The Symptoms and Side Effects of

Bulimia

Bulimia is a more common eating disorder than anorexia and often develops slightly later in life, from mid to late teens or the early twenties. Studies suggest that between 0.5 per cent and 2 per cent of young women in the UK have bulimia. There are two main features of bulimia. Individuals regularly binge, which involves eating a large amount of food in private until they feel uncomfortably full.

They feel they have little or no control during a binge and tend to eat 'forbidden' foods with a high carbohydrate content.Bingeing is normally followed by intense feelings of guilt and shame. To compensate for the food consumed during a binge, the individual then uses other behaviours, such as vomiting, laxative misuse or excessive exercise. This is often termed as 'purging' behaviour.

Personal Web-Sites About

Bulimia Nervosa

People with bulimia are locked in a regular cycling of bingeing and purging and usually have overwhelming feelings of shame about their eating disorder. The frequency of the cycle varies from one individual to another and there are also wide variations in purging behaviour.Teenagers who have tried unsuccessfully to diet but failed sometimes believe that this cycle of bingeing and purging will help them to lose weight successfully.

But studies show people with bulimia are often of normal body weight and if untreated, over time, there tends to be weight gain rather than weight loss. Bulimia is often associated with low self-esteem or a general lack of self-confidence. However, this cycle has a range of harmful effects on the body. Some of these side-effects will be evident from a fairly early stage in the bulimia.

A Few Aspects You Should Know on How to Treat Bulimia

They can include:

Frequent and major weight changes.

Stretch marks.

Sore throat,the erosion of tooth enamel and bad breath caused by excessive vomiting.

Swollen salivary glands making the face round and puffy.

Poor skin condition and possible hair loss.

Irregular menstrual periods or loss or periods.

Lethargy and tiredness.

Abdominal pain and bloating.

Chronic constipation and risk of bowel problems due to laxative abuse.

Acid Reflux Symptoms The Ill Effects Of Bulimia

There are a range of very serious effects for people who continue to suffer with untreated bulimia during a long period of time. Many people with bulimia develop chronic dehydration, caused by vomiting and the use of laxatives. This can lead to low potassium levels, triggering a wide range of symptoms ranging from lethargy and muddled thinking to potentially life-threatening heart and kidney problems.

Another serious complication of bulimia is the rupture of the stomach.Bulimia has a lower mortality rate than anorexia. However, very rare and extreme cases, death can occur due to heart failure. Fortunately, people with bulimia tend to want to overcome their eating disorders and feel less ambivalent about change than those with anorexia.

The difficulty usually lies in seeking help, as people with bulimia often feel profoundly ashamed of their eating habits and worries that if they do seek support, their problem will be dismissed.However, studies show that people with bulimia respond well to treatment. A form of cognitive behavioural therapy designed for eating disorders, called CBT-E is very effective for people with bulimia.

It is believed that most statistics do not present a very accurate picture of the true number of bulimia cases. Many go unreported. This is mainly because that people who have bulimia symptoms often do not realise that they have a problem.

Or they may actually be too ashamed to admit that they have an eating disorder and hence refuse treatment. Bulimia is a very common eating disorder; hence, it helps if you learn how to spot bulimia symptoms so that you can help the sufferer take the appropriate action.

Bulimia symptoms are characterized by uncontrollable binge eating (overeating) followed by intentional purging through either vomiting, enemas, laxatives, diuretics or several other similar purging methods. Obviously, if you find someone in your midst constantly purging himself after meals, this is a sure sign that he may be suffering from some form of bulimia.

Bulimia symptoms are often triggered when the sufferer is undergoing stress. Stress can develop from any front or be an accumulation of events. They may be family issues, things happening at work, developments on the social front or just having a distorted picture of body images.

The binge eating that develops, in turn, cause other emotional problems. It is usually the case that many bulimia sufferers feel guilty about what they do. They then fall into a state of depression after each overeating or purging session.

Of course, depression in itself does not necessarily point to bulimia. However, it is an indicative sign for bulimia when you notice that the sufferer becoming moody and down coupled with vomitting after mealtimes on a regular basis.

Lastly, bulimia sufferers may undergo changes in body weight and proportions drastically, over short periods of time. They may even alternate periods of being overweight due to extreme binge overeating with periods of being underweight due to extreme intentional purging. In any case, a radical change in body proportions in a short time is often the effect of an eating disorder, even if it might not be bulimia in particular.