English 1010
Issue Exploration Project
Reflection
The issue exploration project has taught me different writing methods and how to think critically. I learned how to take information organize it, analyze it, and then write it in my own words. The issue I chose to write about are eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. I chose this topic because it is something I can relate to, I personally struggled with anorexia as a teenager. So I know how hard it is to overcome and continue to do well without slipping into old patterns. This is an issue that affects millions of people around the world, not just adolescent in the United States. Eating disorder is an important issue because patients are coming in younger and is expanding. There for understanding the disease is key to finding a cure. When I was struggling with anorexia I felt as if I was the only one with this problem. After researching this topic I learned just how common eating disorders are among adolescents. I learned that recover is extremely important, especially when struggling with the disease at such a young age. Because it effects the bodies development, can lead to retarded bone growth and other permanent side effects.
The process in completing this assignment took a long time, almost a whole semester. We started off by choosing an article that interests us and that has an impact on the world around us. Once we found an issue we had to analyze and summarize it then put it into a rhetorical essay. After that we found three other articles and one book chapter that were related to the issue; summarize those articles, and put them in an annotated bibliography and cite the sources. We then wrote a synthesis of sources that showed which articles agreed and or disagreed with one another. Finally we had to write a blog that talks about the reasons why we chose the topic we did and what we learned. The most challenging part of this assignment were finding articles that had useful information, along with finding a book chapter that covered everything addressed about this issue.
This final project demonstrates everything I have learned and have been working on in English 1010. It shows my writing style improvements along with the different writing methods I learned in class. My progress is demonstrated through my work because before taking English 1010 I would not know how to write an Issue Exploration Essay or even know where to start. Learning the components that go into an Issue Exploration Essay, knowing, and having a better understanding about eating disorders are all signs of my improvement in writing skills. The course goals I was to achieve for English 1010 were all met. I learned rhetorical strategies, which is understanding the purpose of an article along with the audience it was written for. I expanded my critical thinking into a process, including an analysis, argumentation, summary and synthesis. We went over the composing process, some examples of are drafting, editing, revisions, peer feedback and self assessment of personal writings. I also learned how to take multiple texts and collaborate them into my own writing; this is known as convections of writing. All of which are goals that I met while attending my English 1010 class.
Bibliography
Eating Disorders have been a huge issue in society especially among adolescents. It is an issue that affects everyone not just teens. There are several eating disorders the two I chose to focus on are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Children as young as eight years old are being hospitalized for eating disorders. Anorexia affects an estimate of one in two-hundred Americans, and about two to three percent of Americans struggle with bulimia. The reasons I chose this topic is because it is something I can relate too. I myself struggled with anorexia as a teenager. It was a problem that I was able to overcome, so I understand the time and obstacles you go through to recover. Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa are starting to gain more attention since it is a problem that is continuing to rise. This attention from the media is getting the truth out about eating disorders. Researchers and scientist are trying to understand the disease, find a cure, and discover ways to help prevent anorexia and bulimia.
Avichal Aggarwal, Cecilia Almazan, David Herzong, Anne Klibanski, Misra Madhusmita, Karen Miller, Leslie Soyka, and Megan Worley. "Effects of Anorexia Nervosa on Clinical, Hematologic, Biochemical, and Bone Density Parameters in Community-Dwelling Adolescent Girls" Pediatrics. Dec 2004. Vol. 114 No. 6 EBSChost. Web. 09 2012.
Anorexia Nervosa affects two to four percent of girls in the United States. It is one of three most common chronicle illnesses among adolescents. This number may be higher because up to fifty percent of cases go undiagnosed. Complications due to anorexia are known to have an effect on hematologic, biochemical, bone density, and body parameters. This eating disorder is increasing among adolescents, so it is important to understand and know the affects anorexia has on the younger population. All measurements of nutritional status are significantly lower in girls with anorexia nervosa. The total count of red and white blood cells was reported lower in anorexic patients. Twenty-two percent of anorexic girls were anemic and twenty-two percent were leukopenic. Data that has been used in studies have been primarily from patients who were hospitalized. Out of forty-two girls hospitalized; twenty-six percent have bradycardia, eighty-six percent reported hypotension, sixty-four percent had hypothermia, thirty-eight percent showed prevalence of leukopenia, and seven percent struggled with anemia in a 1973 study. Some medical consequences from anorexia nervosa are not reversible in adolescents, especially changes in growth, pubertal development, and attainment of peak bone mass. Adolescences is a critical time in the development of bone mass. The peak age in obtaining bone mass is ages fourteen to sixteen. Ninety-nine percent have reached an adult height by age fifteen. Bone density was reported lower in the girls who have been struggling with anorexia longer. Low bone density is a concern because there may not be enough time to restore what has been lost, and can lead to increased fracture risk which may still be a problem even if normal weight is reached. It may be necessary to monitor intake of serum levels of micronutrients like iron and vitamin B12, using dietary supplements to treat anemia if needed. Patients may be at risk for cardiac arrhythmias and other physiologic abnormalities because potassium levels are low. It takes more than nutritional deprivation to cause weight loss, menstrual dysfunction, energy deprivation and emotional stress also play a role. Hypercorisolemia in anorexic patients may be a result of stress related to this illness. Adolescents with anorexia nervosa are intensely monitored during treatment. Patients are now being monitored/followed as outpatients as well.
