This problem is not only for those who torment themselves with diets.
Anorexia is the depletion of the body due to the fact that it does not take in the nutrients necessary to ensure its vital functions. Quite a terrible diagnosis, since it is very difficult to treat. This disease is usually blamed on girls who abuse exhausting diets.
– However, anorexia does not always occur due to diets. I had a patient who simply melted before our eyes, everyone advised her to eat more. On examination, she was found to have a hyperfunction of the thyroid gland. With such a disease, eat, do not eat – everything burns out, the mass is not gained.
Another case – pneumonia was asymptomatic, against the background of a weakened immunity, there was no fever or even a cough. For a long time they could not find anything, and only an X-ray showed the reason for this condition.
The main causes of exhaustion
· Parasitic invasions; no matter how trite it sounds, but it is a fact.
· Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, in which nutrients are not absorbed.
· Stress is of tremendous importance, as it leads to various kinds of disturbances in the work of hormonal organs and systems.
· Diseases of the thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism, for example).
· Exhaustion of the adrenal glands.
· Tumors.
If you see such a condition in yourself or a person close to you, the most correct thing is to send him to a good doctor and conduct a comprehensive examination of the body.
How to calculate body mass index (BMI)
Anorexia is diagnosed with a certain ratio of height and weight. Based on body mass index (BMI), which is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.
For example, height – 170 cm, that is, 1,70 m. Multiply by two – 3,4.
Weight – 65 kg.
IMT: 60 / 3,4 = 19,11
If the index is less than 17,5, we can assume that the person has anorexia.
It is even easier to calculate the ratio as follows: subtract 25 from the height in centimeters. This is the approximate weight for such a disease.
If you have identified a problem for yourself
1. Enter frequent and fractional meals. This is just the right option for people with low weight. Since each meal normally causes a rise in insulin – a hormone that helps substances to stay in the body.
You need to eat every 2-3 hours in small portions, which include complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and protein. Of course, protein food in this state is difficult to digest (it is too difficult to process it). Therefore, it is better to take protein shakes that contain amino acids in an easy-to-digest form. Try to remove coffee from your diet.
2. Start taking probiotics and enzymes which will help the body absorb incoming nutrients.
3. Restore the integrity of the intestinal wall… Irritable bowel syndrome is more than just words. This is actually the cause and the beginning of all health problems.
4. Perform a high-quality bowel cleansing from helminths, parasites, fungi.
5. Support the body with vitamins and minerals, since they are definitely not enough and at first they will be quite difficult to assimilate. It is desirable to obtain vitamins from high-quality dietary supplements in organic form.
6. Check the condition of the adrenal glands.
7. Get tested for hormones: thyroid gland – TSH, free T3, free T4, ATPO.
8. Go to the examination, so as not to miss an even more serious illness that could cause anorexia.
9. Physical exercises should also be, every day for 15 minutes in a mild form, not exhausting.
10. Monitor your stress levels. The so-called stress management will make it easier for you to recover. It is important to be on the street more, to walk, to watch less TV or a computer, to completely turn off gadgets at night.
11. Sleep from 21:30 to 6-7 am. If you want to sleep during the day, it will be fine too.
If the problem is psychological and anorexia is associated with rejection of one’s body, then in addition to all the above points to restore the normal state of the body, work with a psychologist is also necessary.
Psychological reasons for the development of anorexia
– Anorexia is a deliberate refusal to eat, as a result of which people become very physically exhausted, but they still believe that they have problems with being overweight. The causes of this mental disorder are rooted in childhood. Refusal to eat is often due to the following reasons.
· Child abuse during childhood (corporal punishment, abuse, violence).
· Taunts from classmates, peers.
· Following the imposed society / close standards of beauty and perfection.
As a rule, people with anorexia have a bad relationship in the family, especially with their mother. Mom could be dissatisfied with the girl’s appearance or demanded perfection from the girl in everything, thereby obliging the girl to be the first in everything, including in appearance.
Refusal to eat is a manifestation of latent aggression. Losing weight is the main and only goal of people suffering from this disease. In the weather, for thinness, a simple desire develops into a frantic race, and a person himself does not understand how all forces are directed towards achieving the goal. Even with obvious health problems and a lack of important vitamins and nutrients, people with anorexia continue to stick to a strict diet, exhausting their bodies.
In most cases, patients may not be aware of the true causes of anorexia, believing that everything is in order and the situation is under control. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to cope with the disease alone, the problem requires complex treatment, which consists in a competent specialist (psychologist / psychotherapist), taking medications and working with a nutritionist.
First you need to work with the root of the problem., because weight loss is a consequence, and you need to look for the cause. With a psychologist or psychotherapist, you need to find the cause of the mental disorder and work through all fears, developing a plan for self-control over your thoughts and fears.
Doctor’s supervision and regular medication intake, which are aimed at improving the physical and psycho-emotional state.
Drawing up a competent diet with a competent specialist… A meal plan that promotes slow weight gain and replenishment of all essential nutrients lost.
Increasing general interest in life through communication with loved ones, search for new interests, new acquaintances.
The main work with a psychologist is carried out to resolve internal conflicts, increase self-esteem, eliminate complexes and clamps.
People who came to this state never believed in themselves. Their will was suppressed and forced to consider themselves weak and worthless. The main secret of recovery is acceptance and identification of oneself in the family and society. Developing your own opinion, as well as confidence and correctness of your actions – this is the key to success. Much depends on the patient’s desire, because if a person admits to himself that the problem exists, then the beginning has been made for recovery.