Q. I mean TOTALLY abstaining from food and drink. I'm trying out for a part in a play where the girl has severe anorexia, and I want to be sure I don't starve myself to the point of death. I don't want to collapse and never wake up again. Thanks!
A. Why torture yourself, you will ruin your normal physical well being, start normal eating/drinking b4 you end in complicaion/complications.
Physical complications:
· Irregular heartbeat which may lead to cardiac arrest and eventually, if left untreated, death.
· Kidney damage which may cause renal failure and eventually, death.
· Liver damage (made worse by substance abuse. This may also lead to death.
· Loss of muscle mass. Broomstick arms and legs.
· Permanent loss of bone mass which can make patients easily get fractures.
· Damage to the digestive system including: destruction of teeth, rupture of esophagus, damage to lining of stomach; gastritis, gastric distress including bloat and distension, and ulcer.
· Disruption of menstrual cycle which may result to infertility.
· Delayed growth and permanently stunted growth due to undernutrition
· Weakened immune system
· Icy hands and feet
· Swollen glands in neck; stones in salivary duct, "chipmunk cheeks."
· Excess hair on face, arms, and body. Long, downy lanugo hair.
· Dry, blotchy skin that has an unhealthy gray or yellow cast
· Anemia, malnutrition. Disruption of body's fluid/mineral balance (electrolyte imbalance, loss of potassium; can be fatal)
· Fainting spells, seizures, sleep disruption, bad dreams, mental fuzziness
· Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), including shakiness, anxiety, restlessness, and a pervasive itchy sensation all over the body.
· Anal and bladder incontinence, urinary tract infections, vaginal prolapse, and other problems related to weak and damaged pelvic floor muscles. Some problems may be related to chronic constipation, which is commonly found in people with anorexia nervosa. Structural damage and atrophy of pelvic floor muscles can be caused by low estrogen levels, excessive exercise, and inadequate nutrition. Surgery may be necessary to repair the damage.
· Because of changes in the brain associated with under-nourishment, binge eating, and purging, the person does not, and perhaps cannot, weigh priorities, make judgments, and make choices that are logical and rational for normal people. Recovery, once the process has begun, requires time for the brain to readjust -- chemically and physically -- to normal and healthy patterns of eating. This is a combined physical/psychological problem.
Mental complications:
· Clinical depression.
· Anxiety.
· Addiction.
· Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
· Social withdrawal.
Now that you know the complications eating disorders bring to your body, think twice before binge eating or deciding to go into a starvation diet. You might get hooked on your irregular eating habit that it may develop into an eating disorder. Having an eating disorder is not an easy thing to live with. Loving yourself for what you are is the best thing you can do to yourself.
Physical complications:
· Irregular heartbeat which may lead to cardiac arrest and eventually, if left untreated, death.
· Kidney damage which may cause renal failure and eventually, death.
· Liver damage (made worse by substance abuse. This may also lead to death.
· Loss of muscle mass. Broomstick arms and legs.
· Permanent loss of bone mass which can make patients easily get fractures.
· Damage to the digestive system including: destruction of teeth, rupture of esophagus, damage to lining of stomach; gastritis, gastric distress including bloat and distension, and ulcer.
· Disruption of menstrual cycle which may result to infertility.
· Delayed growth and permanently stunted growth due to undernutrition
· Weakened immune system
· Icy hands and feet
· Swollen glands in neck; stones in salivary duct, "chipmunk cheeks."
· Excess hair on face, arms, and body. Long, downy lanugo hair.
· Dry, blotchy skin that has an unhealthy gray or yellow cast
· Anemia, malnutrition. Disruption of body's fluid/mineral balance (electrolyte imbalance, loss of potassium; can be fatal)
· Fainting spells, seizures, sleep disruption, bad dreams, mental fuzziness
· Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), including shakiness, anxiety, restlessness, and a pervasive itchy sensation all over the body.
· Anal and bladder incontinence, urinary tract infections, vaginal prolapse, and other problems related to weak and damaged pelvic floor muscles. Some problems may be related to chronic constipation, which is commonly found in people with anorexia nervosa. Structural damage and atrophy of pelvic floor muscles can be caused by low estrogen levels, excessive exercise, and inadequate nutrition. Surgery may be necessary to repair the damage.
