Anorexia nervosa, colloquially anorexia, is definitely much more than a straightforward eating disorder; it is a full-blown mental disorder that has long-term physical consequences. But what does it really do to your body over time? And why is early intervention so important? Let’s break it down, step by step.
How Does Anorexia Affect Your Physical Health?
We all know that anorexia will cause you to lose weight, but that’s not the only or even the major, damage it can do. Your bones could become brittle, or your heart could struggle to pump blood. That’s what can happen to your body if it is not getting its required nutrients.
Your Bones Take a Hit
One of the more usual and long-lasting effects of anorexia is on your bones. When the body isn’t receiving enough nutrition, bone tissue starts depleting at a rate faster than the body can replace it. Long-term, this leads to osteopenia, or the thinning of bones, and eventually osteoporosis, which is the loss of bone. And it doesn’t take much time for this process to start—it can be just months when extreme dieting is the issue. What’s even more alarming is that, even after recovery, bones may never return to their former density. The risk of fractures remains much higher than normal, especially in women.
Your Heart Isn’t Safe Either
Anorexia can be brutal on your heart. You may be losing body muscle, but your heart muscle shrinks too, making it not as strong and capable of circulating blood well. Bradycardia refers to a shockingly low heart rate and low blood pressure, and in extreme cases, it may result in the failure of the heart. But that is not all; due to the lack of good nutrients within the body, the heart may also suffer from an electrolyte imbalance that could cause an irregular heartbeat and further complications.
The Mental Health Side: The Battle Continues
Anorexia isn’t just hard on your body—maybe worse, it can mess with your mind even long after recovery. Depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors are common in people who have had anorexia. All too often, these mental health issues hang on long after someone has returned to a healthier weight.
Why?
Partly, it relates to how your brain works under chronic starvation. Malnutrition does cause permanent neurological damage that impacts everything from your cognitive clarity to the processing of your emotions. Recovery is not just about starting to eat again, but about recuperating both your body and mind. Although most mental health issues can be treated with the help of therapy, some long-lasting symptoms may need treatment for a very long time to manage and prevent their relapse. It’s a hard road, but with support, many people see significant improvements.
Anorexia’s Impact on Fertility
In women, anorexia often results in amenorrhea—a fancy term for losing your period. Aside from a rare monthly ovulation cycle, fertility might be at risk. Some women may later face difficulty getting pregnant or experience other complications in their pregnancy, like low birth weight or preterm labor.
Why Does This Happen?
When it doesn’t receive food, the body simply ‘shuts down’ non-essential functions, such as reproduction, to economize on energy. The hormone levels go down and conception becomes quite difficult or impossible. Even after the resumption of menstruation, fertility might not be regained immediately and even then, pregnancy can pose certain risks unless nutritional health has completely been restored. The longer this anorexia goes on, the more impossible complete recuperation becomes.
Digestive Problems and Weakened Immunity
Anorexia also impacts your digestive system. Many are afflicted with stomach bloating, constipation, and gastroparesis—slowing down food digestion—commonly even after one resumes normal food intake. Your body’s digestive system has become lethargic, as it isn’t used to processing food; this leads to discomfort and long-term problems.
It Doesn’t Stop There
With anorexia, the immune system is weakened by malnutrition, making you more susceptible to infections and illnesses. A cold could be a lot worse to bear and may also take longer to go away. The body cannot easily recover from any other issue due to the discussed attack on the digestive system and the immune response. This is when chronic health issues become problems for some people.
Treatment Matters: It’s More Than Just Gaining Weight
What, then, is to be done? Of essence would be that one suffering from anorexia, or anyone knowing of such a person, should go and seek professional help as early as possible. Treatment is not just about weight gain; it could also involve mental health therapy, medical monitoring, and at times alternative approaches such as holistic therapies. The earlier the treatment, the greater the possibility of full recovery, since some of the damage in the long term can be reversed by early treatment.
Are There Other Options?
An alternative option is medical marijuana, which has been shown to help manage symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.
While some states allow the use of marijuana on prescription only, others have gone a step further by legalizing it for both medical and recreational use, such as Washington. Even in states where recreational use is fully legalized, there are clear-cut benefits to getting a medical marijuana card.
For patients recovering from anorexia, mental health is just as important to consider as physical recovery, and this may become more efficient with a medical marijuana card in WA. While recreational strains of marijuana are available, a medical card opens access to special strains and products tailored to help conditions such as anxiety and depression—problems that are very often part of the anorexia recovery process. Moreover, with a medical card, you will be guaranteed medically appropriate advice, which, for this sort of sensitive condition, may turn out to be of the utmost importance.
Conclusion
The effects of anorexia do not simply disappear. Your bones, your heart, and even your mental health may be damaged for a long time due to it. This is why it is very important that treatment is pursued as early as possible, with all options open, including mental health care and even alternative treatments such as medical marijuana in Washington state.
Anorexia: If you or someone you know has this disorder, you should seek help without wasting any time. The sooner you address the problem, the better your chance of reversing some of these serious long-term effects. Bear in mind that one can recover with good support. Although the road to recovery may be long, every step forward will be one toward a much healthier and happier life.
