Section
5
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ANOREXIA NERVOSA
SYMPTOMS—Thin people who try to keep losing more weight.
CAUSES—Both Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are obsessive eating disorders, but they are not the same.
Anorexia describes people who, although thin and often weak, are certain that they need to lose more weight. They fear food and weight gain, and will hardly eat.
Bulimia describes people who try to eat less, then go on eating binges because they feel starved. Each one is concluded by purging (induced vomiting) in order to bring up the food eaten. (See "Bulimia.")
Believing they are overweight, fearful of gaining more, these individuals rather consistently try to keep themselves starved. They tend to have low self-esteem, and often are depressed. Certain that they look terrible, and sure that eating still less might solve the problem, these folk have a thinking pattern which is difficult to change.
In some cases, drug and/or alcohol abuse is also involved.
Lack of proper nutrition tends to intensify the feelings and attitudes.
Almost all anorexics are women, typically between the ages of 12 to 18.
The word, "anorexia," means "appetite loss," and technically could apply to anyone who has an ongoing disinclination to eat food. This can be caused by stress, malnutrition, shock, or injury. But, today, the term is generally applied only to those who have anorexia nervosa. This article only applies to this latter definition.
Some consider anorexia nervosa to be a psychiatric illness. Others believe that reaction to a strong, underlying collection of allergenic foods is the problem. The often repeated phrase, "I always feel better when I don't eat, and feel bad when I do," can apply to both viewpoints.
About a third of those with this problem prematurely die from starvation, infections, heart disorders, or suicide.
The underlying cause must be dealt with. Love and understanding is needed. Help from someone outside the family may be needed. However, there is danger in consulting professional counselors or psychologists, since they have been trained in hypnotic procedures; a growing number of instances are occurring where so-called "repressed memories" are implanted in the counselee. —And that only adds to the problems!
TREATMENT—
• Pray with the person and help her find peace in God. We must accept ourselves, physically, as we are, and go on from there.
• Perk up the appetite. Give betaine hydrochloride and pancreatic enzymes.
• Give herbs which help stimulate the appetite: sweet flag, calamus, yellow gentian, buckbean, or marsh trefoil. Give herbs before meals.
• A good nutritional program, along with vitamin/mineral supplementation, is vitally needed. The delicate problem is getting the individual to eat enough food, so that normal balances can be regained.
—Also see "Bulimia."
ENCOURAGEMENT—No one can remain neutral in the conflict. Everyone must decide whether he will stand under the banner of Satan or the ensign of Christ. Every day we are deciding where we will stand in this battle. "Choose you this day whom you will serve."
BULIMIA
SYMPTOMS—The people appear normal, and the symptoms occur in secret.
CAUSES—Bulimia describes people who try to eat less to keep their weight down; then, every so often, they go on a eating binge. This is followed by purging (induced vomiting) or the taking of laxatives, so the food will be eliminated without being properly digested. (Also see "Anorexia nervosa.")
Bulimia can result in serious physical problems, including hypoglycemia, internal bleeding, ulcers, erratic heartbeat, kidney damage, menstrual cessation, low pulse rate and blood pressure, and glandular damage.
Some bulimiacs overdo on exercise, in order to better manage weight and somehow improve an already unbalanced situation.
Professions requiring a beautiful appearance are where we are most likely to find bulimiacs (models, actors, dancers, ballet dancers). By her own admission, Princess Diane is a bulimiac. Thinness is equated with beauty by many people.
Oddly enough, while anorexics tend to be overly thin, bulimiacs are generally just right; not too heavy or too thin.
But their way of life may produce hair loss, yellow skin, premature wrinkles, muscle fatigue, dizziness, and extreme weakness.
The primary physical signs are those which are caused by sessions of induced vomiting: swollen salivary glands, constant sore throat, hiatal hernia, esophageal inflammation, erosion of the enamel of the back teeth, swollen glands in the face and neck, and broken blood vessels in the face.
If laxative abuse is done, then rectal bleeding, bowel damage, and chronic diarrhea may result. Excessive laxative use removes an excess of potassium and sodium, leading to muscle spasms, dehydration, and eventual cardiac arrest.
Bulimiacs tend to have low levels of serotonin, which can lead to increased cravings for simple carbohydrates (sugars). Yet it is likely that the binges produced those chronically low levels.
TREATMENT—
• Follow the suggestions for anorexia (which see).
• Do not eat any sugar or sugary foods. Avoid all junk food and white flour products. A simple, nourishing diet is urgently needed in order to restore the needed balance in life.
• The person should expect to experience temporary anxiety, depression, insomnia, and possible irritation, as he attempts to break with the old way of life. But the rewards are outstanding and well- worth the effort.
• CCK (cholecystokinin-pancreozymin) is a hormone, found in the small intestine and brain which signals a satisfied feeling and that it is time to stop eating. When a person gets into a pattern of overeating, that hormone is not properly produced. So the person only feels satisfied after heavily overeating a meal.