· Because of changes in the brain associated with under-nourishment, binge eating, and purging, the person does not, and perhaps cannot, weigh priorities, make judgments, and make choices that are logical and rational for normal people. Recovery, once the process has begun, requires time for the brain to readjust -- chemically and physically -- to normal and healthy patterns of eating. This is a combined physical/psychological problem.
Mental complications:
· Clinical depression.
· Anxiety.
· Addiction.
· Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
· Social withdrawal.
Now that you know the complications eating disorders bring to your body, think twice before binge eating or deciding to go into a starvation diet. You might get hooked on your irregular eating habit that it may develop into an eating disorder. Having an eating disorder is not an easy thing to live with. Loving yourself for what you are is the best thing you can do to yourself.
Is there a scientific reason for food cravings?
Q. Are food cravings hormonally triggered? I know that not only pregnant women have food cravings. Do men ever experience them also?
A. Food cravings: In your head or tummy? By Nanci Hellmich
Patients come to psychologist John Foreyt's office all the time to talk about food cravings.
If they have a bad day with the kids, they feel as if they have to have cookies. After a dull
meeting at work, they race to the vending machine in desperate need of a Snickers bar.
Every time they watch a movie, they crave popcorn. And when they drive by a Dunkin' Donuts,
they feel the need for a treat. Foreyt, director of the nutrition research clinic at Baylor College
of Medicine in Houston, helps people examine what's causing the cravings - frequently it's
stress and tension - and then teaches them how to deal with them.
Giving in to urges and cravings for everything from chocolate to cheeseburgers is one of the
toughest challenges for weight-conscious people.
And many people could overcome their cravings if they just took a 10-minute walk until the craving
passed or learned how to indulge that urge within reason, say several top national weight-loss researchers.
Experts say there's a difference between real hunger and cravings. Hunger is a biological need
to eat something because your stomach is empty, says psychologist Thomas Wadden, director
of the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
If you come in the house hungry as a bear, almost any food you like will satisfy you, he says.
Wadden's research shows that when people are really hungry, they tend to want to eat protein
rather than high-sugar, high-fat foods.
A craving is an intense desire for a specific food. You are watching a movie and you think,
"I've got to have some popcorn," Wadden says.
Most obesity researchers say many people have psychological desires for certain foods.
What they don't agree on is whether some desires for food are also biological.
Wadden's research shows that some women crave chocolate during their menstrual cycles.
Some other researchers theorize that people crave carbohydrates (breads, cereals, cookies)
because of a deficiency of the brain chemical serotonin. Other researchers say it's mostly fat
that people crave.
"There is no question there are psychological cravings, but it's hard to separate that out from
the biology," says Yale University psychologist Kelly Brownell. Whether there is a biology
underlying cravings here is really not known."
Scientists are still struggling to pinpoint the psychological reasons for cravings, but they
say many cravings are caused by stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue. People often
crave foods that remind them of their childhood years, like grandma's chocolate chip cookies.
"The minute you get under stress, you turn back to childhood," Foreyt says. "You return to the
state before you had all the stress.
"We generally crave fatty, sweet foods that we equate with love. We don't crave foods
that are good for us." Most people crave something, Foreyt says. And how they handle
their cravings often shows up on the bathroom scales.
Foreyt says people have to plan for cravings. If they know they're going to be faced with a
delicious-smelling sweet roll at the mall, they need to get ready for that by either allocating
some calories or preparing themselves to resist it.
Wadden says it's hard to resist cravings with so much food readily available. If you see a
McDonald's, a desire for french fries may pop into your head, he says. It's fine to indulge cravings
occasionally, Foreyt says. Research shows that people who don't ever give into cravings end
up feeling deprived, he says. They are called restrained eaters, and they are the most likely to
fall apart and binge.
But before people give in to any craving, they should try to wait it out, Foreyt says. "Cravings
wax and wane, and generally they won't last for more than 10 minutes."
Patients come to psychologist John Foreyt's office all the time to talk about food cravings.
