NEDA
Awareness
Week
Sami Schwanke, WSU Junior, English Writing and Business Management
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to something that they feel they can control to make themselves feel better, such as eating.
It’s hard to come to college, meet new people and find your niche. And oftentimes people develop eating disorders as cause from the stress.
“If left unchecked, anorexia can cause long-term bone thinning, leading to osteopenia and osteoporosis,” she said. “Bulimia patients often have a healthy body weight, though they may suffer from frequent weight fluctuation, swollen glands in the neck and esophageal tears.”
he week of Feb. 26 - March 3 is the National Eating Disorder Association awareness week. This year’s theme of “Everybody Knows Somebody” can be fitting on a college campus where people often experience pressure to fit into society’s image of perfect.
Eating disorders, as described by Mayo Clinic, are “a group of serious conditions in which a person is so preoccupied with food and weight that they can often focus on little else. The main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder.” With this in mind, let’s focus on NEDA’s theme of “everybody knows somebody.” It’s important to watch for warning signs of eating disorders whether it’s a roommate, classmate, friend or relative.
Physical
It’s also important to remember that even though most people associate eating disorders with females, males can have them, too.
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The relationship between food and our mood is apparent when it comes to eating disorders. Winona State University health, exercise and rehabilitative sciences professor Janet Macon said the chemical nature of the foods we eat drives the production of a wide variety of mood signaling mechanisms in our bodies. Even those without an easting disorder may experience the symptoms of a poorly balanced diet; therefore, a person with low self-esteem turns february 2013
Macon also stressed what can happen to someone with an eating disorder over time.
Macon also added that people suffering from bulimia often have teeth and stomach problems due to the stomach acid exposure, as well. Eating disorders can also lead to a long list of health issues such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, insomnia or sleep apnea and even some forms of cancer, Macon said. It’s also important to keep in mind that there aren’t just physical side effects from eating disorders, but psychological ones, as well. Macon said that people with such disorders often eat in isolation due to feelings of embarrassment, shame or