ANYONE CAN LOOK at a person starving from anorexia and know that something is wrong. But the anoretic's thin, skeletal look tells only a small part of what is happening inside that person's body. The consequences of bulimia are even more hidden because a person with bulimia is usually close to a normal weight. Even a compulsive eater is not necessarily grossly obese. But in all cases, the eating disorder has serious effects on the body. Some can be permanent and even life threatening.

Physical dangers of anorexia

People with anorexia are literally starving themselves, and their bodies show signs of starvation. Some signs are easily noticed. These include a lack of energy, feeling cold all the time, inability to sleep, dry patchy hair from a loss of protein, dizziness, headaches, constipation from lack of food and fluids, and the...