If they have a bad day with the kids, they feel as if they have to have cookies. After a dull
meeting at work, they race to the vending machine in desperate need of a Snickers bar.
Every time they watch a movie, they crave popcorn. And when they drive by a Dunkin' Donuts,
they feel the need for a treat. Foreyt, director of the nutrition research clinic at Baylor College
of Medicine in Houston, helps people examine what's causing the cravings - frequently it's
stress and tension - and then teaches them how to deal with them.
Giving in to urges and cravings for everything from chocolate to cheeseburgers is one of the
toughest challenges for weight-conscious people.
And many people could overcome their cravings if they just took a 10-minute walk until the craving
passed or learned how to indulge that urge within reason, say several top national weight-loss researchers.
Experts say there's a difference between real hunger and cravings. Hunger is a biological need
to eat something because your stomach is empty, says psychologist Thomas Wadden, director
of the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
If you come in the house hungry as a bear, almost any food you like will satisfy you, he says.
Wadden's research shows that when people are really hungry, they tend to want to eat protein
rather than high-sugar, high-fat foods.
A craving is an intense desire for a specific food. You are watching a movie and you think,
"I've got to have some popcorn," Wadden says.
Most obesity researchers say many people have psychological desires for certain foods.
What they don't agree on is whether some desires for food are also biological.
Wadden's research shows that some women crave chocolate during their menstrual cycles.
Some other researchers theorize that people crave carbohydrates (breads, cereals, cookies)
because of a deficiency of the brain chemical serotonin. Other researchers say it's mostly fat
that people crave.
"There is no question there are psychological cravings, but it's hard to separate that out from
the biology," says Yale University psychologist Kelly Brownell. Whether there is a biology
underlying cravings here is really not known."
Scientists are still struggling to pinpoint the psychological reasons for cravings, but they
say many cravings are caused by stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue. People often
crave foods that remind them of their childhood years, like grandma's chocolate chip cookies.
"The minute you get under stress, you turn back to childhood," Foreyt says. "You return to the
state before you had all the stress.
"We generally crave fatty, sweet foods that we equate with love. We don't crave foods
that are good for us." Most people crave something, Foreyt says. And how they handle
their cravings often shows up on the bathroom scales.
Foreyt says people have to plan for cravings. If they know they're going to be faced with a
delicious-smelling sweet roll at the mall, they need to get ready for that by either allocating
some calories or preparing themselves to resist it.
Wadden says it's hard to resist cravings with so much food readily available. If you see a
McDonald's, a desire for french fries may pop into your head, he says. It's fine to indulge cravings
occasionally, Foreyt says. Research shows that people who don't ever give into cravings end
up feeling deprived, he says. They are called restrained eaters, and they are the most likely to
fall apart and binge.
But before people give in to any craving, they should try to wait it out, Foreyt says. "Cravings
wax and wane, and generally they won't last for more than 10 minutes."
Can having sex change your PMS symptoms?
Q. Could changes in your hormones even cause you to have PMDD? I have been having sex for a year and a half and I am just so much more emotional now. I seem to have all the symptoms of PMDD and I never used to be like that.
A. hi , i am a doctor and here is my answer. first let we take a look at PMDD:
PMDD is premenstrual syndrome (PMS) that is so severe it can be debilitating due to either physical, mental or emotional symptoms.
Treatment is recommended because PMDD interferes with the sufferer's ability to function in her social or occupational life. The cardinal symptomâsurfacing between ovulation and menstruation, and disappearing within a few days after the onset of the bleedingâis irritability.
Anxiety, anger, and depression may also occur.
The main symptoms, which can be disabling, include:
1-feelings of deep sadness or despair, possible suicide ideation
2-feelings of tension or anxiety
3-panic attacks
4-diarrhea
5-mood swings, crying,
lasting irritability or anger, increased interpersonal conflicts. Typically sufferers are unaware of the impact they have on those close to them
apathy or disinterest in daily activities and relationships
6-yeast infections
7-difficulty concentrating
8-fatigue
9-food cravings or binge eating
10-insomnia or hypersomnia
11-feeling "out of control",
12-increase or decrease in sex drive.
