Show Pro-Ana Pro sites heighten eating disorder problems Kathryn Jones The Globe Nancy Clyburn was 16 when she decided to stop eating When she felt she had to eat shed she'd do so By the time she was binging shed she'd convinced herself that what shew she was w a s Y t 9 Information r I I on anorexia War r fi rrt la Contact The Health Wellness center Redwood South City doing was nor nor- norm m mal a I that eating disorder w was a s nothing m more 0 r e ethan than a choice not to eat or a choice to binge B But u t what began in junior high as a alow alow alow low priority in her life or a bit of unhappiness soon became more of an actual thought to be thinner said Clyburn name withheld by request There was one boyfriend in particular that kind of pointed out little things she said He would look at other people and compare me and it just kind of made me feel like I needed to be like that person Though Clyburn believes her eating disorder stems from various various various vari vari- ous unsupportive friends family and boyfriends at certain points she states that any little bit of criticism affected her whether the r n me meant t what they the ey s said or not Today much is said about the causes and treatment of anorexia and bulimia At there is a support group currently running that deals with the issue We absolutely see students here with eating disorders said Jackie Farnsworth Director of Health Wellness Services Farnsworth states that there are students who have what is called disordered eating meaning they might not have the disease but food has become a tie-in tie to their emotional issues Every college has problems and we are no exception to that Along with associations and emotional issues the media has Anorexia affects your whop whole bod body Brain and Narres F can un think right h fear fu of gaming c weight sad moody Irritable bad memory fainting changes In brim brain chemistry d Milt Hair hair hll and gets b br brittle 1 tIe l Hurt Heart low blood pressure slow heart 1 rate M. M fluttering of db the hurt heart r P heart J Blood Blood L Of iY 1 anemia and otter other wood Mood problem en i I j o s Ii Yf no nonet kidney fa Alu ff F t. t 1 TJ a. a ei m bw low po urn n II and d sodium f M Intestines constipation bloating Hormones P periods t I stop bone bona loss Iou problems growing 4 trout trouble W getting 9 er y t j p pregnant 1 t pregnant nl higher risk to for miscarriage ge having a o f C 1 baby with km low and d post C qi qiu C d depression ar u uE E SUn o 0 bruise bulse easily easey dry oVy skin grow growth of orne fn hair hIIr all over OYe body V get gM cold us easily ry yellow skill sUa nails nans get brittle Graph shows problems resulting from the eating disorder Anorexia Many girls are encouraged to become Anorexic from Pro-Ana Pro also been known to cause girls tomake to tomake tomake make destructive choices regarding regarding regarding regard regard- ing their eating habits This includes the ever popular Pro-Ana Pro anorexic that suggest being thin is merely a desire to be perfect Today you are constantly being bombarded with images of skinny women Clyburn said I think its it's really sad She suggests that the problem is starting to affect younger and Eating Disorders Cont on Page X 7 r Eating Disorders Cant Cont from front younger girls Really young kids shouldn't even have to worry about their body type or how much they eat she said They should be kids But its it's constantly being bombarded that you have to be this perfect perfect perfect per per- person As for her own eating habits Clyburn said that some days she wouldn't have anything to eat the entire day Other days she would eat but it was more like a social type thing with friends at school Clyburn explains that becoming anorexic was a slow process And that she wasn't one day just throwing up for example a a sign that bulimia was begin ning fling to take holdI hold I started eating more than I planned on and I Iwo I I wo would Id get to a point where my stomach would automatically automatically automatically auto auto- feel sick every time I 1 would eat Clyburn said I just felt disgusted with myself about what I 1 had eaten so I 1 would throw up Today Clyburn said she's clean and that girls who are trying to reach the perfect perfect perfect per weight worry her She has never been in the hospital hospi hospi- tal for treatment but she knows girls who have II She's known girls who have healed and lived and those who have died She knows girls who have lost their minds sufficiently far farenough farenough farenough enough that they can no longer see who they are in inthe inthe inthe the mirror If you think Im Tm fat so much youre you're never going to think youre you're thin Clyburn I said Youre skin and bones and youre you're not thinking thinking thinking think think- ing you are According to a 2001 survey survey survey sur sur- sur- sur vey by Tierney fashion models and other popular usually slender women have been erroneously lined to anorexia and a Polity and Herman 2002 study states that with the widespread exposure of the media everyone should be eating disordered but Clyburn disagrees I had a friend that was really overweight and she tried to be anorexic and she couldn't Clyburn said She didn't have the strength to do it she couldn't could could- nt stay away from food She couldn't make herself throw up and do anything like that And so she just Clyburn suggests that only girls with a strong determination can be anorexic or bulimic and that this is usually the kind of girl we usually dont don't think of as having a lem I think sometimes when you have bad self-esteem self you dont don't have the strength to do anything really she said In this regard at least one Pro-Ana Pro site agrees It spouts We are We thrive upon challenge upon competition upon the raw stimulation of living life Clyburn believes this way of thinking is a real lem She wonders about the further damage Pro-Ana Pro sites will cause Not only to those with the disease but butto butto to the curious girls that may maybe maybe be considering the disease as a lifestyle I think if girls look at these sites they could say This is normal Maybe I should start doing this Clyburn said Though Clyburn believes that its good to connect with people who have the same problem she feels a girl should only do so when the other person is trying to fix it as well When you are trying to progress forward and youre you're both kind of iffy on whether you really need help this could bring you down even worse she said Though Clyburn received help including therapy for treatment of her disease it wasn't until someone caught her throwing up that she took notice-notice notice enough to make a permanent change in her life While I 1 was binging one day my boyfriend kind of just walked in Clyburn said He was crying Seeing how much I 1 hurt him and how it affected him kind of woke me up It made me realize its it's just not affecting me anymore its it's actually affecting someone else And so I 1 guess I really needed someone that really really did care about me and wanted to help me And it finally hit me that I have somebody that is going to help me through this I dont don't have to do this alone If you believe you have an eating disorder or would like more information on anorexia or bulimia please contact The Health Wellness center at Redwood Clinic- Clinic South City Campus I 4 |