Anorexia Attacks Suddenly and Kills Slowly

Perfectionism is a plausible quality, but moderation is the key. At times, desire to look attractive and healthy becomes an obsession that kills some of us.

Photo: Anorexia Attacks Suddenly and Kills Slowly

Anorexia Attacks Suddenly and Kills Slowly

This week Russia was stunned with death of one of the most beautiful Russian actresses, Anna Samokhina, who died of stomach cancer on February 8. Samokhina knew what anorexia was: she experienced the disease on her own skin. She starved herself to the condition when she could not even look at food. The actress would not eat for three or four days.

Could extreme diets cause the disease? It is too late to guess. Lately, increasingly more celebrities fall victims of weight loss.

Brittany Murphy, 32

The actress/singer was overwhelmed with work last year. She was starring in several blockbusters, sang in a band, and was getting ready for an animation film project. She was also trying to lose weight. A year earlier both fans and journalists blamed her for being too skinny, but in the last couple months of her life she managed to lose several more pounds.

On December 20, Murphy’s mother found her unconscious on the bathroom floor. She called 911, but it was too late, and the doctors who arrived to the house could not revive Brittany. She was diagnosed with an acute heart attack.

In February, 2010, Chief Coroner Investigator Craig Harvey specified that pneumonia was the primary cause of death, with drugs and anemia as contributing factors.

Karen Carpenter, 33

Sad but true, the death of Karen Carpenter in 1983 opened the eyes of the world to Anorexia Nervosa, a life threatening disease. At the age of 25, she was 5'4", but weighed only 80 lbs. She has not gained more weight in the following 8 years.

Carpenter’s carrier was off to a good start from the very beginning. She was one half of the sibling music group, The Carpenters. The band started touring all over the country, and soon Karen became one of the most famous American singers. In her lifetime the band captured 3 Grammy's, 8 Gold Albums, 10 Gold Singles, and 5 Platinum Albums.

The success was accompanied with health problems. Karen’s colleagues started noticing that she was losing weight, was constantly tired and sometimes was not able to participate in rehearsals. Several times she collapsed after concerts, but no one could make her reconsider her lifestyle. The woman continued to lose weight and died of anorexia in 1983.

Eliana and Luisel Ramos, 18 and 22

Models are the most frequent victims of anorexia, virtually a professional disease. The issue became the subject of a lively debate a few years ago. Some countries banned anorexic models from catwalks, and many stores in Latin America stopped selling clothes of small sizes. But despite all of this, young beauties continue to kill themselves with extreme diets.

In the summer of 2006, the world was shocked to find out about deaths of two sisters, both top models. Luisel Ramos, 22, died after stepping down from a runway during a fashion show in Uruguay. Eliana Ramos, 18, was found dead at her grandparents' home in the Uruguayan capital six months later. The officials stated that Eliana’s death was caused by a heart attack, but her friends and family believe she died from excessive nervous and physical exhaustion.

Dangerous Boundary

Anorexia and hazards of extreme diets are being widely discussed. Yet, increasingly more beautiful and famous people catch this merciless virus.

One of them is Mary Kate Olsen, 24, who had to seek treatment for eating disorder a few years ago. After the treatment she made a confession saying that anorexia has nearly killed her and she realized she had to change something. Recently, she made another confession saying she was still battling the disease and was not able to gain sufficient weight.

Another young actress, Tara Reid , struggled both with anorexia and the consequences of bad plastic surgeries. Tara turned to both diets and surgeries to lose weight. When the liposuction did not bring promised results, she decided to try extreme dieting. Lately she gained a few pounds, which satisfied both fans and family.

A wealthy heiress, public figure, and a mother of two, Nicole Richie managed to win over her destructing dependency on diets. After having her second baby, Nicole quickly got back into shape, but chose not to return to her skeleton-like state.

Lindsay Lohan, a singer and actress, is regaining a healthy shape. She still has enough problems besides anorexia. In the past few years she was in jails and hospitals a number of times due to her alcohol and drugs addiction.

The latest victim of weight loss heavily criticized by media is Donatella Versace, who was caught by paparazzi while basking in the sun topless. She weighs 85 lbs, while her daughter Allegra is only 80 lbs.

Arguments and Facts