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Wednesday, 27 February 2008 |
Eating disorders transcends sexes, stereotypes
We’ve all seen the pictures and we’ve all made assumptions.
It’s the girl with pale sickly skin, dark circles under her eyes, and looks like she’d break in half with the violent blowing wind of Appalachian State.
She eats one fourth of a bite of her salad and says she’s full. She thinks she’s fat and all her friends see her as incredibly thin.
She obviously has an eating disorder.
We’ve all heard about what anorexia is, warning signs to look for, the health costs, and how to help someone.
Bulimia is often discussed and the most common eating disorder to formulate during college for young women.
However, in
celebration of Eating Disorder Awareness Week, I find it important to
address all forms of eating disorders like binge eating and male eating
disorders.
According to the
Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity in
America has increased since 1980 from 15 percent to 32.9 percent of the
population.
Furthermore, a
study conducted in Drug and Therapy Perspectives reports about 1
percent of women in the United States suffer from binge eating
disorders.
A binge eating
disorder is when an individual eats large amounts of food to the point
where they are overly full, but do not purge the food. This causes
weight gain, but gives the person a sense of control over their body.
While the
affects of anorexia are often portrayed and highlighted in popular
society, the detrimental influence on a person’s body after binge
eating over a long period are rarely shown.
It seems more acceptable in America to be overweight than to be under.
Binge eating
over a long period of time, according to the Mayo Clinic, can cause
high blood pressure, type II diabetes, gallbladder disease, heart
disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, joint pain, muscle pain and
gastrointestinal problems.
Additionally,
just like “main stream” eating disorders, emotional affects are common,
too. Those who suffer from binge eating disorders also have low
self-esteem and unrealistic body images and perceptions.
Binge eating is
solved with comprehensive programs that teach the individual how to
have a balanced lifestyle and not use food as comfort, or as a way of
controlling their lives.
Women are not
alone in their battle against eating disorders –and while this is a
women’s issue column, every woman –regardless of her sexual orientation
or choice to date or not to date males; they will come across a guy in
their lifetime.
A Web site on
eating disorders, something-fishy.org, estimates that 10 percent of all
those who suffer from eating disorders are male.
I would argue
that more men suffer than what statistics show –mainly because eating
disorders are stereotyped as a “woman’s problem.”
I mean, it must
be impossible for a guy to suffer from low self-esteem and concentrate
on his appearance- seeing himself in an unrealistic way. Right?
Many men may
keep dive into secrecy when they believe they may have a form of an
eating disorder, and may never seek treatment –causing long-term
affects on their body.
Athletes that
have to maintain a certain weight class to continue to be active in the
sport, like wrestlers, jockeys or runners, often practice some sort of
bulimia –such as starving days before a match, or running with three
layers on before a game.
For guys, this may just seem like ordinary practices –encouraged by coaches and parents to be successful in their sport.
Years of this type of treatment can be damaging to a male’s overall conditions for a long period in his life.
While most focus on the media’s portrayal of eating disorders –it’s imperative to recognize all illness in both sexes.
Weight is
something everyone will think about at some point in their lives –and
it’s near impossible for someone to not care at all about their
physical appearance, but it shouldn’t be what controls your life.
After all –it is just a number. It’s not your definition.
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