country, to have anorexia or bulimia. You wouldn’t expect them to have an eating disorder because they’re at the top of

their physical game already, and there’s no apparent need for them to “control” their weight. The harsh reality is that

eating disorders are real, and they’re not just for the “queen bees and wannabes” crowd anymore. It gets even worse

when you realize that these eating disorders are complex affairs that are not only difficult to actually spot, but even

more difficult to accurately diagnose.

People with an eating disorder, be it anorexia or bulimia or something else, will always have a problem. Many people,

even experts in mental health and related fields, have difficulty cutting through the usually-thick layers of acts and

deceptions that often tag along for an eating disorder’s ride. Since mental health practitioners so often rely on data

obtained from the patient himself, it can sometimes be a long time before even a professional can break through the

lies and deceptions. Coaches, particularly for female athletes, have been somewhat aware of the most obvious signs –

likely because coaches, more than mental health professionals, are in a good position to identify the common physical

signs of an eating disorder.

Coaches are in an interesting position to help identify athletes with eating disorders. They control training regimens,

usually are given access to the school’s medical records on the athletes under their care, and are trained to evaluate

a number of physical signs. They have also been long encouraged by a number of authorities to spot signs such as

under-eating or over-training. The signs are often referred to as a triad for female athletes, because the three signs

tend to occur one after another. The first sign that a female athlete might have anorexia or bulimia would be

under-eating, which is sometimes accompanied by oddities in their weight and physical build. This is often followed by

problems with their menstrual period, a sign that their bone density has been affected by their eating disorder.

Of course, this is only useful if coaches were actually aware of the signs to look out for. A recent survey found that

most coaches, the people that are in prime position to spot these problems, are in the dark about what to look for.

Most of them were completely unaware of the signs that they should seek out, while other had misconceptions about the

triad of signs. For example, many coaches mistakenly believed that menstrual problems – or the lack of an actual

menstrual period – were related to more intense physical activity, not a loss of bone density brought about by a

dietary disorder. This is a problem because, since bone density is built up during adolescence, the loss of it can

easily have life-long consequences. In the most drastic cases, an eating disorder in a female athlete at this stage of

life can have potentially fatal results.

Harvey Ong is a part-time researcher, with special interest in the occult, medical anomalies, herbal lore, and

psychology. He is also employed as a writer-researcher, researching and writing articles about a variety of pain

killers, muscle relaxants,sexual health medications,and psychoactive drugs. Want to Join an Online Health Board, visit Online Health Forums Talk with other people about General Health and Natural Treatment, visit href="http://forums.drugstoretm.com/">Pharmacy Forums