Anorexia

      

Safeenabanu: Anorexia

Anorexia is an eating disorder which is more common in the middle and upper social economic group. The word ‘Anorexia’ comes from the Greek word meaning ‘a lack of desire to eat’.  It is often called the ‘slimming disease’ .95% of the people affected by anorexia are females while the rest 5% of them are males. The main cause of this eating disorder is having low-self esteem.  Self-esteem is tied closely with body image. People with anorexia are afraid of gaining weight. When they look at themselves in the mirror they are not happy with the way they look. They think that they are fat and ugly.  The next thing they will do is stop eating proper meal and start exercising excessively. When they do eat, they will force the food out after their meal. Some signs of anorexia are obsession with dieting, extreme weight loss in a short period, menstruation stops, hair lost; skin is covered with long, fine and soft hair, depressed and irritable.  Anorexia can cause lasting damage to organs such as the kidneys and reproductive organs.  It can also lead to osteoporosis because the lack of nutrients may cause a loss in bone density.

After studying y the consequences, we should stop this disease by helping anorexics to get out from their dangerous small world. We must let them know the effect it will take on their health and how it will affect their future. Make them realize their worth so that it will redevelop their self-esteem. Tell them that being extremely thin is not cool as it will make them look like a skeleton instead. Most importantly, they need to understand that nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.  Lastly,"Mens sana in corpore sano",a famous latin quotation which means a healthy mind is in a healthy body.