Case Study – Eating Disorders and Nutritional Needs

Although eating disorders have been around for as long as there have been humans, the extensive research on them has existed for only about thirty years. It is known that there is a distinct and definitive correlation between a diagnosis of depression in the early to late teen years and the development of eating disorders. The three eating disorders that are most commonly studied and/or diagnosed are anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating.
The debate over whether or not obesity should be considered an eating disorder continues; while it is now considered a disease in and of itself, obesity may also become classified as an eating disorder and treated as both a psychological disorder in addition to being a physical problem. For now, it is a medical disorder, as well as a risk factor for a number of serious conditions, but not an eating disorder.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia is diagnosed when a person (predominantly females) refuses to allow her body to be over 85% of the weight that is normal for her height. Psychologically, the person who is diagnosed with anorexia is obsessed with weight and body image and rigidly monitors everything that goes into his or her mouth at every moment, even counting out the calories in the toothpaste that they might use that day. The DSM-IV-TR, the diagnostic tool for the mental health field, has these criteria for diagnosing anorexia nervosa:
– Unable or unwilling to keep body weight at or above 85% of the normal level
– Intense fear of gaining weight or, more importantly, of becoming fat when they are obviously and dangerously underweight
– Obsession with weight and body image to the point of detriment to the self esteem
– The absence of three menstrual cycles in a row
Some anorexics will spend hours exercising, even when they are exhausted and their muscles are hurting. They may not be sleeping correctly and many of them will have heart problems as a result of their extreme weight loss.
Warning Signs:
– Preoccupation with food, eating or dieting
– Compulsive or excessive exercising
– Negative self esteem
– Withdrawal from friends and family, especially if the social event will involve food
– A complete loss of menstruation
– Intolerance to cold temperatures
Bulimia
The bulimic will eat, either a small amount or a large amount, and then compensate for the calories that they have consumed by either exercising too much, taking laxatives or making themselves vomit. The typical cycle is binge and purge, where the bulimic will eat huge amounts of food, often more than a full day’s worth of calories at a single sitting, and then will vomit immediately. If vomiting becomes problematic, laxatives might be used.
Diagnostic Criteria
– Consumption of large amounts of food, or a total lack of control during the eating cycle
– Recurrent behavior of trying to compensate for the eating/overeating.
– Binge eating and compensatory behaviors at least twice a week for at least a three month period
– Self evaluation that is overly influenced by weight and body shape
– Bulimic behavior that does not occur only during episodes of anorexia
(DSM-IV-TR)
Like anorexia, the presence of depression tends to increase the likelihood of developing an eating disorder. The group that is most affected by this eating disorder is adolescent Caucasian females who are also more likely to abuse diet pills and laxatives.
Binge Eating
Binging is different from the other two eating disorders in that there is no effort to lose weight, no obsessive compulsion to exercise and no supreme need to exercise after eating. The binge can be compulsive snacking that happens mindlessly all day long or can be a huge meal that encompasses a full day’s worth of calories in a single sitting. If this happens continually, the metabolism will slow and eventually stop working altogether, leading to weight gain. Because stress is a major factor for binge eating, the weight gain alone is enough to trigger another binge episode, leading to a vicious cycle of stress, binging, stress, binging, etc.
Other risk factors for binge eating include:
– Stressful situations
– Specific upsetting thoughts
– Feeling guilty about something one has done
– Feeling socially excluded or isolated
– Worries about problems, the future or responsibilities
– Boredom
Recovery Possibilities
After five to ten years, half of those who were treated for bulimia had recovered, 30% had relapsed at least once and 20% were still diagnostically considered bulimic. Those who had double diagnoses, specifically substance abuse and bulimia, were the least likely to have full and meaningful recoveries.
Three Eating Disorders, Three Women
Elaine was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa at the age of 20 and has been in counseling for about a year. She has slowly regained some of her weight, but has relapsed several …

