Eating Disorder

Are you worried that someone you care about has an eating disorder? Before you can help someone with an eating disorder, you need to understand the different types of eating disorders and their warning signs.

In this article, you will learn more about eating disorders and how to help someone you love who has an eating disorder.    

What Are Eating Disorders?

Eating disorders drastically affect eating behaviours which may appear as following rigid diets, obsessively counting calories, bingeing on food in secret, or vomiting after meals.

At their core, eating disorders are an attempt to deal with painful emotional feelings and usually involve distorted, self-critical attitudes about body image, weight, and food. It’s these negative feelings and thoughts that fuel these destructive behaviours. 

It’s never easy to watch someone you love injure themselves—especially when the solution appears to be simple. However, eating disorders are much more complex than just poor eating habits.

For someone with any of these diseases, the road to recovery begins by identifying the underlying emotions that fuel their eating disorder and learning ways to manage and control emotions.

Types of Eating Disorders         

The most common eating disorders are:

  • Anorexia
  • Bulimia
  • Binge Eating Disorder

Warning Signs of An Eating Disorder

It’s not unusual for people, especially teenagers and young adults, to worry about their appearance. But there are signs of extreme behaviour when it comes to food and eating that may indicate signs of an eating disorder.

People with eating disorders go to great lengths to hide their problem, but some of the red flags include:

  • Restricting food or dieting.
  • Bingeing.
  • Purging.
  • Distorted body image and altered appearance.

How to Help Someone with an Eating Disorder      

Individuals with an eating disorder such as bulimia, anorexia, or other disorders are often afraid or too ashamed to ask for help. Unfortunately, the disease will only get worse without treatment, and the emotional and physical damage can be severe.

So, if you notice the red flags of an eating disorder in someone you care about, it's important to speak up. The sooner you intervene, the better their chances of a healthy recovery. While you can’t force a person to change, you can encourage treatment and offer your support - and that can make a big difference to your loved one’s recovery.

OTC Treatment for Painful Stomach Cramps

Stomach cramps can sometimes occur in people with severe eating disorders due to starvation, vomiting frequently, etc. While OTC medication won’t cure eating orders, they can help relieve painful stomach cramps as they seek treatment for their eating disorder.

OTC medications for stomach cramps:

Online4Pharmacy has a full range of over-the-counter treatments to treat everything from stomach cramps to the common cold or skin infections. Shop online today at Online4Pharmacy.