This article was a bit hard to understand. It used a lot of medical terms and words I did not know. I think it was intended more for doctors to understand. Several authors helped write this article, so their opinions were relatively the same but differed a little. This article would be useful if you were trying to figure out what percent of anorexic patients suffered from different side effects. It would also be useful if you are trying to understand the complications and side effects that come from malnutrition due to anorexia.
Percentages were a lot higher than I expected. Most anorexic pacients were having more than one complication at a time due to different side effects. I did not quite understand the complications that come from anorexia. It makes me wonder if at the reason why I have not grown an inch since I was twelve and if it’s the reason for why I get injured so easily.
Harris, Robert T. "Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa in Female Adolescents" Nutrition
Today. March/April 1991: 30-34. SIRS Issue Researcher. Web. 09 Jul 2012.
Anorexia and bulimia nervosa are common among adolescents. Both anorexic and bulimic patients share the same fear of fatness, but their eating habits and weight differ. Anorexic patients control their weight by not eating and exercising excessively. Patients are malnourished and appear obviously thin for their height. When they do eat they are so obsessed with the calories they take in that the foods are not enough to keep a healthy body, also engaging in physical exercise to lose weight. Most anorexic patients will deny that any problem exists and believe that everyone else has a problem with them. There are four components to treating people with anorexia nervosa;
1. Correction of medical complications,
2. Nutritional support and rehabilitation,
3. Pharmacotherapy if needed,
4. Psychotherapy and behavioral therapy.
Anorexic patients need constant reassurance that being at a normal weight and a change in eating habits will not lead to obesity. Some examples of side effects that can be found in both anorexic and bulimic patients are slower heat rate and low blood pressure. Bulimic patients binge eat this is followed by self-induced vomiting or use other forms of purging behaviors. Recent studies show that about nineteen percent of woman and five percent of men struggle with bulimia nervosa. Bulimic adolescents report higher instances of problems with impulse control; this can lead to sexual promiscuity, along with drug and alcohol abuse. Self-induced vomiting has been reported to happen as frequently as forty times a day. This causes other health problems like erosion of dental enamel and damage to the esophagus. Treatment for bulimia nervosa consists of three components;
1. Correction of medical complications,
2. Behavior and psychotherapy,
3. Pharmacotherapy.
Dietary counseling can help patients design a reasonable eating plan and help maintain a normal weight and nutritional status. Bulimic patients need to be reassured that eating normally and giving up purging practices will not result in obesity.
This article was very interesting and useful when trying to understand anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Harris addressed the topic very well; stating background information on both diseases and giving facts to prove it. He also talks about side effects that eating disorders have on the body both physically and emotionally. Harris talks about the steps in treatment, but that further research needs to be done to help better understand the disease and come up with a cure.
I knew bulimia and anorexia was a problem people suffered from. I did not know how common it was among teens though. I felt like I was the only one with an eating disorder in Jr. High. Like Harris said I was in total denial and refused help for a long time. Reading this article helped me understand what I was doing to my body and why it was so important that I received help and treatment I needed when I did.
Roan, Shari. "Eating Disorders are Taking Less Toll, Health Experts Say" Los Angeles Times. 17 Apr. 2012: A.1 SIRS Issue Researcher. Web. 09 Jul 2012.