Choose A Great Dentist To Help With Your Dental Hygiene Needs

Choosing a great dentist can make all the difference in the world when you are trying to take the best possible care of your teeth. It is important to take care of your dental health just as you would take care of your regular physical health! Usually, dental health is managed by simple habits of regular brushing, flossing and routine dental appointments. By following good dental habits, includes those mentioned above, you are on the right road to having good check-ups from your dentist and excellent dental health for a lifetime.
Performing preventative dental care by yourself will dramatically affect the need for remedial dental care to fix problems with your teeth and mouth over your lifetime. Taking this proactive step will also keep the costs of your dental care low. The small amount you will expend to provide you and your family with the means of properly caring for your teeth. This will result in routine trips to your dentist and will definitely outweigh the expense of experiencing costly dental procedures necessitated by improper dental hygiene!
Learning how to break bad habits affecting your teeth is also a way of keeping your mouth healthy. You can learn how to avoid habits such as tooth grinding, nail biting, pencil chewing, ice crunching and forgetting to brush. These are all improper uses of your teeth which impact the cost of your dentistry. Persisting in succumbing to these habits will drive up your costs unnecessarily.
People are sometimes scared of the dentist, even for a routine cleaning and check-up. This circumstance is common if you experience qualms when knowing that you must have dental work done and are anticipating what procedures you may encounter. You may be scared of pain, the time in the chair, or worries about how the work will turn out.
Sometimes in our busy lives, dental emergencies occur which require the use of a dental specialist to remedy the situation. There are many excellent dental practitioners who have gone on after their regular training in general dentistry. These people are qualified as specialists with the proven experience and education to handle your dental emergency with competency and kindness.
When facing intensive procedures such as root canals, extractions or bridge work, for example, the patient is wise to hire the services of a specialist to perform the techniques. Those procedures, along with a number of others, require specialized knowledge and access to high tech equipment which is not as readily available in many offices of general dentistry. A good general practitioner will be able to refer patients to specialists known for their competency and professionalism. Consult with your dentist when experiencing dental situations requiring the need for a specialist.
Many people may feel that because nothing hurts, their teeth are fine. This is not true. Just brushing them everyday, two-three times a day does not always work either. Your teeth need the attention of a professional for guarantee they are OK.
Manage your personal dental care just like it is a business! Make wise choices, and be sure to follow proper oral hygiene practices and habits. All this will minimize the cost of your bright smile. Taking care of your oral health is usually simply a matter of practicing good habits and seeing your dentist on a regular basis.…

Your Child’s Toothpaste Needs Minimum Fluoride Content for Most Affordable Dental Care

Affordable dental care is not the easiest thing to find. One of the best ways to keep dental costs low is to always use preventative measures.

The best oral hygiene habit may be brushing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste.

There are a couple of reasons to brush with fluoride toothpaste:

It can prevent dental decay. Using this kind of paste is a great way to protect your teeth from cavities or any form of dental decay. The Cochrane Oral Health Group which is based at the School of Dentistry at the University of Manchester has shown that these pastes reduce tooth decay by 24% more than non-fluoride products.

You can prevent more costly treatments. Brushing with fluoride can protect yourself from expensive procedures such as root canals — brushing your teeth is a simple route to affordable dental care.

A warning against the over-use of fluoride

According to a study by The Cochrane Oral Health Group, children under six years who ingest large amounts of fluoride in the form of toothpaste have a higher risk of developing fluorosis. That is a good reason for children under six years to not using a toothpaste with a high fluoride content.

Fluoridated toothpaste can cause fluorosis. Though it can protect your mouth, this helpful chemical can also be harmful if used excessively. Fluorosis is a condition caused by ingestion of excessive amounts of this chemical. It can cause discoloration or mottling of the teeth, especially in children.

This situation is avoidable if you get a toothpaste with a healthy fluoride content. In that same study, it suggested having a toothpaste with a lower concentration. The study recommends that children use a toothpaste with no more than 1,400 parts per million (PPM). This is key to avoiding fluorosis and maintaining affordable dental care.

Get a toothpaste for your child that has no more than 1,400 PPM and no less than 1,000 PPM of fluoride. If the toothpaste has more than 1,400 PPM, it can cause fluorosis. This is something to avoid for both the sake of health and for the appearance of your child’s teeth. If the toothpaste has less than 1,000 PPM, then only as effective as non-fluoridated toothpaste at preventing tooth decay.

Once the child is past six years old, the potential danger of getting advanced fluorosis has past. It may still be a good idea to keep the fluoride content of your toothpaste low for other health reasons and so that you can maintain affordable dental care. Make sure that your toothpaste is in the 1,400-1,000 PPM range, and you will get all the benefits of this tooth-protecting chemical with less of the risk.…