Urgent teen health matters concerned when your teenager may be struggling with an unhealthy or distorted body-image are those related to the effects of eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia nervosa.
The connection between eating disorders and your teen’s health
If your troubled teenager is under much stress from his/her distorted body-image than symptoms of an eating disorder may begin to develop and thus lead him/her to experience the vital health concerns of those suffering from the disorder. Effects of Restrictive Intake
Particularly if your teen’s unhealthy body-image of him/herself has lead him/her to fast or restrict intake then prolonged behavior of this type can have its own adverse effects on your teen and can take its toll on his/her health. Restricting intake can lead to protein deficiencies that may result in falling hair. We’re not just talking about a hundred strands a day like what may be normal for a human being, but even ten times as much. A parent witnessed her daughter crying in the bathroom as she attempted to shampoo her hair in the tub. Apparently, her daughter’s hair was coming out in clumps with the shampoo, and just as she strained to rinse it out, tears flowed down her face. Upon seeing this sight, the tears began flowing down her mother’s face as well. Fasting or restrictive intake can also lead to a decrease in bone density. This may have further effects in the long run as your teenager may experience osteoperosis even at a young age.
Effects of Bulimia nervosa
Inducing vomit can do severe damage to the esophagus and stomach acid from the lining of the stomach can also do its damage to the throat as it comes in direct contact with the throat. This acid may erode the teeth as well. Tears in the esophagus have also been observed as a possible effect. Abuse of laxatives as a way of purging can lead to bleeding from the anus, as abuse of diuretics can cause severe dehydration. Signs that you may watch for in your teenager, aside from the hair loss previously mentioned, are dry chapped lips and brittle nails. Definitely the color of your teen’s skin will not have a healthy glow to it, but it may be rather pale or yellowish in tone. Common signs to check out for if your child is inducing vomit would be abrasions near the knuckle area of the hands, which is where the teeth would come in contact with your teenager’s skin. |
