To my dear colleagues

This is my last blog and I want to apologize for and “fix” what I have done to some of you, especially Hassan, in my previous blogs. So, I thought that discussing the “loss of appetite” and its treatment might be of little help.

Loss of appetite is a common disorder and in medical field we call it “Anorexia”. The most common causes of this disorder are unhealthy lifestyle, wrong eating habits, some medications,  and “reading my previous blogs”. So, concentrating on lifestyle and eating habits may alleviate anorexia. Also, there are some effective remedies that usually help in anorexia.

There are some physical and psychological factors that may cause anorexia. Physical causes may include faulty eating habits, usage of certain medications and unhealthy lifestyle.

·         Inappropriate eating habits:

•   skipping meals

• following a restricted diet

•  intake of high fat foods

•  excessive use of spices or oil

·         There is a huge number of medications that may cause loss of appetite, for example:

•  Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, such as Ibuprofen

•  some antibiotics

·         Unhealthy lifestyle

•  going to bed right after having meal

• repression of hunger

•  sedentary lifestyle

In addition, there are some psychological causes such as depression, stress, and anxiety. It is also possible that any personal tragedy may contribute in losing appetite. Other causes may include strict work schedules, relationship crisis, and feeling of loneliness.

Prolonged anorexia may cause malnutrition which causes some physical conditions. For example, fatigue, dizziness, giddiness, and physical weakness. In addition, malnutrition may lead to some serious health conditions. For example, body may become more vulnerable towards diseases and infections. It may also lead to many disorders of digestive system. Also it may harm the organs of body, for example liver, kidney or heart. 

Anorexia remedies:

•  one teaspoon of lime juice, one teaspoon juice of ginger, a pinch of salt. It should be blended together and should be used two times per day. This remedy is believed to be effective in appetite restoration

• a pinch of fine powder of ginger and a pinch of salt to be sprinkled on a slice of orange. Eat 2 to 3 slices daily.

In conclusion, the aforementioned loss of appetite’s remedies are the most effective treatment, but improvement in eating habits and lifestyle is also very important for restoration of appetite. For instance, avoid intake of fluids during eating a meal, do not skip meals, avoid to eat large meals and, reduce the use of spices. Also avoid sedentary lifestyle and eat when you are hungry. In addition, stress reduction is also advised. In case of psychological disturbance, seek medical supervision to get rid of the problem.

At the end, I would like to thank you all for giving me the chance to share with you a brief information about some diseases and its management. Again, I apologize and hope that this blog fixed your problem with appetite and the next pictures are my last effort to restore your appetite :)

References:

Costin, C. (2007). The eating disorder sourcebook: A comprehensive guide to the causes, treatments, and prevention of eating disorders. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Brownell, K. D., & Foreyt, J. P. (1986). Handbook of eating disorders: Physiology, psychology, and treatment of obesity, anorexia, and bulimia. New York: Basic Books.

Trigazis, L., Tennankore, D., Vohra, S., & Katzman, D. K. (January 01, 2004). The use of herbal remedies by adolescents with eating disorders. The International Journal of Eating Disorders, 35, 2, 223-8.