Body Image

Picture the world controlled by the media. Could you imagine how ugly, scarce, and hateful it would be. What would you do if a magazine or a television show told you that your body weight had to be twenty pounds lighter to be all most perfect? Would you actually consider the fact or let ignore it? Teens, mainly girls, will be sucked into these magazines. (National Eating Disorders Info Centre 15) These could be magazines like Seventeen and Cosmo Girl. In addition with many others of course. All though, the media is a bad example at times it is not precisely the main issue for negative body image. (National Eating Disorders Association 1) All though, these constant screaming messages the media produces can progress to something more serious. (National Eating Disorders Association 1) More serious as in an eating disorder.

What you are about to encounter and learn may one day save a family member's life, a friend's life, or perhaps even your own. Hopefully you will never come across what is called an eating disorder. Present are many eating disorders. Some of which include: anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge eating, and purging. Eating disorders can be very dangerous. On occasion they can even lead to death. There are ten million females and one million males that fight a life or death battle with an eating disorder. (National Eating Disorders Association 9) Exactly twenty-five million more struggle with Binge Eating without realizing. (National Eating Disorders Association 9) researchers attacking this puzzling illness are scattered across the country. With only few medical articles and conferences on these disorders there are not many opportunities to pursue the cures.

(Cauwels 18) Further more, only a vast amount of research has been done on the subject of eating disorders. However, for some reason to believe, experts suspect that problems with the hypothalamus gland or other parts of the body's hormone system may increase a person's chances of having an eating disorder. (Eranger 29) Eating patterns can be triggered by anxiety and/or stress. (Maloney 29) Emotional problems are the main concerns. Many eating disorders have been proven to emerge during adolescence and often serve to more serious problems.

Some teen girls will suffer with anorexia. They will starve themselves down to the point where they are skeletal thinness. Yet, after doing so, they still think they are over weight. Each year millions in the united states are affected from the media with anorexia. Still, the vast majority are adolescents and young adults. Approximately one percent of adolescent girls develop anorexia nervosa, and dangerous conditions where they will literally starve themselves to death. (National Eating Disorders Info Centre 1) Warning signs of anorexia nervosa include the following: dramatic weight loss, refusal of eating certain foods, frequent comments about being or feeling fat, denial of hunger, constant excuses to avoid meal time, and withdrawal from usual friends or activities. ( National Eating Disorders Association 2) With bulimia a person will binge food and then force themselves to vomit. They also use laxatives to get the food out of their systems. Between eighty and ninety-five percent of bulimics are women.

(Cauwels 3) Bulimic can grow to a point where it takes complete control of life. Bulimia is frequently associated with a typical depression. (CQ Researcher 869) In example, a typical depression can be concluded from the environments a person lives, works, or attends school at. Bulimic behavior ranges from occasional overeating at parties to consuming fifty thousand calories and vomiting twenty times a day. (Cauwels 3) Warning signs for bulimia nervosa include the following: evidence of binge eating, evidence of purging behaviors, excessive exercise, unusual swelling of the cheeks and jaw area, stained teeth, and withdrawal of friends or activities. (National Eating Disorders Association 2) Two to three percent develop patterns of excessive over eating followed by vomiting or other "purging" behaviors to control weight. In addition, as a result of bulimia, a person's salivary glands will become swollen. This is caused by gorging and vomiting. Warning signs fro binge eating include the following: frequent episodes of eating large quantities of food in short period of time, felling out of control over eating behavior, feeling ashamed or disgusted by the behavioral indicators of "BED" included eating when not hungry and eating in secret. (National Eating Disorders Association 2) when purging the metabolic rate may decrease to the point where the "purger" is chronically lethargic. (Baskino 137) Chronically lethargic is a state of mind where in time will foster pessimism and inactivity. Common precursors to a major problem. (Baskino 137)

An eating disorder is a lonely and confusing experience. Also, those who have an eating disorder can feel isolated, rejected, and defeated. (Baskino 31)

Often teenage girls go through a stage to lose weight fast. This is brought on by lack of attention or a need of acceptance. (National Eating Disorders Info Centre 1) These girls do not understand the dangers that follow. Without acknowledgement of those dangers. Teens often think losing weight is great. They comprehend it being a quick

fix to all of their problems. However, exploring the development of eating disorders in adolescent girls show that the disorders are closely connected to the biological and psychological changes that occur during the adolescent period. (National Eating Disorders Info Centre 3) Often, when a female's dieting habits change, her menstruating cycle stops. Sometimes the emotional and hormonal factors contribute to this. (Eranger 30) Primarily, among this comes more consequences and depressions. For example, severe stomach pains, headaches, and dizziness. Some women will turn to antidepressants. There were few to admit that they took higher doses than needed. This can cause arrhythmias along with consecutive heart failure. (Baskino 7) Arrhythmia is irregular of the heart beat. (World Book Dictionary 114) If you do not have a medical diagnosis of anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, or purging it does not mean you are not disrupted in some way with food or body image. If the problem causes you stress, then you are entitled the support.

Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes. But, somehow the population is fixed on a notion that personal worth is linked to physical appearance. Individuals tend to assume that if their bodies are not thin, they should and can alter their body's shape and size. The body has a metabolic set-point. The set-point is a reference point at which the body tries to keep weight stable. If you do not try to control your body size, weight stays remarkably stable over