious in terms of their impact on physical well being. Brittle nails, hair loss, stunted growth, electrolyte imbalances, heart problems, and kidney damage are all associated with anorexia. The presence of such changes means that medical stabilization of physical health is the first, and essential, component of anorexia treatment. This may require a period hospitalization, initially. However, anorexia treatment typically demands more than a reversal of malnutrition and its effects. Effective anorexia treatment usually requires psychological and educational interventions. For example, psychotherapy can help victims of anorexia deal with stress in a positive manner. It can also help them deal with the obsessive and compulsive behaviors that are such a part of anorexia. Finally, anorexia treatment may need the assistance of nutritional counselors. Nutritional counselors can play an important role in teaching victims of anorexia about nutrition and how it affects the body. Together, psychological and nutritional counseling provide important, on-going support and contribute greatly to the treatment of eating disorders. What To Do With Staph Skin Rashes? | Alcohol Addiction Awareness | How is possible to get rid of acne scars forever? | Cure Acne - The Natural Way! | Weight Loss Secret You Need to Know | Anti Aging Serum Reviews Tags: anorexia, eating disorders, treatment of eating disorders This entry was posted on Friday, August 12th, 2011 at 12:27 pm and is filed under Health, Wellness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.