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Vegan Diet causing sister's health problems?
by PTownGal62, Apr 13, 2009 02:48PM
I have a sister in her mid-fifties who is a strict vegan. She appears to be developing some serious health problems which my siblings and I believe could be caused by lack of nutrition.
Although she is very tiny (probably 5'4" and 100 pounds), she has stripped her adrenal glands, has high cholesterol, heart palpatations, chronic insomnia, anxiety and now... severe depression. She has mentioned that she's seeing an accupuncturist who has told her that her liver is not functioning properly. He made this diagnosis based on some small, raised red spots on her skin. She also has "splinters" appearing under her nails and no moons on her nail bed, which could indicate low iron.
She refuses any kind of animal by-product entering her diet, including fish sauce and will not even eat the veggie-meat substitute products because she's "read scary things about them."
My siblings and I are concerned for her health but realize we cannot force her to change her diet if she is convinced it has nothing to do with her ailing health.
Where can we point her so that she gets the care that she needs and sees that her diet is not doing her good?
Although she is very tiny (probably 5'4" and 100 pounds), she has stripped her adrenal glands, has high cholesterol, heart palpatations, chronic insomnia, anxiety and now... severe depression. She has mentioned that she's seeing an accupuncturist who has told her that her liver is not functioning properly. He made this diagnosis based on some small, raised red spots on her skin. She also has "splinters" appearing under her nails and no moons on her nail bed, which could indicate low iron.
She refuses any kind of animal by-product entering her diet, including fish sauce and will not even eat the veggie-meat substitute products because she's "read scary things about them."
My siblings and I are concerned for her health but realize we cannot force her to change her diet if she is convinced it has nothing to do with her ailing health.
Where can we point her so that she gets the care that she needs and sees that her diet is not doing her good?
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At the very least she needs a medical doctor's assessment and some blood tests.
You can print out some of the things to do with anemia and pernicious anemia from the internet (make sure they are reputable sites) so that you have 'show' her the symptoms that they cause and how serious they are (and they are very serious).
However you can't force her to do anything about it.
She may also benefit from a psychologists' help, but once again she can't be forced into it.