Eating Disorders

I choose to do these weeks health paper on eating disorders. I myself have dealt with an eating disorder and know the effects it can have on those you love and yourself both physically and mentally.

Bulimia and Anorexia are serious, functional eating disorders. There are a lot of similarities between the two, but the few differences differentiate the two. Anorexia is an eating disorder in which a person has an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming obese. This person may eat little or nothing during the day, essentially starving themselves. This disease can cause a lot of damage to the body such as slowed heart rate, lowered body temperature and blood pressure, premature bone loss, loss of menstruation or irregular periods, change in body hair, grayish or yellowish skin and mood changes. According to several resources, approximately .5%-3.7% of females will suffer from Anorexia Nervosa in their lifetime.

Bulimia is a person who binges and purges. The majority of bulimia nervosa patients are female. They will eat a large quantity of food in a short amount of time and then self-induce vomiting or will use laxatives or diuretics. They may also exercise compulsively. This person will can have damaged and discolored teeth, lung irritation, and muscle spasms, electrolyte imbalances that can lead to irregular heartbeats and heart failure and death. They may also have sores on the back of the hand that is for self induced vomiting. According to several resources, approximately 1.1%-4.2% of females will suffer from Bulimia Nervosa in their lifetime

There is no one exclusive thing that causes bulimia or anorexia. Culture messages that glamorize thinness play an essential role, and the disorders can run in families. Many women who develop an eating disorder have been sexually abused or are depressed. They may have a lack of self-confidence, low self-esteem, or a tendency to be compulsive, which is then channeled into dieting and exercise.

My personal experience with an eating disorder started at a young age. When I was nine years old, I was taking several dance classes. One day at the end of class, my ballet instructors made a comment to me that I would never be a ballerina because I was to short and fat and that I should stick to jazz or hip hop style dance. Mind you I was only 9 and had not even hit puberty yet. I know that the comment was probably taken out of context, however the impact