Advice On How To Recognize The Symptoms Of Bulimia

Some people may feel that they are fat, no matter how thin they actually are. Or they may feel guilty when they eat too much food. The guilt and shame from eating makes the person vomit up all their food. These people have bulimia nervosa, or bulimia, an eating disorder.

The disorder has nothing to do with the digestive system, but rather with the mind. And though people with bulimia may share the same guilt and shame about food, and the same patterns of bingeing and purging, bulimia has many causes. Doctors have not identified any one cause of bulimia, but do know of several factors that may contribute to developing bulimia.

 Bulimia may be caused by a genetic component. Certain genes may predispose a person to developing bulimia. Bulimia appears to run in families--people with relatives suffering from bulimia have a higher frequency of developing bulimia.

This may, however, have more to do with family influences and role models than genetics. Brain chemistry may also cause bulimia. Research indicates that people with bulimia tend to have different levels of a chemical in the brain called serotonin. Altered levels of serotonin may also contribute to clinical depression. Social pressures may contribute to bulimia's development.

People who want to please others may feel compelled to keep thin and fit. Women in particular receive daily messages to be thin. This drive may turn into an eating disorder. Emotional stress from family problems or being a perfectionist may also contribute to a person developing bulimia.

 A person with bulimia will first binge, meaning that he or she will eat more than 1,000 calories in one sitting. Sometimes, to a person with an eating disorder like a bulimia, eating a cookie might constitute a binge. The binge then triggers intense feelings of self-disgust and the person will induce vomiting, exercise excessively, or abuse laxatives to remove the perceived extra weight.

 Bulimia is caused by numerous, subtle factors, and all people suffering from bulimia need treatment from a psychiatrist and therapy to break the binge-and-purge cycle. Bulimia is completely treatable.

Bulimia Nervosa is an extremely severe and potentially life-threatening eating disorder, where people feel the urge to eat extreme amounts of food. Many of these people also suffer from psychological problems, such as anxiety and sadness.

Someone with bulimia may either, throw up, use laxatives or take in diuretics to lose water weight. Some individuals are confined to this disease to such an extent that they even suggest indications of harming themselves in different areas of their life, possibly excessive drinking, and drug abuse and relationship issues.

The worst part is people who experience it don't know whom to ask for help or what the treatment for bulimia is:

 There are two basic types of bulimia that are:

 1. Bulimia Nervosa purging type: Most people undergo this type of bulimia nervosa, where in there is regular over-eating, accompanied with vomiting or the use of diuretics and laxatives after an interval of bingeing.

 2. Bulimia Nervosa non-purging type: In this form of bulimia nervosa, the person uses other incorrect ways of settling binge attacks, like excessive working out or going on a fast. In most cases, the normal forms of purging, like self-induced vomiting, tend to be not frequently implemented.

 The actual reason behind bulimia nervosa is at present not known; although it is believed that a number of factors play a role in the development of this eating illness, which includes hereditary, ecological, psychological, and social influences. The main causes for bulimia are thought to be stress filled life changes, background of abuse or shock, poor impression of oneself, lacking in self-confidence, etc.

The common signs and symptoms that a person suffering from bulimia will exhibit are regular weight fluctuations, constant dehydration, inflammation of the esophagus, and others. There are a number of programs which can help for bulimia eating disorder.

 Bulimia can develop unwanted pressures between the affected individual and family and friends, mainly because the person has unusual eating habits, and a tendency to avoid being a part of social events. Also, there might be low self-confidence and poor self-image that could be root causes for bulimia; as a result, it's important to include a bulimia counselling team in the healing process.

Early on in the treatment, the person would be trained how to overcome this harmful illness and get back to regular eating habits. Obviously, the tough part here would be to convince the sufferer that they actually do suffer from the disease. Next part of the treatment will mainly tackle personal issues and beliefs regarding weight, body image and eating habits.

The last step focuses primarily on treating emotional issues that could have led to the start of the eating disorder. If you are struggling with bulimia, then do not hold off any longer and risk the possibility of extreme medical problems There are specialist bulimia counseling teams that can help you to take positive first steps toward recovery. Nearly 5 percent of people who are battling bulimia develop anorexia nervosa, which is where people refuse to maintain a sound body weight, face a severe fear of putting on weight and have a distorted body image.

Bulimia is not a diet plan. Bulimia is not an activity that some people choose to join in on. Bulimia is a serious addiction problem that can destroy your life and your physical and mental health. Those who have bulimia have an abnormal dependency on the feeling they get from controlling their own body to the point of going against one of the strongest primal urges we have.

 Bulimia nervosa is a serious eating disorder that not only causes issues with our eating habits but this disorder can cause stressful anxiety and depression issues. These issues are not only caused by this condition, but they can be the cause of the condition. In this circular relationship food becomes a tool that is used to reward and punish simultaneously.