• The only solution is to rigorously eat just so much, even though it does not seem like enough. Eventually, the hormone will start being produced again in the proper amount at the proper time.
—Also see "Anorexia nervosa."
ENCOURAGEMENT—For Christ's sake, we are to endure trials. We are not engaged in mimic battles. Satan wants to have you. But, pleading with God for help, you can choose to cast in your lot with Christ. And you will have angels to help you win the battle.
CELIAC DISEASE (Celiac Sprue, Gluten Intolerance)
SYMPTOMS—Diarrhea, weight loss, and nutritional deficiencies such as anemia. Other symptoms include frequently pale and/or light-yellow, foul-smelling stools that float; fatigue; depression; abdominal swelling; muscle cramps; wasting; and bone and/or joint pain. Diarrhea is the most commonly observed symptom.
Infants and children may show vomiting; stunted growth; intense burning sensation of the skin; and a red, itchy skin rash. Ulcers may develop in the mouth. The child may look anemic and undernourished.
Babies may lose weight or gain it more slowly, and do not seem to be thriving well. The disease can begin in the first few months of life.
CAUSES—Celiac disease affects the small intestine. There are abnormalities in the intestinal lining, due to a permanent intolerance to gluten. Gluten is in wheat, rye, barley, and oats. (Corn, rice, millet, soybeans, quinoa, and amaranth do not contain gluten. There seems to be a little uncertainty about buckwheat.) The protein, gliaden, is thought to be the toxic part of the gluten. It interacts with the lining of the intestines, causing the tiny absorptive fingers which jut from it (the villi) to flatten and atrophy. As a result, nutrients are not absorbed (including vitamins A, D, and K) and the disease symptoms appear.
Unfortunately, many physicians and the food industries recommend that grains be introduced into the diet of the infant when they are less than a year old. This can prompt celiac disease to first appear then or even decades later.
This is important! Tell every expectant mother not to feed her child grains until it is at least a year old.
Removing gluten from the diet of a celiac produces a marked change; whether an infant, child, or adult, the person starts feeling better again. But he must not return to gluten foods.
Some infants do not tolerate cow's milk protein, and react to it with celiac symptoms, even before gluten is given to them. So remove that also from them.
Celiac disease is often misdiagnosed as spastic colon, irritable bowel syndrome, or something else which affects the intestines.
Yet, if left untreated, celiac disease can be quite serious. It can lead to pancreatic disease, infertility, miscarriages, internal hemorrhaging, bone disease, gynecological disorders, nervous system damage, intestinal lymphoma, and many more. For example, anemia is common, due to poor absorption of folic acid, iron, and vitamins B12 and K.
Scarring of the intestinal lining can progress so far that, by the age of 45 to 50, 90% of the intestine can be damaged, resulting in a significant reduction (as much as 70%) of the absorptive surfaces.
But there is evidence that partial repair to those walls can be made within several months, if you permanently part company with the offending foods.
TREATMENT—
• You will want to avoid the gluten foods, which are wheat, oats, rye, and barley.
• The follow grains do not have gluten: corn, millet, and rice. Soybeans, quince, and amaranth are also okay. Buckwheat is okay for some celiacs, but not for others.
• All grains fed to babies (and adults too) should be cooked for 2-3 hours, if the preparation is done by boiling at 212o F.
• Do not eat products containing cow's milk. Breast-feed the child, to avoid using cow's milk.
• Do not overeat sugar or white-flour products.
• Eat a nourishing diet, including fresh fruit and vegetables, and vegetable juices. Fiber is important in the diet of celiacs.
• Allisatin, found in garlic, is said to help treat celiac disease.
• Ripe bananas are tolerated well, and help control the diarrhea.
• Avoid processed, fried, and junk food. Do not eat sugary foods, chocolate, and processed foods.
• Read the labels, and watch for "hidden" gluten or cow's milk ingredients in bottles and packages. Some of these are malt, modified food starch, some soy sauces, garin vinegars, binders, fillers, excipients, and "natural flavorings." Almost all commercial breads, bread mixes, crackers, etc., contain gluten. It is often found in commercially prepared puddings, candies, cookies, cakes, ice cream, salad dressings, luncheon meats, frankfurters, canned chili, macaroni, noodles, spaghetti, bread stuffings, and anything thickened with flour (soups, vegetables, bottled meat sauces, gravies, flavoring syrups, sauces, cocoa mixes.
• Only eat homemade desserts.
• Frozen, fresh, or canned vegetable and vegetable juices are all right.
• Breads and cereals made from rice, millet, soybean, corn, or potato starch are okay.
• Do not eat meat.
• Avoid tobacco, tea, coffee, and alcohol.
• Helpful herbs include aloe vera, burdock, pau d'arco, psyllium, saffron, slippery elm, and alfalfa.
—Also see "Lactose Intolerance." Both have some similar symptoms and problems. Also see "Crohn's Disease."
