Bulimia - Dying For The Love Of Food

By Michael Russell

The German translation for bulimia is “Fresssucht”, literally meaning “addiction to eating”. Like all addictions, it has a devastating effect on the mind and body and needs to be managed through proper treatment.

Though experts disagree on the statistics, it estimated that between 8% and 10% of the US population suffers from bulimia. 90% to 95% of these are women of all ages. 10% of the affected will die.

It’s not always easy to recognize if a person has bulimia. Unlike anorexics, bulimics are not always extremely thin. They don’t avoid food, but rather enjoy it. It’s the part of getting rid of a meal that makes this a devastating and possibly fatal disease.

The most commonly known sign of bulimia is to induce vomiting following a meal. This can be after a regular meal or binge eating (eating a very large amount of food in one sitting). A binge-eating episode is usually triggered by stress or depression and can happen a few times a week. During the episode, the affected person will lose control over herself and her food consumption, then experiences a moment of calmness. For them, “comfort food” literally means that. It’s the emotion that follows next that pushes the person to purge, guilt and self-loathing.

Purging implies getting rid of the intake of food, very often by inducing vomiting, but also by excessive use of laxatives, enemas and/or diuretics. By these methods, bulimics try to get rid of the calories. Others symptoms of bulimia can be excessive exercising, strict dieting and occasionally, fasting.

Since there usually are no physical signs (at least in the beginning), it can be very hard to see if a person has bulimia. But there are quite a few warning signs in bulimic’s behavior that can give them away. They will very often go to the bathroom right after a meal (to purge). In order to cover the sound of their vomiting, they might leave the water running while in the bathroom. They might smell of vomit and will eat a lot of mints to cover up the smell and will be very adamant about privacy in the bathroom or in their bedrooms. The person is obsessed with her weight and will exercise at any cost, even if she’s sick or injured. A bulimic has a poor body image, so she might try to cover herself up with baggy clothes. In women, the menstrual cycle will stop. Swelling of the salivary glands will lead to swollen cheeks.

If left untreated, bulimia will take its toll on the body and on the mind. Some noticeable results are sore gums and bad teeth due to the stomach acid brought up during vomiting. Problems that can turn deadly are stomach ulcers and perforations, intestinal perforations, tearing of the esophagus and an imbalance of the body’s natural minerals and electrolytes, leading to heart failure.

Since bulimia itself is not a physical disorder but mental one, it must be treated as one. Sessions with a psychologist to unravel the reasons and causes behind the poor self-image can be helpful. There are also many treatment centres available that deal specifically with eating disorders. Sometime sharing feelings and experiences with others affected by bulimia or other eating disorders will help. In extreme cases, where the bulimic’s weight is dangerously low or he is dehydrated, hospitalisation will be necessary, BUT will have no long term effect if not accompanied or followed up by therapy.

Nowadays, there are an infinite amount of support sources available, be it school counsellors or online sites. The first step is up to the bulimic, admitting he has a problem and accepting treatment options.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Eating Disorders

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

               

Eating Disorder - Causes, Manifestations , Consequences

By Michael Russell

The human body functions using a set of inter-connected activities and processes all of which combine together to create the natural rhythms of our day-to-day existence. When this innate balance is disturbed, we experience conditions that are medically described as ‘disorders’. When the physiological equations are disturbed, the common manifestations of the imbalance are in the areas of sleep and food intake. The most widely accepted signs of physical wellness are normal appetite and sound sleep; conversely, when a person has an irregular appetite or sleeps badly, he is generally diagnosed as ‘unwell’.

Eating disorders affect millions of people in today’s world and are a by-product of the stress and strain of modern life. The condition called an eating disorder, or EDR, as it is referred to, occurs in various forms. It is commonly thought that an eating disorder is over eating, but this is not true; neither do the disorders relate to the appetite or digestive system of the individual. The underlying reasons are very often psychological, sociological or related to peer perceptions.

Some people suffer from eating disorders owing to persistent depression, loneliness, low self-esteem or anxiety. Sometimes the disorder is the result of frustration and is born out of a perceived failure to meet the so-called social standards relating to weight, figure and good looks. These standards are creations of cosmetic and ‘wellness’ companies who relentlessly broadcast the message that a person who does not conform to their prescribed standards for a perfect figure has no place in today’s society. However, the physiological fact is that each person’s constitution is different and it is neither possible nor desirable to conform to the advertised norms. These advertising strategies have the unfortunate consequence of making many people lose faith in their intrinsic worth and chase the illusory ideal of perfect looks, leading to eating disorder. In some people the condition is also brought on by family and relationship problems, emotional diffidence or trauma.

There are several irregular or abnormal eating habits that fall under the definition of disorders. The most common forms are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, compulsive over eating and binge eating disorder, as well as unspecified eating disorders. Most of these conditions are caused by reasons other than totally physical and hence can be treated with a combination of individual or group counseling, nutritional guidance and supervision, as well as medication.

Anorexia nervosa may be defined as a ‘non-eating disorder’; most women and some men are so obsessed with the idea of staying thin that they drastically reduce their food intake. The constant fear of obesity governs all their food habits; their lives are more determined by what others may think, rather than by their own convictions relating to food and nutrition. Apart from unhealthy weight loss, such people suffer from irritability, fatigue, low energy levels, disruption of normal body processes, as well as low self-evaluation.

Bulimia nervosa is a condition where a person over eats, feels guilty and ashamed about it and subsequently attempts to correct the excess with purgatives, diuretics or exercise. Such people alternate between bouts of eating and purging, thus subjecting their bodies to extreme stress. Bulimia nervosa is related to social perceptions relating to body weight, appearance and other image-related factors; people suffering from the condition indulge in secretive eating, are subject to depression and weakness and constantly seek approval and acceptance from others.

Binge eating disorder is similar to bulimia nervosa, with the difference being that indiscriminate eating is not followed by purging. Such people indulge in excessive eating often without any reference to appetite, eat rapidly, suffer from guilt pangs and low self worth.

Compulsive eating is characterized by uncontrolled consumption and generally starts in childhood; often it is the body’s way of coping with tension and trauma. Children living in an environment of domestic discord or violence often resort to over eating to block out the emotional stress. In some cases overeating is a case of plain personal and parental negligence and leads to obesity and a host of health issues in adult life.

There are several lesser known eating disorders that do not fall into any specific category, but are equally harmful to health; the one common factor is that all of them represent in some way the individual’s troubled response to personal and social pressures. Apart from clinical and medical treatment, social and educational institutions can do much to prevent eating disorders. This can be achieved by instilling healthy food habits in children at an early age, creating awareness about nutritional eating and above all, by inculcating in them a sense of self worth and self-esteem not related to extraneous factors such as weight and appearance.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Eating Disorders

Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell