Eating disorders are still a major problem among teenagers and young adults.  When a family member is diagnosed with the disorder, the road to acceptance and recovery can be long.  Here are eight tips for helping them and the rest of your family to get through it.

Teenagers usually don’t communicate everything to their parents.  It is the nature of being young.  To bridge that gap it is up to parents to keep the lines open and spend quality time with their children.  That is one way to catch eating disorders before they get out of control.

1. Acceptance. A parent’s first reaction is that their child is sick because of something that they did or didn’t do.  That leads to denial of the real problem behind the eating disorder.  Without any reservations, believe what the doctor says and admit that your child, parent, sibling or spouse has an eating disorder.

2. Be willing to discuss their feelings. You may be thinking about how this is affecting you but the person with the eating disorder is the primary concern.  Listen to what they have to say even if it is negative.  If you need to, use a mediator such as a psychiatrist.

3. Don’t play the blame game. The last thing that your family member needs to hear is you arguing with other family members about who is responsible for this situation.  Eating disorders go far beyond simply eating or not eating.  There are other emotional issues that tie into it.  Sometimes, placing blame only drives the family member further into themselves and away from you.

4. Take advice from the professionals. They have dealt with eating disorders longer than you have.  Follow their recommendations for helping your family member to heal and get on the road to recovery.

5. Show them affection. There will be time for talk in therapy sessions.  Show that you care with hugs, kisses and a helping hand.  Give them room to move while they are recovering.

6. Remove junk food and comfort foods from the house. These are foods that they have previously binged on or are tempting to them.  Institute better eating habits for the entire family so your family member doesn’t feel singled out at meals.

7. Recognize that there will be tough roads ahead – Just like with alcoholism or drug abuse, the affected person won’t always want to get well.  And, they can relapse.

8. Learn to socialize without food. Spend time together as a family where food is not the focus.  Go to a movie, get a pedicure or simply take a walk in the park.

Eating disorders are hard on everyone but especially the person with it.  Learn to support them in every way that you can.

Think about advertising.  The female population is inundated with photo after photo of the “perfect body” according to modeling agencies and style magazines.  Especially during the teenage years, the pressure to fit in and be liked by the opposite sex can lead to an unrealistic view of their bodies.

The same goes for men.  Seeing rock hard abs on models and male actors has them wondering if they need to look like that to attract girls.  This jaded thinking can lead to unhealthy eating and exercising habits that ruin a boy’s health and his self-image.

Men are still hesitant to come forward and reveal themselves as having a problem with eating disorders.  It is still thought of by some professionals as a ìfemaleî disease and they are not diagnosing it as much in males.  To help raise awareness, a few Hollywood actors have stepped forth and admitted that they suffer from eating disorders.

To heighten awareness, parents and others have to become familiar with the signs and symptoms of eating disorders not only for their daughters but also for their sons.  The first step is acceptance of the disorder in men and boys to shatter the stigma that is keeping them from getting the help that they need.

When you think of eating disorders, you think of Karen Carpenter or one of Hollywood’s young starlets.  But, these disorders don’t just affect girls and women.  Men and boys can be just as affected by them.

Eating disorders are not new and neither is their existence in the male population.  The reason you may not have heard about it is the stigma attached to having a problem controlling your food.  According to a Harvard study (2007), as much as 25 percent of those in the study were anorexic males and 40 percent were binge-eating males.  For a condition that has been decidedly “female”, these are high numbers.

The effects of eating disorders are more readily noticed among girls.  Wearing tight-fitting clothing or other outfits that show their shape reveal the skin and bones that mortify parents and friends.  Girls are also more likely to confide in a friend about their “new diet” than guys are.

Men and boys can hide the results of their eating disorders better than women and girls.  Furthermore, changes in their body are quickly attributed to anything but an eating disorder.  Parents don’t even think that an eating disorder can affect their son.

Even the males themselves are not likely to admit that they have an eating disorder.  Being associated with a “girl’s disease” can be seen as unmanly or feminine.  For fear of being called names, they hide their pain and their obsession with food.

Anorexics are always concerned with weight.  They exercise to excess, constantly weigh themselves and count calories in everything – even water.  Any celebration that revolves around food will alarm them and they will likely bow out.  No matter how thin they get, they always say they are fat.

Where a person with anorexia tends to be underweight, people who suffer from bulimia nervosa are normal to slightly overweight.  They also fear getting fat and strive to control their food to control their lives.  Bulimics have a dim view of their body shape and often have low self-esteem.

As a way of coping with their feelings, they eat uncontrollably away from prying eyes.  Guilty feelings cause them to purge after their binging.  They vomit or use laxatives to get rid of the food that they have eaten.  They also shy away from any gathering that involves food and exercise a lot in an attempt to lose weight.  You may see boxes of laxatives or enema bottles in the trash or in their room if your child is bulimic.

Eating disorders are becoming quite common among teenagers.  Unless treated, anorexia and bulimia can get out of control and cause serious, irreversible damage to the body.  If you notice any of the above activities going on with your child or a friend, get them to a doctor immediately.  Early intervention can stop a lifetime of health problems and keep the disorder from proving fatal.

The two most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.  Both conditions can affect either males or females and are extremely serious.  To protect someone you love or care about, learn the warning signs of eating disorders.

An eating disorder develops from an unhealthy view of yourself and your relationship to food.  Food is a vehicle for delivering nutrients to the body.  That doesn’t mean that food can’t taste good but that eating the right foods is important for growth, health and a positive body image.

Anorexia nervosa involves a fear of gaining weight.  No matter how slim the person is, when they look in the mirror they see someone who is too fat.  In an attempt to control their weight, a person with anorexia nervosa will eat small portions of food.  The problem here is that the portions are not big enough to provide any type of good nutrition.

Warning signs of anorexia are easy to miss if you are not careful.  Sufferers usually explain their extremely small portions as dieting to get in shape.  At first no one will question that since teenagers are always in conflict about their body.  If your child used to eat with the family but now says that they are eating elsewhere, be concerned.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by excessive fear of gaining weight.  The fear drives the sufferer to do whatever they can, no matter how extreme, to keep the weight off.  The catch here is that their distorted view of their body prevents them from ever losing enough weight.

Doctors don’t know what causes anorexia nervosa.  Lately the increase in the prevalence of the condition has been blamed on society’s image of beauty.  When young girls (and boys), see the beautiful bodies of models gracing the covers of magazines and the movie screen, their own inadequacies about their body surface.
Family dynamics have also been seen as a cause.  In families where communication is poor and affection withheld, kids may seek to find control, the control is the food that they eat.  Having high expectations that put undue pressure on the child can also lead to eating disorders.

Anorexics may begin with a diet but it doesn’t end there.  The obsession with their weight spurs them on to eat fewer and fewer meals.  They stop their hunger by drinking water or exercising more.  Even when the numbers on the scale drop, their lack of self-esteem won’t let them stop.

Because of their perceived problem, they may shy away from social gatherings, especially those that involve food.  In school, they may separate from their friends as the condition takes over their lives.  Any excuse is used to keep them out of family functions.

Over time the person with anorexia nervosa changes in appearance.  They may wear big clothes to hide the weight loss but if you maintain physical contact with your child you will sense the changes.  Their bodies are frail and emaciated.  The natural puberty cycle is often stunted in their bodies.  For girls, menstrual periods stop or donít start at all.

Anorexics are headed for trouble.  With the lack of nutrition being given to their bodies, the cells get what they need wherever they can.  Bones become weak because cells are robbing calcium from the bones.  Lack of energy is a common symptom because there is no fat for fuel.  The organs will eventually begin to shut down.

All the while, the person suffering from anorexia nervosa is in denial.  They do not believe that they are doing anything wrong and are reluctant to talk about what is happening to them.  Depression sets in because no one understands them.

Anorexia nervosa is a serious condition.  The first step in curing it is to get help at the first sign that something is wrong.  In order to do that, communication between you and your child or other family member must be open and healthy.

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People suffering from bulimia are often seen going to extremes.  They will exercise more than normal in an attempt to lose weight.  They may even fast a lot.

When periods of stress occur, they will binge.  Something in their lives has gone awry and they can’t control it.  Eating foods that comfort you has been shown to release endorphins in the brain.  These “feel good” secretions may calm you down.  Once that calm settles on them, the bulimic will stop eating.

After the eating there is a sense of guilt about the entire experience.  Seeing the result of their binging around them, increases these feelings.  To gain control of their bodies, they purge.  Purging is usually done with a finger down the throat.  To further purge, an abuse of enemas, laxatives and other diuretics begins.

Bulimia is a serious condition.  The constant presence of stomach acid in the throat can cause strictures, ulcers and other digestive system conditions such as abnormal bowel function.  Teeth enamel will erode away from the constant contact with acid.  Female bulimics can also stop having periods as a result of the extreme dieting and exercise.  Bulimics have a higher rate of recovery than anorexics but sometimes surgical intervention is necessary.

If you know someone who you suspect or know is showing signs of bulimia, get help for them.  Only trained professionals can guide them to the road of recovery and stop the compulsive behavior.

Hello all!

We really hope you are enjoying our blog. We at Goddess strive to bring you the most full information about healthy living. Lately we have noticed trends and eating habits that are not healthy for anyone. It is a misconception to think only woman suffer from eating disorders. In today’s society the fight to stay on top comes from both the male and female counterparts. Bulimia, anorexia, depression these diseases do not pick the sexes they want to attack. Woman and men have different ways to deal with each situation, but please keep in mind we can all be affected!

For the next few articles we are going to talk about, Bulimia and Anorexia0 Nervosa and how they affect both female and males.

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binging and purging of food.  Bulimics have a poor self-image and the disorder is an extension of that.  Women as well as men suffer from this type of eating disorder.

Bulimia nervosa can sometimes begin as a way to finally get off the roller coaster of dieting.  Many bulimics have dieted before but without sustained success.  They begin again, only this time, they take extreme measures to try to achieve their desired body image.

While bulimia affects mostly women in the United States, a fair percentage of men have also been identified as bulimic.  Bulimics are prone to compulsions.  When they eat, they do it in secret and are out of control.  They eat until they have stuffed as much food in themselves as they can.  The binging can be due to emotional stress within their peer group or at home.

After eating as much as they can, they will immediately vomit.  Vomiting may remove the evidence in their mind that they were ever out of control in the first place.  Even after normal meals they will excuse themselves and go to the bathroom where they force themselves to throw up.

You may notice that your son, daughter or friend is bulimic.  They may have been previously addicted to something else like drugs or alcohol.  Their weight will fluctuate but it doesn’t usually reach the low level of a person suffering from anorexia nervosa.