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Tips for Parents: Recognition and Prevention
Be aware of what can happen to the body as a product of starvation, nutrition deprivation and purging. It could help you begin to recognize symptoms of an eating disorder in your child.
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Hair can stop growing and even fall out. |
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Severe fasting or exercising can cause muscles to deteriorate. |
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Bone loss. |
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The body can become abnormally cold, and in an effort to keep warm, fine hair can grow all over the body, even on the face and stomach. |
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Reproductive functions can completely shut down, and periods can become irregular or stop altogether. |
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Excessive vomiting or laxative abuse can lead to cardiac arrest. |
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Purging causes chronic sore throats and eye vessels may burst. |
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Research shows that 1,000 girls die every year from eating disorders. |
Abigail Natenshon, author of When Your Child Has an Eating Disorder,
says there are seven specific ways parents can help prevent eating disorders and help your daughters appreciate their bodies:
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Minimize diet and weight talk. |
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Connect during meal times with your child. |
| 3. |
Don't equate thinness with happiness. |
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Praise your daughter for what she does, not how she looks. |
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Discourage extreme or obsessive behavior of any kind. |
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Ask your daughter to make a list of her positive attributes not related to her body or appearance. |
| 7. |
Help her become a good problem solver. |
Find Help
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Get more information about awareness and prevention of eating disorders from the National Eating Disorders Association website: www.nationaleatingdisorders.org |
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The latest news, interactive chats and support can be found on the non-profit website www.something-fishy.org |
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