Homoepthy Treatment of Anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric disorder characterized by obsessive dieting and intense fear of being overweight. Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder occurs most often in teenage girls and young women. People with anorexia nervosa are obsessed with being thin and have a distorted perception of their bodies. They believe that they are fat and avoid eating. They exercise excessively in order to burn extra calories, they may even induce vomiting in order to compensate over eating.
Causes of anorexia nervosa
The exact cause of anorexia nervosa is unknown. There may be so many factors associated with anorexia nervosa like hormones, genes, and social factors.
There are few risk factors which may involve:

• Over consciousness regarding weight and body shape
• Social and family expectations and pressure about health and beauty
• Child suffering from anxiety disorder
• Disaffection form body image
• People who try to be perfectionist
• People who have family history of eating disorders
• Who are not happy with relations, with low self esteem

Symptoms of anorexia nervosa

• No desire to eat anything
• Excessive exercising
• No desire or refuse to have food in front of others
• Immediate vomiting after eating
• Distorted body image
• Hair loss
• Depression
• Dryness of skin
• Muscular weakness
• Easy fatigue
• Malaise
• Low blood pressure
• Hypoglycemia
• Brittle nails
• Confusion of thoughts
• Low self esteem
• No inclination to mental or physical work
• Slower respiratory rate
• Dryness of mouth

Key diagnosis signs of anorexia nervosa

• Fear of becoming fat or gaining weight
• Women with absence of menses (at least 3 consecutive menstrual cycles)
• A distorted self evaluation of body shape and weight
• Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height

As weight loss is the key feature of anorexia nervosa so to rule out other causes of weight loss following tests is required:

• Complete blood count
• Liver function test
• Urinalysis
• Kidney function tests
• ECG
• Thyroid function test
• Bone density test
• Screening for patients with questioners, interviews may also be useful  in the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa.

Complications of anorexia nervosa

• Severe malnutrition
• Severe dehydration
• Impaired bowel movements
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Impaired heart functions
• Bone weakening
• Recurrent infections
• Swelling or bloating of body parts

Treatment of anorexia nervosa
Along with medication few practices like
Increased social activities, having proper schedule for eating, reduce over exercises, behavioral therapy, group therapy and family therapy can also be beneficial.
Homeopathic treatment of anorexia nervosa
Homeopathy is one of the most popular holistic systems of medicine. The selection of remedy is based upon the theory of individualization and symptoms similarity by using holistic approach. This is the only way through which a state of complete health can be regained by removing all the sign and symptoms from which the patient is suffering. The aim of homeopathy is not only to treat anorexia nervosa but to address its underlying cause and individual susceptibility. As far as therapeutic medication is concerned, several remedies are available to treat anorexia nervosa that can be selected on the basis of cause, sensations and modalities of the complaints.  For individualized remedy selection and treatment, the patient should consult a qualified homeopathic doctor in person. There are following remedies which are helpful in the treatment of anorexia nervosa:

Ignatia – complete loss of appetite for food, drinking without disgust of taste
Prunus s – fullness after few mouthfuls as if too much had been taken
Calcaria Ars – loss of desire for all types of food
Natrum Mur – most often prescribed medicine for anorexia nervosa
Arsenic album – complaints with extreme fastidiousness, patient is extremely weak mentally and physically.
Homarus – complete loss of appetite with great weakness and inability to walk
Ferrum phos – appetite diminished or lost, great aversion to food
Thuja – complete appetite loss,
Phosphoric acid – remarkable medicine for anorexia nervosa, loss of appetite with great weakness and lethargy
Platina – extremely conscious about her health; fear of becoming fat
Aurum Ars – it causes rapid increase of appetite especially in anemia and chlorosis
Lycopodium – appetite disappears when eating first mouthfuls
Lecithinum – excellent medicine for such complaints

Anorexia nervosa – anorexia nervosa is a eating disorder in which people in which the disorder perceive that they are too heavy, even though they are underweight. This perception results in a refusal or inability to maintain a normal body weight.
Sign and symptoms of anorexia nervosa
ü  Weight loss or at least 15% of ideal body weight
ü  Continuous to diet when not overweight, may restrict food intake or binge on food and then purge
ü  Person feels fat even when extremely thin
ü  Obsessed with food, but denies being hungry
ü  Intense fear of becoming fat
ü  Excessive exercise
ü  Stopping of menstrual period or never starting
ü  Uses diuretics, laxatives, emetics and amphetamines
ü  Depressed, moody, irritable, withdrawn, ritual or odd behaviors, and insomnia.
ü  Hair loss, dry skin, feeling cold, brittle nails, low blood pressure, and poor blood circulation
Bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa id characterized by secretive cycle of binge eating followed by purging. In this, the patient eats large amount of food in a short period of time and then tries to get rid of the food by vomiting. Children and adolescents are conscious about their weight and don not want to eat but cannot help eating. The even store and hide food intake secretively. After eating, they either over exercise to get rid of the calories or purge or vomit. Some may also diet heavily in between overeating.
Sign and symptoms of bulimia

• Recurrent episodes of binge eating. This rapid eating of a large amount of food in a short time (usually less than 2 hours), plus at least 3 of the following:
• Secretive eating during a binge, patients are aware that the eating pattern is abnormal, and they fear being unable to stop eating
• Following the eating binge with purging measures, such as laxative use or self-induced vomiting
• Preference for high-calorie, convenience foods during a binge
• Repeated attempts to lose weight with severely restrictive diets, self induced vomiting, and use of laxatives or diuretics
• Depression and guilt following an eating binge
• Frequent variations in weight
• No underlying physical disorder.

Clinical complications of eating disorders
Potential complications include cardiac dysrhythmias, electrolyte abnormalities, decreased gastrointestinal motility with increased risk of perforation, hypotension, depression, and increased risk for suicide.
Inadequate calorie intake may be severe enough to result in hair loss, amenorrhea, and growth arrest. Electrolyte and fluid loss may be exacerbated by laxative abuse, bulimic patients may have dental caries, loss of dentin, and dorsal hand abrasions from forced emesis.
Differential diagnosis of eating disorders

1. General medical conditions – when evaluating patient with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, one must consider other possible causes of weight loss and binge eating.

• Gastrointestinal or GIT disorders, endocrine diseases, occult malignancies, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are among the medical conditions that should be considered.
• Individuals with the neurologic disorders Kleine-Levin syndrome may experience binge eating similar to a person with bulimia nervosa.
• However, patients who experience weight loss due to a medical condition usually not experience the distortion of body image that individuals with anorexia nervosa display.

1. Psychiatric disorders. Several psychiatric disorders can cause severe weight loss

• Patient with schizophrenia may display odd eating behaviors and experience weight loss.

• Major depressive disorders may cause decreased appetite and weight loss

• Social phobia may provoke feelings of humiliation or embarrassment while eating in public
• Body dysmorphic disorder can cause altered perception of body image

• Some individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder may experience obsessions and compulsions related to food.

Homeopathic treatment of eating disorders 
Homeopathy is one of the most popular holistic systems of medicine. The selection of remedy is based upon the theory of individualization and symptoms similarity by using holistic approach. This is the only way through which a state of complete health can be regained by removing all the sign and symptoms from which the patient is suffering. The aim of homeopathy is not only to treat eating disorders but to address its underlying cause and individual susceptibility. As far as therapeutic medication is concerned, several remedies are available to treat eating disorders that can be selected on the basis of cause, sensations and modalities of the complaints.  For individualized remedy selection and treatment, the patient should consult a qualified homeopathic doctor in person. There are following remedies which are helpful in the treatment of eating disorders:
Medicines for anorexia nervosa:
Ignatia, Prunus S, Calcaria Ars, Natrum Mur, Arsenic Album, Homorus, Ferrum Phos, Thuja, Phosphoric Acid, Platina, Aurum Ars, Lycopodium, Lecithinum.
Medicines for bulimia nervosa:
Argentum Met, Carcinosin, Ignatia, Natrum Mur, Pulsatilla, Medorrhinum, Staphysagria, Natrum Sulph, Thuja, Syphilinum, Sulphur, Silicea, Iodum, Calcaria Carb, Arsenic Album, and many other medicines.