Anorexia and Bulemia
Anorexia and Bulemia (bulimia) are two very serious eating disorders which effect over 8 million people across the nation. There are about 1 million males and about 7 million females who have been diagnosed with an eating disorder. The majority of them are between the ages of 10 and 20 but there are some reported under 10 years of age and some over 20 years of age. Eating disorders can become a problem at any age, even in senior citizens. Our society is largely the cause of the problem of eating disorders in many people. We have been led to believe that we need to be thin to succeed in life or to belong to the “in group”. There is too much stress put on the size of the body and not enough on the brains capability and the heart. It is not the size that counts, but what we do and how we act. The world of acting, singing, modeling, etc. has led people to believe that they can not succeed unless they are skinny and in many cases this leads to big health problems because the body is damaged beyond repair, and in some cases, causes death.
People who are anorexic or bulimic think they are fat even after they have reached their diet goal. The brain is damaged and to the victim, they still look fat when they look in the mirror. Some very popular actresses and actors have suffered from eating disorders because they were pressured into losing a few pounds for a part in a movie or television show. This often leads to more weight loss because some people think more is better when it comes to weight loss. Singer Karen Carpenter (famous in the 70's and 80's) lost her life because of the damage to her body caused by anorexia. She died of a heart attack because there had been so much damage done to her vital organs that her heart was not strong enough to deal with it. Karen had been getting treatment for her anorexia for a while and some thought she had beaten it. This is just one sad story of many and if you want to read more, see pictures, and learn more about eating disorders and their causes, you can do a search on the internet and find a lot of information about the eating disorders and how to identify them and see the signs. One good website with many links about anorexia is www.toprateproduct.net/anorexia/sitemap.php. There are many people diagnosed with eating disorders and many not yet diagnosed because they do not feel they have an eating disorder. Many times the damage to the body has already been done before the victim admits to having a problem and seeks help.
All Text Copyright © Safety2005.org
| Become a Member |
| Chapter Locations |
| Make a Donation |
| Off the Job Safety |
| Safety + Health Magazine |
| World Congress 2005 |