Eating Disorders: Bulimia

By Live Health Africa

As a continuation to our special on Eating Disorders today Live Health Africa highlights Bulimia focusing on the symptoms, effects and treatment options. England’s National Health Service(NHS) describes bulimia as a condition in which someone tries to control their weight by binge eating and then deliberately being sick or using medication like laxatives to help empty their bowels. 

 Bulimia 101

The NHS also notes that bulimia is a mental health condition and can be associated with depression, low self-esteem, misuse of alcohol and self-harm.

 “Bulimia is around five times more common than anorexia nervosa and 90% of people with bulimia are female.,” says the NHS. “Recent studies suggest that as many as 8% of women have bulimia at some stage in their life. The condition can occur at any age, but mainly affects women aged between 16 and 40 (on average, it starts around the age of 18 or 19).”

 Like other eating disorders, Bulimia is often associated with an abnormal attitude towards food or body image. Hence, people with bulimia nervosa tend to restrict their food intake and may engage in periods of excessive eating (bingeing), followed by making themselves sick –to vomit- or use laxatives (purging).  People with bulimia purge themselves to avoid  gaining weight and often feel guilty and ashamed of their behavior hence they tend to  binge and purge in secret.

The  binge-purge cycles can be triggered by hunger or stress, or as a way to cope with emotional distress.
“Signs of bulimia nervosa include an obsessive attitude towards food and eating, an overcritical attitude to their weight and shape and frequent visits to the bathroom after eating, after which the person might appear flushed and have scarred knuckles (from forcing fingers down the throat to bring on vomiting),” says the NHS.

If one suffers from Bulimia over a long period of time their body will be deprived of vital nutrients and eventually their organs will shut-down causing death.

  Additionally, people with bulimi tend to suffer dental problems and may lose their teeth due to the acid that comes from the stomach during purging. They also tend to get heart related diseases. It is critical to seek treatment as soon as possible. One way is to get self-help books to help you deal with the condition.

 Treatment may also involve seeing a therapist or other healthcare professional, joining a self-help group, seeking dietary counseling and use of antidepressant. If you are suffering from Bulimia please seek help from the nearest health practitioner.

Eating Disorders I : Anorexia

By Live Health Africa 

The pressure to conform to societal standards and myths of beauty is driving many young girls and boys to the brink of death. Eating disorders are growing common and the result is its victims die young after years of their body enduring poor nutrition and organ shut-down.

 England’s National Health Service (NHS) describes an eating disorder as a condition characterised by an abnormal attitude towards food that causes someone to change their eating habits and behaviour. 

The US National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) states that eating disorders are complex illnesses that can be life-threatening.

“A person with an eating disorder may focus excessively on their weight and shape, leading them to make unhealthy choices about food with damaging results to their health,” says the NHS. 

The most common eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia and Binge Eating. Today Live Health Africa will delve deeper into Anorexia and looks at symptoms, effects and possible treatment.

Anorexia 101
Anorexia is a condition that makes someone try to keep their weight as low as possible, for example by starving themselves or exercising excessively. 

“Around one in 250 women and one in 2,000 men will experience anorexia nervosa at some point. The condition usually develops around the age of 16 or 17,” says the NHS.

This ailment may be caused by a varied of reasons including the social pressure on young people and women to be thin and other biological factors. For instance one my become anorexic after facing constant criticism  or abuse because of their weight; if they feel pressure to be slim to succeed in a career as a  dancer, models or athlete; having low self-esteem or being a perfectionist and stress caused by work or family strain.

Anorexia can be diagnosed by a doctor using the SCOFF which involves five questions:

• Sick: Do you ever make yourself sick because you feel uncomfortably full?
• Control: Do you worry you have lost control over how much you eat?
• One stone: Have you recently lost more than one stone (six kilograms) in a three-month period?
• Fat: Do you believe yourself to be fat when others say you are too thin?
• Food: Would you say that food dominates your life?

Warning signs to look out for include in people who may be suffering from anorexia include missing meals, a person complaining of being fat even though they have a normal weight, someone repeatedly weighing themselves and someone refusing to eat in public places, such as a restaurant.

If one suffers from anorexia over a long period of time their body will be deprived of vital nutrients and eventually their organs will shut-down causing death. Hence, it is critical to seek treatment as soon as possible.
Treatment may involve seeing a therapist or other healthcare professional, joining a self-help group, seeking dietary counseling and use of antidepressant. If you are suffering from Anorexia please seek help from your nearest health practitioner.

Healthy Living Is A Lifestyle

By Live Health Africa

Arguably all humans want to live a long healthy life. Many people buy supplements, go to the best hospitals and get in and out of every diet known to mankind to try to achieve this goal. What we need to realize is that healthy living is a lifestyle not something we should do every once in a while. 

 Here is what you can do to live a healthy life

• Visit your doctor and dentist to be able catch diseases at the early stage instead of having to deal with full-blown life scares.
• Be more physically active to maintain a healthy body weight.
•  Eat healthy food like vegetables and fruits and go slow on fatty, salty and sugary foods.
• Maintain a good relationship with your friends and family.
• Drink six to eight glasses of water a day
•  Stop smoking and drink less alcohol
•  Read more books-it’s good for your mind!
• Watch less TV. Instead spend that time doing something more mind or body engaging

Healthy living is a long-term commitment but it sure is within reach.

Beware Of Antibiotics Resistance

By Live Health Africa 

When antibiotics were innovated years ago they became lifesavers and helped significantly reduce deaths caused by simple infections like coughs. However, after decades of use and over-use, new reports suggest that antibiotics pose a threatas big as terrorism 

Antibiotics are effective against bacterial infections such as Bladder infections, wound and skin infections, such as staph infections, severe sinus infections that last longer than 2 weeks and some ear infections strep throat.

The Mayo Clinic warns that overuse of antibiotics puts users and other people in grave danger.

“Antibiotic resistance occurs when antibiotics no longer work against disease-causing bacteria. These infections are difficult to treat and can mean longer lasting illnesses, more doctor visits or extended hospital stays, and the need for more expensive and toxic medications. Some resistant infections can even cause death,” says the Mayo Clinic.  

According to World Health Organization (WHO) Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi.  

“It is an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society,” says the WHO “Resistance to earlier generation antimalarial drugs is widespread in most malaria-endemic countries. Further spread, or emergence in other regions, of artemisinin-resistant strains of malaria could jeopardize important recent gains in control of the disease,”

The WHO adds that patients with infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria are generally at increased risk of worse clinical outcomes and death, and consume more healthcare resources than patients infected with the same bacteria that are not resistant.

 Hence are people are urged not to take antibiotics unless necessary, not to self-prescribe medicines and when given medication especially antibiotics to always finish the dose.

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