hiya bucks in Bourne End, Flackwell Heath, Marlow, Wycombe, Wooburn June 2017 | Page 16

YOUR HEALTH
with Dr. Thakkar
EATING WELL FOR MIND AND BODY
TOO LITTLE IS AS DANGEROUS AS TOO MUCH
Whilst obesity is a growing problem that often hits the press,
and rightly so, we also need to consider those who may have an
eating disorder. Eating disorders, particularly in men, have been
highlighted in the national media of late. Broadly speaking, eating
disorders can be categorised into anorexia nervosa, bulimia or a
mixture of the two, sometimes referred to as an eating disorder not
otherwise specified (EDNOS).
Anorexia often manifests as the inability of
the person to recognise they are underweight
and in fact, patients feel they are overweight
despite being thin and malnourished. As
such, behaviours such as obsession about
weight, excessive exercising, vomiting and
abuse of laxatives and other drugs, become
the focus of daily life. risk of these conditions as well as improving
mental health.
Bulimia is a cycle of binge eating and
subsequently vomiting the ingested food.
Triggers can be many-fold but often include
stressful life events. The causes of eating
disorders are multi-factorial and include peer
and parental pressure, media, criticism, poor
coping strategies and genetics. The risks of having an eating disorder are
equally as devastating and can be life
threatening. Complications include mental
health disorders such as depression, anxiety
and obsessive neuroses, malnutrition,
osteoporosis, rupture of the oesophagus,
muscle disorders, dental cavities, heart
failure, and abnormalities of electrolytes such
as potassium that may, in some cases, lead
to cardiac arrest and death.
Being overweight can increase the risk of
cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease,
diabetes, fatty liver and arthritis. There is no
doubt that diet and exercise can reduce the
The Healthy Bucks programme http://
www.chiltern.gov.uk/article/5458/
Get-Healthy-Bucks can help you find
activities near you and can be found online,
and Active Bucks offers similar help at http://
activebucks.co.uk/
It is essential that if you, or if you think a loved one, may be suffering from an eating
disorder early help is sought. Remember, it’s common for those with an eating
disorder to hide their behaviour, and both men and women may be affected. As such,
a high degree of vigilance is required. If concerned, you absolutely must see a doctor.
Dr. Thakkar is a GP
at Pound House Surgery
Chiltern Clinical
Commissioning Group
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