The Course of Anorexia

The Course of Anorexia
The course of anorexia is extremely variable among different patients, especially if no treatment is provided.

A few anorexics do recover after a brief episode, some will experience alternating bouts of weight gain and then relapse, and others’ conditions will steadily decline over many years.

It is also not unusual for an anorexic to transition to bulimia or binge eating disorder.

Having anorexia significantly increases a person’s risk of dying ,with deaths most often resulting from starvation, suicide or severely low potassium levels, and these life threatening conditions can develop with little forewarning.

Because anorexia is such a dangerous and potentially life threatening disorder early detection and prevention is critical.

Research in fact, has shown that early, aggressive treatment protects against mortality.

Effective treatments for eating disorders are now available, yet because anorexics will often deny their illness or attempt to conceal it, it is not uncommon for there to be significant and costly delays between the onset of the disorder and the beginning of treatment.
The Course of Anorexia

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The Obesity Battle

The Obesity Battle
Americans have more choices when it comes to food than anyone else on the planet.

While we are constantly seduced by hot fudge sundaes, double cheeseburgers, stuffed-crust pizza and deep-fried doughnuts, we are expected to be as lean as the models that grace the covers of fashion magazines.

How many people have the willpower to resist temptation time and time again?

A small minority, it would seem. In 2005, approximately two thirds of the Americans adult population was classified as overweight or obese, with about one third fitting into the overweight category and the other third being obese.

The harsh reality is that fewer than one third of Americans have healthy body weights.

Overweight and obesity come with a hefty price tag - $100 billion a year in medical bills and more than 400,000 premature deaths each year.

Excess body fat causes unwanted changes to the basic functioning of the human body, adversely affecting blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, respiration, fertility, skin and joint health, hormones and insulin action.

Such changes significantly increase the risk for debilitating and often fatal health conditions, including the following:

• Cancer
  
• Gallbladder disease
  
• Gout
  
• Heart disease and stroke
  
• Kidney disease
  
• Osteoarthritis
  
• Sleep apnea
  
• Type 2 diabetes

To add insult to injury, a recent report found that being obese affectively ages a person by 20 years (in terms of physical health).

That puts an obese 30 year old in the same risk group as a normal weight 50 year old for developing serious medical problems.
The Obesity Battle

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