Reply #16: Golden Oldie, is right, it is medical, but

[Rozlee]

also has so many psychiatric and genetic components that no one single or combination of causes can be found. I'm a retired RN that worked primarily with cardiac patients in military hospitals, so most of my patients were middle-aged to elderly active duty or retirees. But, we had a few juvenile cases from Peds for observation secondary to electrolyte depletion, which is the main complication of eating disorders and the one that normally causes the greatest mortality. Potassium loss can lead to deadly heart arrythmias and we had to monitor the patients closely. In one case, we had a middle-aged bulemic that had started purging at 13 years of age and had her teeth worn down to stumps from the acids in her stomach! But, I'm glad your daughter is OK, Golden Oldie. In todays obese society, an eating disorder can also be overeating. But, a new eating disorder called orthorexia nervosa, which is defined by an obsession with eating only healthy "good" foods, has come into the medical and pychiatric milieu. Many experts are still considering if it is a true food disorder. It was first coined by Dr. Steven Bratman. He had a patient who died, that looked anorexic, but ate adequately of only what she considered "healthy" food. 20/20 ran a segment on it that you can see online. But, yeah, these blood-sucking insurance companies will use any loophole to get out of paying for any of these disorders. To say that they will pay for complications that are caused by these illnesses is just bullcrap! Because, then, they can claim it is due to a pre-existing condition.