Disclaimer:I am not a health care professional.
The information I have selected and cited is NOT an assertion that UM dieters merit a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa.
I offer this information so that concerned family members and friends can use the articles about anorexia nervous
and decide for themselves whether there are any or no similarities.
--------------------
Based on treefern's description on this thread, I decided to look at some information about a condition called Anorexia Nervosa.
Am going to post some information.
Anyone who has loved ones adhering rigorously to the UM diet can read this and decide for themselves if the info about Anorexia nervosa matches up well with what they see with their loved one and with other UM devotees who do take the diet seriously.
What is of great concern is that specialists experienced with treating anorexia note that undereating by itself produces real and enduring changes in the persons mind and emotions and these effects can linger for a considerable time
after the person resumes eating a nutritionally suffient diet.
Fasting is different from undereating/starvation, btw.
From the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine website
Nothing is said here about the role of following directives from a diet advisor where the diet is linked to a cosmology and soteriology (plan of salvation -- if only from the rat race of endless reincarnations)
[
webcache.googleusercontent.com]
Quote
Food and weight become obsessions. Compulsiveness may cause strange eating rituals or the refusal to eat in front of others.
It is not uncommon for people with anorexia to collect recipes and prepare gourmet feasts for family and friends, but not partake in the meals themselves. They may also adhere to strict exercise routines to keep off weight.
Quote
What are some common characteristics of people with anorexia nervosa?
Most people with eating disorders share certain personality traits and use abnormal eating rituals as a means of handling stress and anxiety. These personality traits often include, but are not limited to, the following:
*low self-esteem
*feelings of helplessness
*fear of becoming fat
People with anorexia nervosa:
*rarely break rules or disobey.
*often keep their feelings to themselves.
*tend to be perfectionists, good students, and excellent athletes.
It is believed that they restrict food - particularly carbohydrates - to gain a sense of control in some/one area of their lives. Controlling their weight appears to offer two advantages:
*taking control of their bodies
*gaining approval from others
What are the different types of anorexia?
There are two subgroups of anorexic behavior aimed at reducing caloric intake, including the following:
restrictor type - severely limits the intake of food, especially carbohydrates and fat containing foods.
bulimia (also called binge-eating/purging type) - eats in binges and then induces vomiting and/or takes large amounts of laxatives or other cathartics (medications, through their chemical effects, that serve to increase the clearing of intestinal contents).
What are the symptoms of anorexia nervosa?
The following are the most common symptoms of anorexia. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
low body weight (less than 85 percent of normal weight for height and age)
intense fear of becoming obese , even as individual is losing weight
distorted view of one's body weight, size, or shape; sees self as too fat, even when very underweight; expresses feeling fat, even when very thin
refuses to maintain minimum normal body weight
in females, absence of three menstrual cycles without another cause
excessive physical activity
denies feelings of hunger
preoccupation with food preparation
bizarre eating behaviors
The following are the most common physical symptoms associated with anorexia - often that result from starvation and malnourishment. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms may include:
dry skin that when pinched and released, stays pinched
dehydration
abdominal pain
constipation
lethargy
fatigue
intolerance to cold temperatures
emaciation
development of lanugo (fine, downy body hair)
yellowing of the skin
Persons with anorexia may also be socially withdrawn, irritable, moody, and/or depressed. The symptoms of anorexia nervosa may resemble other medical problems or psychiatric conditions. Always consult your physician for a diagnosis.
and
Quote
Possible complications of anorexia nervosa
Medical complications that may result from anorexia include, but are not limited to, the following:
cardiovascular (heart)
While it is difficult to predict which anorexic patients might have life-threatening cardiac consequences that result from their illness, up to 95 percent of hospitalized anorexic patients have been found to have low heart rates. Myocardial (heart muscle) damage that can occur as a result of changes in the heartbeat, or repeated vomiting, may be life threatening. Common cardiac complications that may occur include the following:
arrhythmias (a fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat)
bradycardia (slow heartbeat)
hypotension (low blood pressure)
hematological (blood)
Mild anemia (low red blood cell count) and leukopenia (low white blood cell count) are frequently found.
gastrointestinal (stomach and intestines)
Normal movement in intestinal tract often slows down with very restricted eating and severe weight loss. Gaining weight and some medications help to restore normal intestinal motility.
renal (kidney)
Dehydration often associated with anorexia results in highly concentrated urine. Polyuria (increased production of urine) may also develop in anorexic patients when the kidneys ability to concentrate urine decreases. Renal changes usually return to normal with the restoration of normal weight.
endocrine (hormones)
Amenorrhea (cessation of the menstrual cycle) is one of the hallmark symptoms of anorexia, when a menstrual period is missed for three or more months without any other underlying cause. Amenorrhea often precedes severe weight loss and continues after normal weight is restored. Reduced levels of growth hormones are sometimes found on anorexic patients and may explain growth retardation sometimes seen in anorexic patients. Normal nutrition usually restores normal growth.
skeletal (bones)
Persons with anorexia are at an increased risk for skeletal fractures (broken bones). When the onset of anorexic symptoms occurs before peak bone formation has been attained (usually mid to late teens), a greater risk of osteopenia (decreased bone tissue) or osteoporosis (bone loss) exists. Bone density is often found to be low in females with anorexia, and low calcium intake and absorption is common.
Biochemistry and eating disorders
To understand eating disorders, researchers have studied the neuroendocrine system, which is made up of a combination of the central nervous and hormonal systems.
The neuroendocrine system regulates multiple functions of the mind and body. It has been found that many of the following regulatory mechanisms may be, to some degree, disturbed in persons with eating disorders:
*sexual function
*physical growth and development
*appetite and digestion
*sleep
*heart function
*kidney function
*emotions
*thinking
memory
Eating disorders and depression
Many people with eating disorders also appear to suffer from depression, and is believed that there may be a link between these two disorders. For example:
In the central nervous system, chemical messengers known as neurotransmitters control hormone production. The neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, which function abnormally in people who have depression, have been discovered to also have decreased levels in both acutely-ill anorexia and bulimia patients, and long-term recovered anorexia patients.
Research has shown that some patients with anorexia may respond well to antidepressant medication that affects serotonin function in the body.
People with anorexia, or certain forms of depression, seem to have higher than normal levels of cortisol, a brain hormone released in response to stress. It has been shown that the excess levels of cortisol in both persons with anorexia and in persons with depression are caused by a problem that occurs in, or near, the hypothalamus of the brain.