Unexplained Weight Loss

Just when you think that weight loss is something that’s always good and beneficial, think again. Sudden and unexplained weight loss can, in fact, be a symptom of a disease or sickness that you're probably unaware of. Many findings suggest that unexplained weight loss is something that should be looked out for, especially if it’s drastic, sudden, and inexplicable.

How Does it Occur

Unexplained weight loss occurs due to one or a combination of the following:

1. Decreased Appetite
2. Decreased Absorption into your Blood
3. Loss of Nutrients
4. Excess Demand for Energy

Causes of Decreased Appetite:

• dental problems (dentures, fillings, cavities)
• psychological disorders (anorexia nervosa and bulimia)
• depression or anxiety
• use of drugs such as digitalis, amphetamines, and anti-tumor medicines (chemotherapy)
• high levels of calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia)
• low levels of potassium in the blood (hypokalemia)
• alcoholism
• viral hepatitis
• heart failure
• cancer

Causes of Decreased Absorption into your Blood:

• gallbladder problems
• low count of digestive enzymes
• stomach surgery (gastrectomy)
• small intestine playing up
• parasitic infections such as trichinosis
• drugs such as cholestyramine (for cholesterol) and cathartics (for constipation) causing the bowel to empty too fast.

Causes of Loss of Nutrients:

• diabetes
• diarrhea
• vomiting
• kidney disease

Causes of Excess Demand for Energy:

• an overactive thyroid gland and too much thyroid hormone, which speeds up the body's metabolism (a problem called hyperthyroidism)
• fever
• emotional states, such as manic disease, that cause increased physical activity
• hyperactivity
• amphetamine or other drug abuse
• cancer

Diagnosis

The general gauge when you should watch your weight is when you've lost more than 8 lbs in the past 10 weeks. If you’ve lost less than 8 lbs then you're relatively safe. Still, that doesn’t mean that you can sit on your laurels and pretend nothing is wrong. You should always be cautious. Your weight loss can be a symptom of sickness, and so it's best to consult your doctor or physician early on in the piece.

Treatment

The first thing you need to do is try to pinpoint the reason for your unexplained weight loss. Once that is done, then you can go onto reversing the weight loss. Some suggestions would be:

1. Think of things that have been causing stress or frustration in your life. Take steps to remove these negative aspects from your lifestyle.
2. Try eating small and frequent meals. Eating your favourite foods to encourage appetite always seems to help.
3. Nausea can cause a decreased appetite. If you experience nausea, there are some great anti-nausea medicines on the market such as dramimine, phenergan and kytril.
4. If you are suffering decreased appetite due to depression, try ant-depressants or counseling.
5. If your body is having troubles absorbing vitamins, then you may take fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K.