Anorexia

This is something that makes me angry. Not because I'm a bit tubby (more than a bit, I weighed myself today and it was quite a shock, I can tell you), not because it's a pretty silly thing to do when you live in a developed country with plenty to eat.

No, I experienced anorexia almost firsthand. A close friend of mine developed it when I was at school and I had to sit back and watch while she became smaller and bonier.

The reason I'm sharing it with you now is because I've discovered there are a number of websites dedicated to anorexics giving them handy hints about what to do.

Anorexia can literally kill you. Your body needs nutrients to survive so as you lose body fat you get hairier (the hair is to keep you warm because there is no fat to do its normal job) your periods stop, perhaps permanently if you do enough damage, you are likely to find yourself weak and possibly prone to fainting, and you can develop osteoporosis.

If you over exercise in this state, you have none of the necessary joint protection, which can lead to arthritic problems and puts increased pressure on weakened bones (from the lack of calcium).

And if you throw up, you destroy your stomach lining, the enamel on your teeth and seriously weaken your heart. It's likely to give you crippling stomach cramps.

Your hair becomes dull, your skin greasy, your lips cracked. Imagine people who have survived a prolonged period of starvation, like siege victims or people at concentration camps. Yep, that's how hot you become.

I'd like to add that my friend never became that ill. She was threatened with hospitalisation or starting to eat, and, quite literally, she chose life. Now she can polish off a chocolate cake with the best of them, and not feel guilty about it.

But today's society has changed from how it was for her, nine years ago. How much skinnier are celebrities? How much more focus is put on losing weight, diet secrets of the stars and the dangers of obesity? Lets not forget it's just as dangerous to be too thin. When I see people like Nicole Richie, I can just imagine her snapping in two. But these people talk with pride about how they can eat what they want or about their ridiculously strict regimes. Liz Hurley admitted (and subsequently, I think, said her remarks were taken out of context) that she only ate one meal a day and went to bed hungry.

Most teenagers see their bodies in a warped funhouse mirror. So when they look at the tv schedules and see how many famous, important people are thin, and how all the terrible fatties out there need to be on these strict diet plans, how tempting must it be to do something about it.

When someone develops anorexia, they hurt more than just themselves. They become secretive, develop disgusting habits such as hiding and hoarding food, they tend to lose interest in previous passions. Their families don't know what to do, or how to help.

I was shocked and angry when I first learned about these pro-anorexia websites. Chances are these people with abysmal self-esteem are beautiful and slender before they start destroying their bodies. And there really is help out there for people with a problem with food - medical websites, your GP, any doctor, friends, the school nurse. They are probably more willing to listen and less judgemental than you think. Don't get advice from a bunch of other people who are slowly killing themselves. If you saw them clearly, you would know how wrong it is.