Possible Eating Disorders Effects are listed below. All should be taken very seriously. Click on each complication for more information.
- Amenorrhea
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Not having periods when you used to have periods is known as secondary amenorrhea. When it lasts six months or longer, it is also known as Hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA)...
- Anemia
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An estimated one-third of anorexic patients have mild anemia (low red blood cell count). Anemia makes the oxygen transporting units within the blood useless and can lead to fatigue...
- Arrhythmia
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As the body is starved, the muscles are starved. The heart is a muscle, and consequently can begin to deteriorate, and heart failure becomes a very real risk...
- Atrophy
- Atrophy is a wasting away of muscle and decrease in muscle mass due to the body feeding off of itself. Muscle atrophy results when the muscles waste away because there are a lack of adequate nutrients...
- Low White Blood Cell Count
- Eating disorders can affect a patient’s blood. Leukopenia (low white blood cell count) occurs in up to 50 percent of anorexic patients...
- Cardiovascular Risk
- Heart disease is the most common medical cause of death in people with severe anorexia. In long-term, severe anorexia, heart disease is very likely to occur...
- Cathartic Colon
- A possible complication of bulimia is cathartic colon. In fact, severe constipation or a cathartic colon is one of the clues physicians may have in diagnosing bulimia...
- Digestion Health
- Eating disorders affect digestion health in a number of ways. A deficiency in digestive enzymes will lead to the bodies inability to properly digest food...
- Head Dizziness
- A common side effect of eating disorders is head dizziness. Head dizziness can be described as faintness or lightheadedness...
- Edema
- One of the side effects of eating disorders can be edema. Swelling of the soft tissues as a result of excess water accumulation in the spaces between the cells...
- Electrolyte imbalance
- Electrolyte are essential to the production of the body's "natural electricity" that ensures healthy teeth, joints and bones, nerve and muscle impulses...
- Emaciation
- Anorexia nervosa is a psychological eating disorder marked by profound food aversion and fear of becoming overweight that leads to emaciation, or becoming very thin, and frail...
- Esophagitis
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Esophagitis is an inflammation of the lining of the esophagus, the tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach...
- Estrogen Levels
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Low body weight in females causes the body to stop producing estrogen, resulting in a condition known as amenorrhea, or absent menstrual periods...
- Tooth Enamel Erosion
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The presence of gastric acid in your mouth from regular vomiting may cause damage to your teeth and gums, most commonly teeth enamel erosion...
- Forgetfulness
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Besides having impaired memory, people struggling with eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia are more likely to have other mental and emotional issues...
- Glandular Problems
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People with eating disorders frequently have glandular problems. A gland is an organ in an animal's body that synthesizes a substance for release such as hormones...
- Heart Attack
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Eating disorders commonly raise the risk for having a heart attack. Anorexia and bulimia both create huge imbalances in the electrolytic balance...
- Hypoglycemia
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In people with eating disorders, hypoglycemia is common. Hypoglycemia is a condition characterized by an abnormally low level of blood sugar...
- Hypometabolic State
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Anorexia nervosa often results in a starvation induced hypometabolic state where the body shifts to conserve resources...
- Hypothermia
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Hypothermia results when the fat cells, which are the body's natural insulation, become non-existent and the victim starts feeling cold all the time...
- Impulse Control Disorder
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People who have eating disorders may also have an impulse control disorder. An Impulse Control Disorder is defined by many psychologists as the failure...
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by a group of symptoms in which abdominal pain or discomfort is associated with a change in bowel pattern...
- Judgment
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Eating disorders can frequently impact one’s judgment. Electrolyte imbalances can cause the neurotransmitters of the brain to be altered...
- Musculoskeletal Problems
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Musculoskeletal problems are very common in individuals with an eating disorder. As a general rule, individuals with severe anorexia nervosa have poor muscle strength...
- Osteoporosis
- Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become less dense and more likely to fracture. About half of young female patients with anorexia nervosa have osteoporosis...
- Osteomalacia
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Bones need calcium and phosphorus to remain healthy and strong, but the body also needs vitamin D to be able to absorb these two minerals...
- Parotid Gland Enlargement
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The salivary glands make saliva and release it into the mouth. There are three pairs of relatively large, major salivary glands, including the parotid glands...
- Pituitary Gland Problems
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Eating disorders can negatively impact all systems of the body. Pituitary Gland problems are frequently associated with eating disorders...
- Low Potassium
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Potassium is an electrolyte that is critical to the function of nerve and muscles cells, including those in your heart. Low potassium (hypokalemia) has many causes. ..
- Renal Problems
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Renal problems, or kidney damage, is a potentially serious, even life-threatening concern for people with eating disorders...
- Salivary Glands
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In people with bulimia, repeated vomiting may sometimes causes the salivary glands to swell...
- Seizures
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The increased risk of seizures in people with anorexia and bulimia may be caused by dehydration...
- Thyroid Problems
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Thyroid problems are common in people with eating disorders – especially in those with anorexia nervosa...
- Vision Imparement
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Occasionally, night vision will be impaired, because of poor nutrition and decreased amounts of vitamin A in the body...
- Vitamin Deficiencies
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Vitamins are a group of organic substances occurring naturally in animals and plants in small quantities an which are essential to the normal growth and functioning of the body...
- Life Expectancy
- Studies show that certain eating disorders can shorten life expectancy between 5 (bulimia) and 25 years (anorexia).
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Eating Disorders Tortured Me Every Day for 5 Years
Finally, after years and years of fighting, I woke up one day and realized I was about to die. Death was rapidly closing in on me when I finally decided to seek help.
Are You Ready to be Honest with Yourself
and Seek Help?
Or Are You In Denial About Your Eating Disorder?
My name is Erika Conover, and 9 years ago, I was in the same place you are now, struggling with an Eating Disorder.
One of the main reasons I wrote this book is to help people like you that may be struggling with an Eating Disorder and don't know where to turn for help.
I can also show you the recovery options that you have and my perspective on which ones may work better than others. This is not a cure all book but it isn’t just a personal memoir either.
If you think you might have an Eating Disorder such as Anorexia or Bulimia... PLEASE, PLEASE admit to yourself that you need help, and make the decision TODAY to take action and reverse this deadly path you are on.
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