Eating disorders are looked at as a disease that pulls you in a downward spiral towards starvation, leading to sustained heat damage, weak bones, kidney damage, long hospitalizations and numerous relapses. It is an issue that affects everyone in the world; it does not just affect middle class, white adolescents. Public awareness has been on a rise for the past thirty years, finally starting to get the proper attention needed to help others deal with the disease. More patients are getting medical treatment; they are receiving help earlier on in the disease, and recovering faster without the need for hospitalization or residential care. Treatment centers are starting to see patients as young as eight years old. Although hospitalizations plunged about twenty-three percent between 2007 and 2009, the number of hospitalizations for children under twelve has increased by seventy-two percent. Experts are skeptical that the drop in hospitalizations is due to the improvement in treatment, because insurance companies try to steer patient into receiving outpatient care. Anorexia nervosa affects an estimate of one in two-hundred Americans with the death rate of four percent. Bulimia has to do with binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting; sometimes patients use laxatives along with excessive exercise to prevent weight gain. This eating disorder affects about three percent of Americans, about four percent of those cases result in suicide. No federal data shows that eating disorders have declined. Treatment consists of psychological therapists that focus on the patients low self esteem and communication problems within their family. Therapy cures about forty percent of anorexic patients in three to six months. The other forty to fifty percent improve but still remain ill, and the remaining ten percent stay the same or get worse. As for bulimic patients the recovery rate is forty percent in three to six months, forty percent improved but still struggle with the disease, and the remaining twenty percent get worse; according to a 2012 review in the Minerva Psychiatry. Other psychiatric conditions like anxiety are likely to accompany eating disorders.
I found this article to be very interesting and useful. Roan believes that the decrease in patients coming in for treatment is because of the insurance companies. There for eating disorders have not gone down just pushed aside or appointed to less expensive treatment. Roan’s article made a lot of scenes, she used examples of stories to help support her opinion. Giving back ground information on eating disorders and why people turn to them. The most shocking thing is the ages of patients coming in, they keep getting younger and younger. Her purpose of let the article is to let reader know about eating disorders and the truth about the declining numbers.
Treatment was ridiculously expensive for me to be hospitalized, my mom is still in debt due to it. So I can see why insurance companies steer their clients to different programs. But the truth is, is that less expensive treatment may not be effective. Some patients need to be hospitalized to help them overcome this disease. Insurance companies should not be worried about how much treatment is going to be, but be focused on whether or not their client is receiving the help they need.
Turner Trice, Dawn. "Brain Activity Gives Scientist Clues about Eating Disorders" Chicago
Tribune. 11 Apr 2012: 1. SIRS Issue Researcher. Web. 09 Jul 2012.
The Cognitive Neuroscience Society studies what is going on in the brain with people who struggle with eating habits and disorders. The goal is to use the information on the brain activity patterns to help figure out which treatments are going to work out best for the patient. The information can also be used to help others better understand the mind and how the body works. Prescription medication and therapy is usually unsuccessful. Even if the patients work on it, it takes a long time to see actual results. Researchers found that woman with anorexia and others recovering from the disorder did not have much activity in the subcortical parts of the brain. The subcortical part of the brain controls hunger and is associated with reward and pleasure. This area also controls our emotional response to food. There is higher activity in these parts of the brain when looking at obese people. Defects in the subcortical region can result in people eating way too much or too little. Obese individuals over eat even though they are receiving signals from the brain to stop eating when the body is full. Anorexics have low levels of brain activity before and after eating. Researchers look at photographs of brain scans before and after meals to understand the pleasure center as well as the prefrontal cortex, to help better understand which stimulus is most rewarding. MRI’s have helped show how restrained and unrestrained people feel around food. Researchers found that when the prefrontal cortex is activated subjects have better control of themselves around food. Medicine, psychotherapy, mediation-base therapy, diet and exercise have been shown to change brain activity and treat eating disorders. This can lead to better programs and treatment for eating disorders but also how to prevent them.
This article was probably the most interesting to me. The author knew a lot about his topic and made it easy to understand. Tice’s point of the article was to show that researchers and scientist are looking at brain activity to find out ways to understand eating disorders so they can cure and even prevent it. The article can be useful if you are interested in learning which part of the brain controls hunger and pleasure. In brain scans certain parts light up, it is different in obese people compared to people with anorexia.
We need to find way to help find cures and preventing eating disorders from continuing. Studying brain activity seems like a great start. I did not think that looking at brain scans would help others understand what happens in people who struggle with eating disorders. Hopefully with this information they can find out which treatment will work best for each individual patient. However, a lot more research needs to be done before then.
Tyre, Peg. "Fighting Anorexia: No One to Blame" Newsweek Vol. CXLVI, No. 23.Dec 5 2005:
50-60. SIRS Issue Researcher. Web. 13 Jul 2012.
