How to Treat Anorexia | Essential Anorexia Tips and Guidance

How to treat anorexia is an all to frequent Internet search.

I am guessing that you are here on this page because either you are suffering from anorexia and are looking for a cure, or else somebody you know has anorexia and you want to help and you need to know how to treat anorexia.

If you are unfamiliar with some of the potentially life threatening side-effects and damage to the body and mind that anorexia imposes on someone with this mental illness, I will try to outline some of the dangers further down this page.

If you’re hoping for a silver bullet that will quickly sweep the problem away, then I am afraid you are going to be disappointed. Anorexia is a particularly insidious and dangerous illness and its very presence is usually protected by a web of deceit and lies.

As most anorexics lack the will power to kick this self-destructive illness by themselves, it is of paramount importance that caring long-term support and encouragement should be available from those friends and family members who have a strong desire to see their friend or family member make a full recovery.

Read below to get the full story, or click on this link to get full details about an anorexia recovery program (devised by the mother of an ex-sufferer) that has been highly effective for many anorexics > > > How to Treat Anorexia

Understanding How to Treat Anorexia

There is little doubt that the roots of anorexia and bulimia (the ugly twin sisters) have very little to do with food itself. These dangerous partners are caused by psychological distortions in the sufferer’s mind, which could be related to self image, feelings of loss or bereavement or the need to experience some control in a life that feels out of control or is perceived to be controlled by other people or circumstances.

While starving your body of nourishment is obviously going to lead to some serious harm, the anorexic or bulimic person seems to be completely insulated from this reality. Of course, this is where the whole problem lies.

Your first instinct is to try explaining to the anorexic person that starvation is extremely harmful, but this will almost certainly fall on deaf ears as the anorexic person will be hell-bent on avoiding nourishment at any cost, and your words will almost certainly fail to make any positive impression – in fact, just the opposite.

If the anorexic person sees you as someone trying to close down the area of control she has in her life (deliberate self starvation) she is more likely to become more secretive and to try and cut you out of any discussions related to food or health.

However, if you are seen as a friend and ally, then you will have some possibility of making progress.

One of the Challenges in Treating Anorexia

While there are some medical practitioners who are enlightened and able to view anorexia from a holistic point of view, it is more likely that doctors and health specialists will be more closely focused on medical procedures, drugs and diet.

By being involved with process, doctors often fail to connect on a human or psychological level with the very fragile mental state of the person suffering from anorexia. While the outward signs of an anorexic may appear to show strength of character and determination, the reality is often that there is an underlying weakness which is the trigger to the whole problem.

Providing support on a human level by someone who is trusted, such as a close friend or family member, can be the difference between success and failure.

Treating an alcoholic can work in a similar way. Alcoholics gather in groups to talk about their problems and their struggles with alcohol. Often this involves discussing the underlying reasons and the impact this all has on self, friends and family – often to devastating effects.

It’s worth repeating that the anorexic will also benefit hugely from the long-term support and understanding of close relatives and friends.

However the following basic requirements for success are:

1. The recognition by the anorexic that he/she has a problem.
2. There must be a willingness to engage in the process of recovery.
3. There must be an understanding that starvation is not a solution to a problem, but that it is the problem itself.

When these very basic understandings become a commitment on the part of the anorexic, it will be possible to move forward.

Click on these links for more information:

What is Bulimia ?
What is Anorexia ?
How to Treat Anorexia

Anorexia Side-Effects and Damage

Anorexia is a vicious mental illness that claims young lives every year. The deaths are inevitably painful, very sad and completely unnecessary.

If you are someone who eats regularly and healthily, with regard for your body and well-being, it is almost incomprehensible that anyone should deliberately starved themselves in the belief that this action will somehow improve their appearance, make them more acceptable or be in any way a positive way to behave.

There are so many ways that anorexia and bulimia can affect the body.

Quite simply, if you starve your body of food it will start to eat itself! The reason an anorexic starts to waste away is that muscle tissue is being absorbed by the body.

As the body starts to close down various functions in its struggles to survive, reproductive capability (including periods) will cease and hair often grows on the body as it struggles to keep warm.

To read a more in depth list of potential damage caused by anorexia – many of which can potentially be life-threatening – click on this link > > > Complications and Side-Effects

What You Need to Treat Anorexia

As well as (obviously) needing the full cooperation of the person suffering from anorexia, you will need the help and guidance of people who have successfully beaten this mental illness before.

In all probability, if you are a parent or other family member who has become aware that someone in your family is determined to starve themselves, you will feel inadequately prepared to deal with the problem.

It will become apparent to you that failure is not an option. To fail will almost inevitably mean that family member will lose her life.

So where do you go for help?

Clearly, having an understanding doctor or medical practitioner will be an enormous help, but your support and encouragement will be crucial in effecting a successful recovery.

For this reason, you may consider going to listen to a recording by Kathryn Herbert BSc. She encountered and overcame many difficulties as she struggled to save her own daughter from an early death from anorexia and bulimia. She offers to share those experiences and solutions with you, which she believes will be crucially important in making a successful recovery from anorexia. Click on this link to visit Kathryn’s website and listen to her audio recording > > > How to Treat Anorexia

We very much hope that you are now on the right path to finding an answer to the question – How to Treat Anorexia – and we wish you and your family the very best of health.

kind regards

The Natural Health Concerns Team