Eating disorders vitamins

Adults with an eating disorder and frequent use of ipecac often present with a history of recent weight loss. Malnutrition and chronic vomiting may cause electrolyte disturbances, dental changes, and skin changes associated with various vitamin deficiencies. 

Significant medical conditions, including head trauma, metabolic disorders, and neurologic conditions, should be identified. Eating and sleeping patterns are important to identify over time to know if these relate to the present condition and to know if medications affected them. Information about potential drug sensitivities or interactions may be obtained from a medication history that includes antibiotics commonly used, cold preparations, vitamins, health supplements, and present and past psychotropic medications. It is important to find out about previous medication trials what was tried, what worked, what did not work, and why. 

It is important to remember that healthy individuals can obtain sufficient vitamins and inorganic essentials from food sources in the normal diet. Unfortiuiately, many individuals fail to observe healthy eating patterns. A food pyramid has been suggested recently by the U.S. Department of Agricultme (http //www.mypyramid.gov/) as a template. Other fectors, such as lack of exercise, may result in nutritional deficiencies as well as diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and other chronic disorders. 

The current scientific position is that vitamin C should only be taken in tablets by persons whose diet does not contain a sufficient amount due to eating or digestive disorders or a strong preference against eating fruits. The recoimnended daily amount in these cases is about 100 mg. There are no scientifically proven benefits of taking larger doses. 

Essential Nutrient Excesses. Most well-informed people know that eating too much carbohydrates and/or fat may bring on obesity, and perhaps a host of other ills. However, many of those who take various types of nutritional supplements might be surprised to learn that even excesses of proteins, minerals, and vitamins may be the cause of disorders such as those which follow. 

A disorder which results from the binding of the vitamin biotin by a substance called avidin which is present in raw egg white. Egg white injury is characterized by shedding of flakes of skin, lack of appetite, loss of weight, and pains in the muscles. However, this disorder is rare in humans because (1) they do not normally eat sufficient amounts of raw egg white to bring about this condition and (2) most people cook eggs before eating them. 

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