Anorexic patients coming in younger and younger, doctors have begun to research the roots of the disease. Anorexia Nervosa is a mental illness defined by the obsession of food along with the anxiety over gaining weight; this affects about 2.5 million Americans. Anorexics exercise compulsively even though they appear extremely thin to others the reflection in the mirror is deceiving and patient feels they have more to lose. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate than any other mental illness, including depression. Arizona Remuda Ranch was overwhelmed with all the calls from parents trying to get their children help. The ranch launched a program that is for kids ages thirteen years and younger. Elementary schools in Boston, Los Angeles, and Manhattan hold seminars to help parents recognize signs of eating disorders. Seven years ago reports of seeing patients as young as nine would have been shocking. There is no single reason for the age decline, but greater awareness from parents play a huge role. Pressure to be perfect from society, school environment, and parents are a few reasons why anorexic patients choose extreme dieting. Ten years ago studies found that anorexia runs in families. There is a fifty percent chance that individuals will develop an eating disorder due to their genetic makeup. Scientists use brain scans to the differences in brain chemistry of people who struggle with anorexia. They discovered that anorexic patients have abnormally high levels of serotonin activity in the brain. These high levels of hormone can be linked to the feelings of anxiety and obsessive thinking. Anorexics use starvation as a method of self-meditation, eating less reduces serotonin activity in the brain creating a sense of calmness. Eating disorders stop the consumption of sufficient calories, their bodies start to conserve energy, their heart rate slows down, blood pressure drops, and patients struggle to keep warm. Thirty years ago doctors thought that separating patients psychologically and sometimes physically would have a better impact on treatment. Now doctors are starting to realize that the support and help from parents lead to a better success rate. Family centered therapy has a team of doctors, nutritionists, and therapists meets with the parents and child. The last three years hospitals and clinics have been adopting the new method of treatments. But family centered treatment does not work for everyone especially if patient come from families of violence, sexual abuse, alcoholism, and drug dependencies. Surprisingly family dinners are one of the best ways to help prevent eating disorders. Good models of eating practices are parents who eat regular, balanced meals with their children.
This article was very well written. Tyre used stories for examples than gave information to help understand what anorexic patients do to themselves. The article focuses on who is to blame for anorexia. She states that environmental surroundings, like the media, along with genetic brain chemistry are to blame for causing eating disorders. Tyre believes that family-centered therapy is the best way to help patient overcome their disease. Her goal of the article is to get the facts out about anorexia and show that parents can help prevent the disease before it becomes a problem.
Going through anorexia was hard, it was a fight that took me three years to overcome. I went through several treatments and I believe that doctors and parents need to be involved in the treatment and recovery of the patients. I likes that Tyre used examples of stories because it shows what the patients are going through as well as the things that can be done to stop and or help people who are struggling with anorexia.
Because eating disorders have had an increase among teens, people are to care more about this issue. Researchers and scientists are studying brain activity to help better understand such diseases, they are working on finding ways to treat and cure eating disorders. Hopefully they can figure out a way to find out which treatment will work for each individual patient. A reason why eating disorders are taking less toll is because insurance companies try and steer their patients into receiving less expensive treatment, like outpatient programs. It is important to know the complications and health problems that come from eating disorders. Some complications in patients can be treated and can help prevent further complications, like iron deficiency. However, growth and development of the body may never reach its full potential. Even after recovery patients have an increase risk for fractures. It is hard to point a finger and say whose fault it is for the reasons individuals turn to eating disorders. Parents want to blame doctors and doctors say it’s the parents fault for not recognizing signs. Seminars are being held in schools to help educate parents on the issue. There is more than one reason to why patients turn to anorexia; the environment, society and genetics play a huge role. Doctors are starting to realize that having parents involved in treatment has a better success rate than those with no support from families. Overall, eating disorders are an issue that is being pushed out of the closet and being discussed, which will eventually lead to cures and treatments for these diseases.
Work Cited
Avichal Aggarwal, Cecilia Almazan, David Herzong, Anne Klibanski, Misra Madhusmita, Karen Miller, Leslie Soyka, and Megan Worley. "Effects of Anorexia Nervosa on Clinical, Hematologic, Biochemical, and Bone Density Parameters in Community-Dwelling Adolescent Girls" Pediatrics. Dec 2004. Vol. 114 No. 6 EBSChost. Web. 09 2012.
Tyre, Peg. "Fighting Anorexia: No One to Blame" Newsweek Vol. CXLVI, No. 23.Dec 5 2005: 50-60. SIRS Issue Researcher. Web. 13 Jul 2012.
Turner Trice, Dawn. "Brain Activity Gives Scientist Clues about Eating Disorders" Chicago Tribune. 11 Apr 2012: 1. SIRS Issue Researcher. Web. 09 Jul 2012.
