Consequences

Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia have serious consequences if left untreated. Provided no permanent damage has been done, things can return to normal if correct treatment is received.

The following list is by no means inclusive – but it may help to give you an insight to the serious health consequences associated with eating disorders:

• Injury to the esophagus (gullet) resulting from repeated vomiting. Acid and bile irritates and inflames the lining of the esophabus. This can cause scarring and narrowing of the gullet and in extreme cases can cause tears or ruptures which can be fatal and require immediate surgery.
• Injury to the stomach. Frequent vomiting causes gastritis or inflammation of the lining of the stomach. Also, overfilling the stomach with an excessively large meal, combined with the slower emptying of food from the stomach can, in rare cases, cause stomach to rupture, resulting in death from peritonitis.
• Injury to the intestines (typically the colon), resulting from laxatives. Damages to the nerves and muscles results in loss of normal movement.
• Damage to the lungs caused by vomiting leading to aspiration of stomach content into the lungs, resulting in pneumonia.
• Heart and kidney damage. Fasting and purging result in loss of body fluids and essential minerals. Resultant chronic dehydration and low levels of potassium can result in kidney stones and even kidney failure. Frequent vomiting results in high alkali levels in both blood and body tissues. This can result in weakness, constipation, fatigue, etc. In extreme cases, high alkali levels and deficiency of potassium can result in an uneven heart rate or even death.
• Skin damage. The phenolphthalein in laxatives sold over the counter can cause skin sores and brown or gray blemishes. Forced excessive vomiting can cause burst blood vessels in the eye.
• Dental problems caused by the acid in vomit eroding the dentin and enamel of the teeth.

In addition, the following behaviors can also result in damage to your health:

• The use of laxatives to purge the body may initially relieve abdominal distension after bingeing, but the calories are still absorbed into the body. Any weight loss is due, in the main, to loss of fluids in the bowel movement and is purely temporary. Misuse of laxatives can lead to dehydration and damage to the digestive tract lining. Severe constipation can occur when use of laxatives ceases.
• The use of diuretics increases urine excretion and may cause initial weight loss. However, they do not cause loss of body fat – only water – resulting in dehydration. Diuretics can also result in loss of calcium, potassium, magnesium and zinc – as well as salt retention.
• Taking Ipecac syrup to induce vomiting can prove fatal. The active ingredient (emetine) builds up in tissues and can cause muscle or heart weakness. Whether taken as a large, single dose or in small doses over period of time, Ipecac is toxic!
• Diet pills work by reducing appetite. They can be prescribed by a doctor (typically Dexedrine or Benzedrine) or bought over the counter. However, their effect is temporary and the drugs themselves are dangerously addictive and can cause abnormal heart rhythms which can be fatal.
• Fad diets which promise fast results typically encourage unhealthy dietary habits. People are attracted by the publicity and the promise of rapid weight loss. However, the induced weight loss is mostly water and these schemes neither help the body to lose fat, nor provide the nutrients required to maintain optimal health.

WE CAN HELP!

Sovereign Health of California has a reputation for the finest treatment of eating disorders in the U.S. Extensive pre-admission assessments provide our treatment team with an exclusive insight into any co-occurring or dual diagnosis issues, allowing us to incorporate them into the overall treatment program.

WE TREAT THE INDIVIDUAL – NOT THE DISORDER!

Our patients stay in our comfortable, welcoming, gender specific residences, situated in the picturesque, coastal community of San Clemente, California.

We offer treatment to both men and women. So, to learn more about treatment and recovery at Sovereign Health of California, why not visit the What We Offer page of our website. Alternatively, call us now! We have advisors available 24/7 to answer any question you may have with regard to Sovereign Health of California and all its treatment programs. Our success rate speaks for itself!