Islam is the best guider in this regard. It guides that food which are we using either is healthy or unhealthy. In this way the concept of Halal and Haram food arose. Halal food means healthy food and Haram means unhealthy food. Many junk food ingredients consist of haram or unhealthy components. But most of us unknown to them. There have been mentioned E numbers on food packets. These numbers show that which chemicals are used in them and by searching them we can easily check that the food we are taking in is healthy or not. There are several apps that are used to find that E number mentioned in our required food is safe or not.

Dear Readers,

Please find below another guest post by Dure Maknoon Razia an undergraduate student of biochemistry, GCUF. Thank you so much for another incredible contribution . We are very touched by all of you who’ve come forward and made great contribution to our blog. Thank you Dure for being so understanding about Eating Disorders and wanting to make change happen in Pakistan.  Please note that we always encourage guest posts. We only make the change in real life stories to seal the anonymity. We would like to see more and more guest posts from people suffering from eating disorders and their loved ones. We thank everyone to this date who has contributed to this website.

You can read Dure’s first article by clicking here

Measures to manage EDs and how can we defeat

eating disorders in Pakistan?

Measures to manage EDs and how can we defeat eating disorders in Pakistan?

        In adults, eating behaviors & attitudes are continuously increasing. Due to irregular eating habits, there are group of characters that occurred in which anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa are included. Concern related to body weight, diet & body shape and also psychiatric disorders are also included. Psychiatric disorders are; anxiety, depression and substance abuse like drugs, alcohols etc

Anorexia nervosa is a disorder in which an individual has fear to become fat, that’s way he or she stops eating and his or her weight losses to dangerous level.

Bulimia nervosa (cycle of binge eating), also simply known as bulimia in which attempts are done to remove calories that are unwanted.

Binge eating disorders includes eating large amount of food and this habit cannot be controlled.

These illnesses are mostly found in western nations but it is hypothesized that this disorder is continuously spreading in non-western nations. Main causes of this are Cultural Transformation and also the transformations in which food supply, gender role, demographics, global economies and also family structures.

Medical Complications

Medical complications that occurred due to EDs results from:

1. Binge eating (consuming large amount of eating)
2. Rate and amount of starvation
3. Ways that are used to reduce weight (diuretics, laxatives, dieting, self-induced vomiting, over exercising)

Along with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder or purging there are Some other complications in which:

• Hypothyroidism (Thyroid Abnormalities)
• Renal Abnormalities due to dehydration
• Amenorrhea (Endocrine Abnormalities)
• Anemia (Hematologic changes)
• Osteoporosis (Skeletal conditions)
• Cardiac arrhythmias & sudden death due to fluid and electrolyte imbalances
• Tissue Damage due to chronic vomiting
• Seizures (neurological Abnormalities)
• Depression

Mortality

Due to EDs, it was observed in those patients whom given instant medication that within twenty years mortality rate is almost 19% and chances of death increased in the condition of starvation and also, they compelled to suicide.

How to manage eating disorders

The main treatment areas for all EDs are given as:

• Maintenance and attainment of healthy, normal and stable body weight.
• Treatment of comorbid conditions (presence of more than one disease present in the same person), medical & psychiatric.
• Stop abnormal behavior of eating like purging, food restricting due to fear of becoming fat.
• Avoid compulsive exercise.
• Self-regulation is necessary.
• Un healthy schemas of cognitive and overvalued beliefs must be discarded and replace them with balanced and healthy views.
• To save yourself from ongoing deterioration, plan of improvement for almost five years.
• Therapeutic alliance.
• Comprehensive medical psychiatric and evaluation.
• Examinations of Bone density.
• Arrangements of suitable programs for patients related to general psychiatric and medical problems.

Treatment methods include; educational, medical, pharmacological, psychotherapeutic, nutritional and behavioral components.

some of them are given in brief here:

• Pharmacotherapy:

For the treatment of EDs, anticonvulsants, tetrahydrocannabinol, antipsychotics, prokinetic agents, Antidepressants, zinc, appetite suppressants, cyproheptadine, opiate antagonists and ondansetron are tested. Fluoxetine proved effective for anorexia nervosa to prevent relapse after maintaining weight loss. Cyproheptadine have benefits in weight maintenance. Antidepressants, used for bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorders.

• Psychotherapy:

Altering & modifying core pathological beliefs through psychotherapies. Family therapies interpersonal therapies, and psychodynamically informed therapies also proved effective. “focal analytical” approaches and self-psychology are also used.

• Nutrition Rehabilitations:

To maintain weight loss, maintain normal eating behavior, to cure abnormal perception of satiety and hunger, nutritional rehabilitation goals are necessary. Due to malnutrition, some girls’ loss their menses (Amenorrhea) so initial goal is to restore safe and ideal weight according to height, gender and age.  About 30–40 kcal/kg/day intake of calories are necessary and for some patients 70–100 kcal/kg/day is required.

How can we defeat eating disorders in Pakistan?

Pakistan is an Islamic country in which sunnah of Holy prophet (PBUH) is followed. But unfortunately, in the name of development, people in this country adapting the western culture gradually. I am not criticizing these but excess of everything is bad. In these adaptations, one of them is the use of junk food which leads to various medical and psychological problems.

So, what to do to defeat them:

Islam is the best guider in this regard. It guides that food which are we using either is healthy or unhealthy. In this way the concept of Halal and Haram food arose. Halal food means healthy food and Haram means unhealthy food. Many junk food ingredients consist of haram or unhealthy components. But most of us unknown to them. There have been mentioned E numbers on food packets. These numbers show that which chemicals are used in them and by searching them we can easily check that the food we are taking in is healthy or not. There are several apps that are used to find that E number mentioned in our required food is safe or not.

Our social media also playing role to promote the use of junk food, which proved to be harmful. Such adds in which promotion of unhealthy food is given must be banned.

The most beautiful obligation “Ramzan”. During this month fasting, not only the part of our Islamic values but it is also proved scientifically that it is healthy and safe for our body and protect from many harmful diseases. Because our body use the dead cells for energy during fasting and safes us from cancer.

It’s really sad that after becoming the center of several diseases we give heavy fees to doctors but our Islamic principles which are given us for leading healthy, balanced diet are not followed by us. So, in the last I want to say, keep balanced, keep healthy.