Harris, Robert T. "Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa in Female Adolescents" Nutrition Today. March/April 1991: 30-34. SIRS Issue Researcher. Web. 09 Jul 2012
Roan, Shari. "Eating Disorders are Taking Less Toll, Health Experts Say" Los Angeles Times. 17 Apr. 2012: A.1 SIRS Issue Researcher. Web. 09 Jul 2012.
Synthesis of Sources
In the article "Effects of Anorexia Nervosa on Clinical, Hematologic, Biochemical, and Bone Density Parameters in Community-Dwelling Adolescent Girls," by Misra Madhusmita, Avichal Aggarwal, Karen Miller, Cecilia Almazan, Megan Worley, Leslie Soyka, David Herzong, and Anne Klibanski, believes that anorexia is one of the most common chronical illnesses among adolescents. "It affects 0.2% to 4% of all adolescent girls in the U.S." Complications due to anorexia are known to have an effect on hematologic, biochemical, bone density, and body parameters. This eating disorder is increasing among adolescents, so it is important to understand and know the affects anorexia has on the younger population. The article, "Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa in Female Adolescents" by Robert T. Harris agrees that eating disorders are a rising concern among adolescents and understanding the disease is important so it can be treated. "As each disorder carries its own diagnostic criteria and potential medical hazards, it is important for all helping professionals to be aware of the prevalence, clinical presentation, potential medical complications and treatment approaches." Harris also lists the treatments components of both anorexia and bulimia nervosa, also gives definitions to what each eating disorder is and the different complications that come with it.
The article "Brain Activity Gives Scientist Clues about Eating Disorders" written by Dawn Turner Twice talks about the research scientists are using to help better understand eating disorders and ways they can help treat them. Researchers are "Studying what goes on in the brain across a spectrum of eating habits and disorders – from extreme overeating to anorexia." "The goal is to use information about brain activity patterns to help tailor treatments for people with eating disorders. But the Information can also be used for healthier people who simply want to understand better how the mind and bodies work." Peg Tyre’s article "Fighting Anorexia: No One to Blame," agrees that brain scans can be used to help better understand eating disorders and possibly help find a cure. "Scientist are tracking important differences in the brain chemistry of anorexics. Using brain scans, researchers at the University of Pittsburg, led by professor of psychiatry Dr. Walter Kaye, discovered the level of serotonin activity in the brains of anorexics is abnormally high. Although normal levels of serotonin are believed to be associated with feelings of well-being, these pumped-up levels of hormones may be linked to feelings of anxiety and obsessional thinking, classic traits of anorexia. Kaye hypothesizes that anorexics use starvation as a mode of self-medication."
In the article "Eating Disorders are Taking Less Toll, Health Experts Say" by Shari Roan believes that the reason for declining numbers in hospitalizations for eating disorders has gone down due to insurance companies that try to steer their clients into choosing less expensive treatment like outpatient care. "A recent government analysis found that hospitalizations with people with primary diagnosis of an eating disorder has plunged 23% between 2007-08 and 2008-09." There is no article that neither agrees nor disagrees with Shari Roan’s article. However, Peg Tyre’s article "Fight Anorexia: No One to Blame" says that proper treatment is key in helping patients overcome their eating disorder, and believes that treatment is more successful when the parents are involved. "In the past three years, some prominent hospitals and clinics around the country have begun adopting a new treatment model in which families help anorexic patients get better." Both articles agree with the fact that residential treatment is needed if patients have severe side effects and complications to help them overcome and change their old eating habits.
"Fighting Anorexia: No One to Blame" written by Peg Tyre is an article that talks about how people try to point a finger of who is to blame for Anorexia Nervosa. The truth is there are so many factors that come into play for the reasons patients choose to put themselves through such misery. Doctors are shocked about the young ages of patients coming in for treatment. "The idea of seeing a 9-or 10-year-old anorexic would have been shocking and prompted frantic calls to my colleagues." Parents do play a role in their children’s disease, but it is most often a genetic one. "In the last ten years, studies of anorexics have shown that the disease often runs in families." The article "Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa in Female Adolescents" by Robert T. Harris, agrees with the statement that adolescents struggling with eating disorders are coming in younger and younger. But Harris disagrees with the treatment methods that should be used. His method of treatment is based around medications and believes that impatient treatment is the key to success. Tyre believes that parents play a huge role in their child’s success in treatment. She believes that impatient care nor medications are needed, so long at the child are in a supportive environment and have parents that are willing to help their children in their recovery and overcome such diseases.