13-increased need for emotional closeness,
14-physical symptoms: bloating, heart palpitations, breast tenderness, headaches, joint or muscle pain, swollen face and nose.
Five or more of these symptoms may indicate PMDD. Symptoms occur during the 2 weeks before the menstrual cycle and disappear within a few days after the onset of the bleeding.
READ CAREFULLY TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PMDD.
if so then here is your treatment options :
Lifestyle changes such as regular exercise and a well balanced diet may ameliorate some of the effects of PMDD. There is some evidence that vitamin B6 in doses up to 100 mg can alleviate symptoms.
Certain SSRIs ( anti depressin drugs called : sellective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors ) provide relief as well. one of them and the best is : SERTRALINE ( zoloft ) . begin with low dose 25mgld then increase to 50 mg 2-3 times aday ( under supevision from your doctor )
For general PMS relief, your doctor may recommend birth control pills or switching to another pill if you already take one. Other prescription medical interventions will depend upon the types of symptoms that most affect you. For example, if you are affected by bloating and weight gain, your doctor may prescribe a certain type of diuretic (sprionolactone) to help your body eliminate the excess water. If severe breast tenderness is a major complaint, birth control pills are often recommended. If this is insufficient, your doctor may prescribe a medication called bromocriptine to lower your levels of prolactin (a hormone linked to breast tenderness) or an androgen called Danazol®. For dysmenorrhea (painful periods), prescription prostaglandin inhibitors such as Naprosyn® or Ponstel® can be very effective if over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Motrin® or Advil® were not sufficient.
my e-mail : drziadgh76@yahoo.com
keep in touch. take care . bye
PMDD is premenstrual syndrome (PMS) that is so severe it can be debilitating due to either physical, mental or emotional symptoms.
Treatment is recommended because PMDD interferes with the sufferer's ability to function in her social or occupational life. The cardinal symptomâsurfacing between ovulation and menstruation, and disappearing within a few days after the onset of the bleedingâis irritability.
Anxiety, anger, and depression may also occur.
The main symptoms, which can be disabling, include:
1-feelings of deep sadness or despair, possible suicide ideation
2-feelings of tension or anxiety
3-panic attacks
4-diarrhea
5-mood swings, crying,
lasting irritability or anger, increased interpersonal conflicts. Typically sufferers are unaware of the impact they have on those close to them
apathy or disinterest in daily activities and relationships
6-yeast infections
7-difficulty concentrating
8-fatigue
9-food cravings or binge eating
10-insomnia or hypersomnia
11-feeling "out of control",
12-increase or decrease in sex drive.
13-increased need for emotional closeness,
14-physical symptoms: bloating, heart palpitations, breast tenderness, headaches, joint or muscle pain, swollen face and nose.
Five or more of these symptoms may indicate PMDD. Symptoms occur during the 2 weeks before the menstrual cycle and disappear within a few days after the onset of the bleeding.
READ CAREFULLY TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PMDD.
if so then here is your treatment options :
Lifestyle changes such as regular exercise and a well balanced diet may ameliorate some of the effects of PMDD. There is some evidence that vitamin B6 in doses up to 100 mg can alleviate symptoms.
Certain SSRIs ( anti depressin drugs called : sellective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors ) provide relief as well. one of them and the best is : SERTRALINE ( zoloft ) . begin with low dose 25mgld then increase to 50 mg 2-3 times aday ( under supevision from your doctor )
For general PMS relief, your doctor may recommend birth control pills or switching to another pill if you already take one. Other prescription medical interventions will depend upon the types of symptoms that most affect you. For example, if you are affected by bloating and weight gain, your doctor may prescribe a certain type of diuretic (sprionolactone) to help your body eliminate the excess water. If severe breast tenderness is a major complaint, birth control pills are often recommended. If this is insufficient, your doctor may prescribe a medication called bromocriptine to lower your levels of prolactin (a hormone linked to breast tenderness) or an androgen called Danazol®. For dysmenorrhea (painful periods), prescription prostaglandin inhibitors such as Naprosyn® or Ponstel® can be very effective if over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Motrin® or Advil® were not sufficient.
my e-mail : drziadgh76@yahoo.com
keep in touch. take care . bye
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