Bulimia - What It Is and Its Side Effects

This is one condition that I have never experienced, I find it very difficult to understand the hows and whys of Bulimia and though I know the person cannot control the desire to eat and then purge themselves I have always thought that self preservation is the most important part of our make-up.

With this in mind I decided to explore a bit more, I needed to find out just what makes a person binge and purge and what effects it can have on a persons body. Hopefully what I find will assist any person out there who has or thinks they have Bulimia.

Explaining Bulimia

This is the constant battle a person has between binge eating and the desire to stay thin or to lose weight. As much as the person tries not to overindulge as they know it will lead to them feeling disgusted and ashamed of themselves, they cannot help it.

They will eat until they nearly explode and then start to have a panic attack about the excess calories they have just consumed. Not wanting to gain weight they now they try to get rid of all they have eaten, the usual way is with the inducement of vomiting, but some find that that is not enough, so they take laxatives and do strenuous exercise straight after the purging.

This tends to leave the person feeling totally out of control [a circle of self hate that is hard to break] and could compound the problem by causing depression.

Bulimia features are as follows

* out of control binge eating episodes - eating anything you can lay your hands on

* doing inappropriate things to stop putting on weight - making themselves vomit, taking laxatives, diuretics and enemas

* weight and physical appearance play a big role in the persons self esteem - their sense of self-worth is very low

Remember though that by making up for your binges by going on crash diets, fasting or overexercising is also a form of bulimia, so don't hide behind the fact that you do not physically purge, try get some control back into your life.

There are six questions you need to ask yourself to determine whether you are bulimic or not:

1) Have you ever eaten yourself sick?
2) Is your life dominated by food and dieting?
3) Are you obsessive about your weight and body shape?
4) Have you a terrible fear that if you start eating you will not be able to stop?
5) Have you ever made yourself vomit or taken laxatives in a attempt to control your weight?
6) Are you ashamed, guilty or depressed after you have eaten?

The adverse effects and medical complications of Bulimia

* swollen salivary glands * Tooth decay and mouth sores * swollen cheeks * abdominal pain with bloating * bloodshot eyes * Loss of menstrual periods * weight gain * swelling of the hands and feet * acid reflux or ulcers * ruptured stomach or esophagus * weakness and dizziness * chronic constipation [from laxative abuse]

If you think you have even the slightest bit of bulimia, please go see your doctor as you are putting your health and life at risk and life is short enough as it is, without the added aggravation of this dreaded condition.