Blog
Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa are two types of eating disorder that are common among adolescents, but is an issue that affects everyone worldwide. Anorexia and bulimia nervosa share the same fear, a "fear of fatness", so they engage in these type of eating habits to loose or maintain their weight. About 2.5 million Americans suffer from anorexia nervosa, and nineteen percent of woman and five percent of men in the United States struggle with bulimia nervosa. Treatments are relatively the same but can take years to completely recover. I myself suffered with anorexia nervosa as a teen. That is why I chose to write about eating disorders so I could better understand the disease. I know the struggled, obstacles and time it takes to overcome this disease. It was hard, but the support from family and friends along with the proper treatment can lead to success. Sadly about fifty percent of anorexic patients eating habits turn into bulimic eating patterns. Anorexic patients control their weight by not giving their bodies the proper nutrition needed to maintain a healthy weight, and engage in excessive physical exercise to lose weight. They appear malnourished and obviously thin for their height. Anorexia nervosa can be life threatening if patient does not receive help. Bulimic patients are usually at a normal body weight. They bing eat then force themselves to regurgitate or use other forms of purging methods to maintain their weight. Eating disorders are becoming a rising concern because children are being hospitalized younger and younger for these diseases. Researchers are working on finding ways to better understand eating disorders by studying how the brain works so they can find a cure.
The article "Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa in Female Adolescents" by Robert T. Harris states that anorexia and bulimia nervosa are common among adolescents. Both anorexic and bulimic patients share the same fear of fatness, but their eating habits and weight differ. Anorexic patients control their weight by not eating. When they do eat they are so obsessed with the calories they take in that the foods are not enough to keep a healthy body, also engaging in physical exercise to lose weight. Patients are malnourished and appear obviously thin for their height. Most anorexic patients will deny that any problem exists and believe that everyone else has a problem with them. There are four components to treating people with anorexia nervosa; 1. Correction of medical complications, 2. Nutritional support and rehabilitation, 3. Pharmacotherapy if needed, 4. Psychotherapy and behavioral therapy. Anorexic patients need constant reassurance that being at a normal weight and changing their eating habits will not lead to obesity. . Bulimic patients binge eat that is followed by self-induced vomiting or use other forms of purging behaviors. Recent studies show that about nineteen percent of woman and five percent of men struggle with bulimia nervosa. Bulimic adolescents report higher instances of problems with impulse control, this can lead to sexual promiscuity, along with drug and alcohol abuse. Self-induced vomiting has been reported to happen as frequently as forty times a day. This causes other health problems like erosion of dental enamel and damage to the esophagus. Treatment for bulimia nervosa consist of three components; 1. Correction of medical complications, 2. Behavior and psychotherapy, 3. Pharmacotherapy. Dietary counseling can help patients design a reasonable eating plan and help maintain a normal weight and nutritional status. Bulimic patients need to be reassured that eating normally and giving up purging practices will not result in obesity. Some examples of side effects that can be found in both anorexic and bulimic patients are slower heat rate and low blood pressure. Most the information provided in Harris’s article I already knew so id did not learn anything from this article.
"Effects of Anorexia Nervosa on Clinical, Hematologic, Biochemical, and Bone Density Parameters in Community-Dwelling Adolescent Girls," written by Misra Madhusmita, Avichal Aggarwal, Karen Miller, Cecilia Almazan, Megan Worley, Leslie Soyka, David Herzong, and Anne Klibanski, says that Anorexia Nervosa affects two to four percent of girls in the United States. It is one of three most common chronicle illnesses among adolescents. This number may be higher because up to fifty percent of cases go undiagnosed. Complications due to anorexia are known to have an effect on hematologic, biochemical, bone density, and body parameters. This eating disorder is increasing among adolescents, so it is important to understand and know the affects anorexia has on the younger population. All measurements of nutritional status are significantly lower in girls with anorexia nervosa. The total count of red and white blood cells was reported lower in anorexic patients. Twenty-two percent of anorexic girls were anemic and twenty-two percent were leukopenic. Data that was used in studies were primarily from patients who were hospitalized. Out of forty-two girls hospitalized; twenty-six percent have bradycardia, eighty-six percent reported hypotension, sixty-four percent had hypothermia, thirty-eight percent showed prevalence of leukopenia, and seven percent struggled with anemia in a 1973 study. Some medical consequences from anorexia nervosa are not reversible in adolescents, especially changes in growth, and pubertal development. Adolescences is a critical time in the development of bone mass, this is a medical consequence that cannot be reversed. The peak age in obtaining bone mass is ages fourteen to sixteen. Ninety-nine percent of adolescent reached an adult height by age fifteen. Bone density was reported lower in the girls who have been struggling with anorexia longer. Low bone density is a concern because there may not be enough time to restore what has been lost, and it can lead to increased fracture risk which may still be a problem even if normal weight is reached. It may be necessary to monitor intake of serum levels of micronutrients like iron and vitamin B12, using dietary supplements to treat anemia if needed. Patients may be at risk for cardiac arrhythmias and other physiologic abnormalities because potassium levels are low. It takes more than nutritional deprivation to cause weight loss, menstrual dysfunction, energy deprivation; emotional stress also plays a role. I did not know all of the effects anorexia has on the body, I wish now that I did not put myself through such starvation. This book chapter was probably the most beneficial to me because I took a lot from it. I wish schools would have educated students on eating disorders because if I would have known about them it would not have been worth it to me.
Shari Roan wrote the article "Eating disorders are taking less toll, health experts say." She states that eating disorders are a disease that pulls you in a downward spiral towards starvation, leading to sustained heat damage, weak bones, kidney damage, long hospitalizations and numerous relapses. It is an issue that affects everyone in the world, it is not just country wide issue. Public awareness on eating disorders have been on a rise for the past thirty years. More patients are getting medical treatment; they are receiving help earlier on in the disease, and recovering faster without the need for hospitalization or residential care. Treatment centers are starting to see patients as young as eight years old. Although hospitalizations plunged about twenty-three percent between 2007 and 2009, the number of hospitalizations for kids under twelve has increased by seventy-two percent. Experts are skeptical that the drop in hospitalizations is due to the improvement in treatment, because insurance companies try to steer patient into receiving outpatient care. An estimate of 1 in 200 Americans suffer from anorexia nervosa with the death rate of four percent. Bulimia has to do with binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting; sometimes patients use laxatives along with excessive exercise to prevent weight gain. This eating disorder affects about three percent of Americans, about four percent of those cases result in suicide. There is no federal data that shows that eating disorders have declined. Treatment consists of psychological therapists that focus on patients low self esteem and communication problems with their family. Therapy cures forty percent of anorexic patients in three to six months. The other forty to fifty percent improve but still remain ill, and the remaining ten percent stay the same or get worse. As for bulimic patients the recovery rate is forty percent in three to six months, forty percent improved but still struggle with the disease and the remaining twenty percent get worse; according to a 2012 review in the Minerva Psychiatry. Other psychiatric conditions like anxiety are likely to accompany eating disorders. My insurance company tried to steer me to outpatient care, so I know what Shari is saying is true. What I did not know is that hospitals have recently changed their treatment programs, if it wasn’t for that change I probably would not have recovered as quickly as I did.
"Fighting Anorexia: No One to Blame" was written by Peg Tyre, believes that anorexic patients coming in younger and younger. Doctors have begun to research the roots of the disease. Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness defined by the obsession of food along with the anxiety over gaining weight; this affects about 2.5 million Americans. Anorexics exercise compulsively even though they appear extremely thin to others the reflection in the mirror is deceiving and patient feels they have more to lose. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate than any other mental illness, including depression. Arizona Remuda Ranch was overwhelmed with all the calls from parents trying to get their children help. The ranch launched a program that is for kids ages thirteen years and younger. Elementary schools in Boston, Los Angeles, and Manhattan hold seminars to help parents recognize signs of eating disorders. There is no single reason for the age decline, but greater awareness from parents play a huge role. Pressure to be perfect from society, school environment, and parents are a few reasons why anorexic patients choose extreme dieting. Ten years ago studies found that anorexia runs in families. There is a fifty percent chance that individuals will develop an eating disorder due to their genetic makeup. Scientists use brain scans to the differences in brain chemistry of people who struggle with anorexia. They discovered that anorexic patients have abnormally high levels of serotonin activity in the brain. These high levels of hormone can be linked to the feelings of anxiety and obsessive thinking. Anorexics use starvation as a method of self-meditation, eating less reduces serotonin activity in the brain creating a sense of calmness. Eating disorders stop the consumption of sufficient calories, their bodies start to conserve energy, their heart rate slows down, blood pressure drops, and patients struggle to keep warm. Thirty years ago doctors thought that separating patients psychologically and sometimes physically would have a better impact on treatment. Now doctors are starting to realize that the support and help from parents lead to a better success rate. Family centered therapy has a team of doctors, nutritionists, and therapists meets with the parents and child. The last three years hospitals and clinics have been adopting the new method of treatments. But family centered treatment does not work for everyone especially if patient come from families of violence, sexual abuse, alcoholism, and drug dependencies. Surprisingly family dinners are one of the best ways to help prevent eating disorders. Good models of eating practices are parents who eat regular, balanced meals with their children. I believe that parents play a key role in the success of their children overcoming an eating disorder. It is important that parents monitor their child’s eating habits, I know because of my mother’s help and support I got better.