ENCOURAGEMENT—You may at times hesitate. Should you choose the right? But the command of God is "Go forward!" Do what is right, regardless of the consequences, and the angels of God will be by your side.
LACTOSE INTOLERANCE
SYMPTOMS—Diarrhea, gas, and abdominal cramps. Symptoms generally begin 30 minutes to 2 hours after eating dairy products.
In infants, symptoms include foamy diarrhea with diaper rash, slow weight gain and development, as well as vomiting.
CAUSES—Lactose intolerance is inability to digest milk sugar. The intestinal wall is not able to make the digestive enzyme, lactase, which is needed to split lactose into glucose and galactose. When the lactose is not split, it remains undigested in the intestinal tract; retains fluid; and ferments in the colon, producing gas, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping.
Although it can cause digestive disruption and discomfort, lactose intolerance will not produce dangerous results, and can be easily controlled through careful diet.
Oddly enough, hardly any adults in the world can digest milk sugar after the age of 20. The exceptions are most Caucasians of northern European origin.
The following infections can result in lactose intolerance: irritable bowel syndrome, regional enteritis, and ulcerative colitis.
Although less common, in infants and children it can occur after a severe attack of gastroenteritis, which injures the intestinal wall.
If you are pregnant and there is lactose intolerance in your family, plan to breast-feed your child or give him a non-dairy formula (such as soy milk). But, if you do, give him added calcium gluconate powder, since soy milk does not contain enough calcium.
Lactose intolerance is different than milk allergy. A person with lactose intolerance cannot digest milk sugar; one with milk allergy can digest milk, but his immune system is antagonistic to one or more of its components.
TREATMENT—
• Avoid all milk and dairy products. This includes ice cream.
• Beware of products which contain small amounts of added milk ingredients, such as "milk solids." Lactose is added to many processed foods, including cookies, pancake mixes, breads, canned and powdered soups, flavored coffees, powdered drink mixes, and processed meats.
• Since you cannot drink milk, eat foods which are rich in calcium. This includes broccoli, dried figs, apricots, blackstrap molasses, and other vegetable greens.
• Do not eat spinach or rhubarb, for they contain a chemical which blocks absorption of calcium.
• Take supplemental calcium gluconate (or calcium lactate) powder. This is an excellent source of nutritional calcium.
• Many pharmaceutical drugs contain lactose as a filler.
• Do not eat any solid food during a lactose attack of diarrhea. Just drink lots of good water and replace lost minerals.
• Acidophilus milk would not help the person with lactose intolerance, for the acidophilus works to improve conditions in the colon, and the problems with lactose occur in the small intestine.
—Also see "Celiac Disease." Both have some similar symptoms and problems.
ENCOURAGEMENT—The victory can be gained, for nothing is impossible with God. Give Him your heart, and you have given Him the best gift you can. And is it not worth it? He offers you Christ and eternal life in heaven.
WILSON'S DISEASE
SYMPTOMS—The fissure sign is a pigmented ring (the Kayser-Fleischer ring) at the outer margin of the cornea of the eye.
Later symptoms include bloody vomit; drooling; an enlarged spleen; jaundice; difficulty in speaking, swallowing, and/or walking; loss of coordination; progressive fatigue, weakness, intellectual impairment; personality changes; bizarre behavior; spasms, tremors, rigidity of the muscles; fluid accumulation; swelling in the abdomen; and weight loss.
Although the disease begins at birth, symptoms generally do not appear until the age of six or more often in the teens or later.
CAUSES—Wilson's disease is rare and inherited. The body is not able to metabolize the trace mineral copper, although it is still absorbed by the small intestine into the blood stream.
The result is an excess of copper in the various organs (liver, kidneys, brain, and corneas of the eyes). If not cared for, Wilson's disease will result in serious damage to the liver and brain, and, ultimately, death.
Early detection and treatment can minimize the damage. If you have a family history of this disease, have diagnostic tests made of you and your children. Early detection is important. The following is a treatment for one with this disease; it should not be used by those who do not have Wilson's disease:
TREATMENT—
• A lifetime must be spent avoiding things which have copper and taking substances which remove it from the body.
• Check your drinking water, to make sure it has no copper. If it has more than 1 part per million of copper, drink bottled water.
• Make sure your vitamin/mineral supplements do not include copper.
• Onions and garlic contain sulfur, which helps rid the body of copper. But do not take flowers of sulfur (the chemical sulfur); they will give you boils.
• Eliminate from the diet those foods which are high in copper. This includes chocolate, molasses, nuts, organ meats, shellfish, broccoli, mushrooms, avocados, legumes, oats, egg yolks, soybeans, raisins, and whole grains.
• Maintain a high intake of vitamin C and zinc, since copper in the body tends to destroy both.
• Avoid exposure to metal.
ENCOURAGEMENT—The true man or woman is the one who will stand by principle, even though all others may be compromising. Obedience to the commandments of God, by enabling faith in Christ, is what is needed.
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