Are obese people greedy? Are obese people psychologically disturbed? Are obese people lacking in will-power? Do we have prejudices about obese people? Do obese people suffer from an eating disorder?

A person who has an obesity problem should not only be concerned with health conditions, but should also tackle a vast range of prejudices that are very widespread in our society.Prejudices about obese people represent a very widespread kind of cultural racism based on a range of wrong stereotyped beliefs and are deeply rooted in Western cultures.The most common prejudices are: * obese people are greedy people that gain weight because of their uncontrolled greed
* obese people are psychologically disturbed people
* obese people are people without will, otherwise they can lose weight

These prejudices are more serious because scientific research has shown their falseness. They are ideas that almost everybody has to such a point that even if obesity represents a problem which is widespread as an epidemic at world level (roughly 20% of women and roughly 30% of men of the world are destined to suffer from it by the year 2005) the world would continue to do its best to make obese people’s life difficult.A lot of obese people are too fat also for medical science: to be effectively contained by an operating bed, to stay on a common hospital wheelchair without being jammed inside, to enter a tunnel of an appliance for tomography CAT and NMR.And yet, if the last two or three million years of human history are considered, obesity seems be a sad, but inexorable destiny of a lot of us.

Evolution seems to have favoured people that have chosen fat and energetic food. Originally, it was useful for the survival of people capable of storing calories to face famine situations. Up to a hundred years ago, this system worked for those who had unlimited access to food and/or had sedentary employment.

With the coming of technologies that automatized this work world and our everyday lives, exercise has become an option or a luxury for many people who live in Western countries. But it is not for this reason that people give up eating high caloric food.

Nowadays one American out of two is considered overweight (in 1950 it was one out of four). In Italy we have 40% overweight people.

Prejudices are not useful to tackle the problem and miraculous pills produced in recent years by pharmaceutical companies do not seem to be giving benefits comparable to their side effects.

Many obese people are actually suffering from an eating disorder or food addiction. Both the eating disorder or food addiction is treatable. If you require assistance in locating an eating disorder program near you call 1-800-511-9225, the eating disorder helpline or go to www.recoveryconnection.org.

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Alcoholism is a disease and is characterized by a set of specific symptoms. Below are some of the symptoms of alcoholism;Craving: A strong need, or compulsion, to drink alcohol.. Loss of control: The inability to limit one’s drinking alcohol on any given occasion.

. Physical dependence: Alcohol withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety, occur when alcohol use is stopped after a period of heavy drinking.

. Tolerance: The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol in order to “get high.”

People who are not alcoholic sometimes do not understand why an alcoholic can’t just “use a little willpower” to stop drinking. However, alcoholism has little to do with willpower. Alcoholics are in the grip of a powerful “craving,” or uncontrollable need, for alcohol that overrides their ability to stop drinking. This need can be as strong as the need for food or water.

Although some people are able to recover from alcoholism without help, the majority of alcoholics need assistance. With an effective alcohol treatment program and support, many individuals are able to stop drinking and rebuild their lives.

Many people wonder why some individuals can use alcohol without problems but others cannot. One important reason has to do with genetics. Scientists have found that having an alcoholic family member makes it more likely that if you choose to drink you too may develop alcoholism. Genes, however, are not the whole story. In fact, scientists now believe that certain factors in a person’s environment influence whether a person with a genetic risk for alcoholism ever develops the disease. A person’s risk for developing alcoholism can increase based on the person’s environment, including where and how he or she lives; family, friends, and culture; peer pressure; and even how easy it is to get alcohol.

If you need help locating an effective alcohol treatment program call 1-800-511-9225, the national alcohol treatment program helpline or go to www.lakeviewhealth.com.

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For many people, the facts about alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction are not clear. What is alcohol abuse, exactly? How does it differ from alcoholism (i.e., alcohol addiction)? When should a person seek help for a problem related to his or her drinking? The following information explains both alcohol abuse and alcoholism, the symptoms of each, when and where to seek help, alcohol treatment choices, and additional helpful alcoholism resources.

Alcohol Dependence, Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse: A Widespread ProblemFor most people who drink, alcohol is a pleasant accompaniment to social activities. Moderate alcohol use-up to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women and older people-is not harmful for most adults. (A standard drink is one 12-ounce bottle or can of either beer or wine cooler, one 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.) Nonetheless, a large number of people get into serious trouble because of their drinking. Currently, nearly 14 million Americans-1 in every 13 adults-abuse alcohol or are alcoholic. Several million more adults engage in risky drinking that could lead to alcohol problems. These patterns include binge drinking and heavy drinking on a regular basis. In addition, 53 percent of men and women in the United States report that one or more of their close relatives have a drinking problem.

The consequences of alcohol abuse are serious-in many cases, life threatening. Heavy drinking can increase the risk for certain cancers, especially those of the liver, esophagus, throat, and larynx (voice box). Heavy drinking can also cause liver cirrhosis, immune system problems, brain damage, and harm to the fetus during pregnancy. In addition, drinking increases the risk of death from automobile crashes as well as recreational and on-the-job injuries. Furthermore, both homicides and suicides are more likely to be committed by persons who have been drinking. In purely economic terms, alcohol-related problems cost society approximately $185 billion per year. In human terms, the costs cannot be calculated.

If you require assistance in locating an effective alcohol rehab call the national alcohol treatment helpline at 1-800-511-9225 or go to www.lakeviewhealth.com.

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If you suffer from an eating disorder like Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa or some other eating disorder, it is not only a problem in itself, but it could be the origin of a series of medical complications that make the eating disorder worse and in the long run might cause irreparable physical damage.The most frequent medical complications of eating disorders are linked to damage fundamentally caused to the body by a strict diet - protein-calorie deficit and weight loss. Elimination and weight control behaviour like self-induced vomiting, inadequate laxative and diuretics use are causes of other complications.

When there is an excessive weight increase, medical complications of obesity can result.

To be more precise, the worst complication of an eating disorder is obviously death. According to long-term studies carried out in different countries, it has been found that the mortality rate of an eating disorder, Anorexia Nervosa, patients is between 4% and 18%. It is a death risk that can be compared to that of drug addiction.

Death during the eating disorder, Anorexia Nervosa, is usually caused by cardiac, pulmonary and renal damage, linked to grave malnutrition, but also linked to self-aggressive behaviour that is found in roughly 20% of patients.

Other classic complications of an eating disorder with malnutrition are: amenorrhoea (menstrual cycle interruption), anemia (red blood cell diminution), osteoporosis: loss of bone density, muscular weakness, insomnia, hair loss, body hair increase, skin dryness, low body temperature, irregular heart beat, liver damage, kidney damage, damage to the immune system. The risk of getting gall stones increases.

Women with the eating disorder, anorexia find it more difficult to conceive, and if they get pregnant, there is a larger risk of miscarriage and premature birth, which can cause harm to the newborn child.

Vomiting, if present, can cause gastritis and permanent damage to teeth, enamel and dentine, painful swellings of salivary glands that make a face look like squirrel cheeks and sub-acute laryngitis that can cause permanent damage to the vocal cords.

Diuretics abuse causes, in the long-run, renal damage and stagnation of body fluid, arterial pressure decrease and an increased risk of heart-circulatory failure.
Laxative abuse causes chronic intestinal inflammation that in time causes the loss of intestinal motor capacities and permanent constipation.

Every time that persons affected by eating disorders have one of these complications they should seek medical advice to evaluate the real gravity and begin the necessary therapy.

If you are looking for assistance in locating an effective eating disorder program, call 1-800-511-9225, an eating disorder helpline.

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