Dawn Turner Twice’s article "Brain activity gives scientists clues about eating disorders" states that the Cognitive Neuroscience society studies what goes on in the brain with people who struggle with eating habits and disorders. The goal is to use the information on brain activity patterns to help figure out which treatments are going to work out for the patients. This information can also be used to help others better understand the mind and how the body works. Prescription medication and therapy are usually unsuccessful and even if they do work it takes a long time to see actual results. Researchers found that woman with anorexia and others recovering from the disorder did not have much activity in the subcortical parts of the brain. The subcortical part of the brain control hunger and it is associated with reward and pleasure. This area also controls our emotional response to food. Higher activity is reported in these parts of the brain when looking at obese people. Defects in the subcortical region result in people eating way too much or too little. Although obese individuals over eat they are still receiving signals from the brain to stop eating when full. Anorexics have low levels of brain activity before and after eating. Researchers look at photographs of brain scans before and after meals to understand the pleasure center as well as the prefrontal cortex, to help better understand which stimulus is rewarding. MRI’s also show how restrained and unrestrained people feel around food. Researchers found that when the prefrontal cortex is activated subjects have better control of themselves around food. Medicine, psychotherapy, mediation-base therapy, diet and exercise have been shown to change brain activity and treat eating disorders. Research can lead to better programs to treat eating disorders but also to prevent them. I did not know that you could use brain scans to figure out why people have eating disorders. I found this very interesting hopefully this research will lead to a cure.
After researching eating disorders, I believe that parents are the ones who can help prevent eating disorders from becoming an issue in their children. Peg Tyre’s article "Fighting Anorexia: No One to Blame," states that there is a fifty percent chance that individuals will develop an eating disorder due to their genetic makeup. If this is true a parent being involved in their children’s lives is extremely important. By parent being involved it reduces the risk of eating disorders developing. Parent need to talk to their children about the pressure society puts on them to be perfect. They need to let their children know that no matter what the child’s weight or size is, that they are perfect the way they are. Although genetics play a role, parents who feed their families well balanced meals and eat regularly have an easier time recognizing the signs of eating disorders. Scientist has to know how eating disorders effect the body before they can find a way to cure it. A lot more research needs to be done before we can find a cure to such diseases. But looking at brain scans and MRI’s is a great start in understanding how the brain works differently in people who are obese and people who struggle with anorexia. The article "Brain Activity Gives Scientist Clues about Eating disorders" written by Dawn Turner, goes into more detail on how the brain scans and MRI’s are helping scientist better understand the disease. Because eating disorders are a rising concern among adolescents schools need to get more involved in informing students, teachers and parents on the matter. A problem cannot be prevented after it has already happened, there for children need to know just how serious the side effects of eating disorders are before they decide to engage in that type of behavior. If I would have know about all the side effects anorexia has on the body I would have thought twice before I decided to put myself through it. But eating disorders have always been a hushed subject so adolescent don’t know or understand what they are doing to their body. The side effects of eating disorders are more ugly and scary than having a little weight on you. This is something every child should know. The article "Effects of Anorexia Nervosa on Clinical, Hematologic, Biochemical, and Bone Density Parameters in Community-Dwelling Adolescent Girls," has a lot of information on the side effects of anorexia nervosa. Many medical consequences cannot be reversed. Anorexic patients have to deal with such consequences for the rest of their lives. Some examples of these consequences are changes in growth, pubertal development, and attainment of peak bone mass. Not reaching the bodies full potential can lead to retarded bone growth and risk of fractures. Understanding the effects of anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders is the first step in curing them. Insurance companies should be more concerned about their client’s health rather than the cost of treatment. Shari Roan’s article "Eating Disorders are Taking Less Toll, Heath Experts Say" talks about how insurance companies tried to steer their clients into less expensive care and that is the reason for the decrease in hospitalizations, it is not because the number of people suffering with eating disorders has gone down. It is scary how young children are coming in with eating disorders. Over the years the ages seem to be getting younger. This is a huge concern that needs to be addressed. I know that if parents, doctors and schools work together they can help prevent and possibly lower the number of cases of adolescents who are struggling with eating disorders.