 The cycle of addiction starts with the feelings of inadequacy and triggers the binging and purging. With each cycle the addiction gets stronger as it causes shame and guilt which then turn into more binging and purging.

The body takes its nutrients from food it digests. If you are not allowing the food to stay in your system long enough for the nutrients to be absorbed before purging yourself your body will not get the nutrients it needs. This causes the body to begin to wear down increasing the stress on the body.

 Binging and purging are not the only phases of bulimia. Though short at times there is also the planning phase. For some this phase can consume their consciousness, from morning till night, anytime that they are awake, the next binge is being planned. Though for others, especially those who tell themselves that was the last time each time that they purge, this phase may only last a couple of moments before another session of binging begins. During the planning phase tension builds and it explodes into a binging cycle.

Quite often the amount of attention that has built is proportionate to the amount of binging that will be given into. Most treatments for bulimia are a temporary fix. Hospitalization and other support groups are only effective while the patient has the direct support. As soon as a bulimic is put back into of a situation with large amounts of pressure and little to no support bulimia out will again take over.

 Bulimia patients who gain control of bulimia while they are in treatment or hospitalized generally are unable to deal with pressure of a real life. This is because these programs are not set up to teach the patient to deal with real life pressure independently. For treatment programs to be successful bulimic needs to understand the seriousness of the situation.

Bulimics who believe that bulimia is safe and that they have control of it will continue to struggle with their condition. Without this understanding success in any form of treatment program or plan is quite limited. True recovery for patients with bulimia begins with re-building there self-image and making life changes. These changes include healthy dietary choices.

Understanding as well as implementing healthy dietary and exercise plans is also needed. It is not possible to have a healthy body if you deny it the nutrients that it needs to grow. Eating the right amounts of a wide variety of healthy foods is the best way to give your body the nutrition that it needs.

If you are one of the many people that eating disorders affect every year, there are long term effects that you must be aware of. Bulimia is an eating disorder that can affect your life in deeply permanent ways that you might not expect.

 Never believe that an eating disorder of any sort is only an indication of a physical problem! Bulimia has its roots in psychological disorder and a strong sensation of being out of control. The cycle of binging and purging is one way that people suffering from bulimia believe that they can retain control of their lives, but this is definitely not the case.

The damage that bulimics are doing to their bodies represents a loss of control, not only over their lives but their health. Because of the stretching of the stomach due to binging, more food is required to feel satisfied , and thus a higher calorie count during the binging stage becomes necessary to find any satisfaction at all. If you are a bulimic, there is a high chance that you are fixated on your weight and crave perfection.

 The thing to keep in mind, however, is that when you have an eating disorder, your perception is flawed. You won't be happy, no matter what you look like or what goal you reach until you've dealt with the real issue. The effects of bulimia start with muscle weakness, fainting, dizziness, fatigue and missing periods. You'll notice that your ability to fend off diseases like colds and flus drop like a rock, preventing you from being able to do the things you enjoy.

 Depending on your health at the beginning, the symptoms above will soon give way to more serious issues. The consequences of bulimia can be life-threatening, as you are weakening your entire body. You will be more prone to hormonal changes and your normal growth ca become stunted. With the binging periods, you risk high cholesterol and low blood pressure.

Even more seriously, you can become a victim of heart disease and with the lack of nutrients that actually enter your system, you will be prone to osteoporosis, the loss of bone density. At extreme stages of bulimia, you will be facing neurological problems and possible organ failure. If you suspect that you or someone you know is affected by an eating disorder like bulimia, speak to someone at once.

Even if it's only a friend or a family member, it always helps to have someone else to speak to about your fears. You will not get better until you realize you want to get better and a support network can help you out a lot!

In a pioneering study conducted by MIT researchers way back in the seventies, it was established for the first time that the carbohydrate and protein contents of a meal, as well certain individual nutrients in the meal, could strongly influence the levels of certain mood/behavior-altering chemicals in the brain, particularly, neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine.

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that transmit messages between nerve cells. As a corollary, therefore, it follows that specific foods and nutrients could be used therapeutically to treat problems associated with imbalances in these brain chemicals.

 One such traumatizing and difficult-to-fight problem, especially among young women. Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by cycles of food binging and purging. Results of studies on bulimic patients suggest that the root cause of craving and binging on carbohydrate-rich foods (sugars and starches) is a low serotonin level in the brain (serotonin is associated with feelings of being relaxed, calm, cheerful, and less sensitive to pain).

 Therefore, the main goal in treating bulimia without drugs and doctors is to identify the right kind of foods and nutrients that can help maintain an optimum level of serotonin, which in turn will help elevate mood, reduce food cravings, and improve self-image.

 Although neurotransmitters are synthesized endogenously inside the body, certain foods can provide nutrients that act like chemical precursors, or parents, for neurotransmitters. For example, tryptophan, an amino acid that is a part of protein foods found in meat, eggs, chicken, fish, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, oats, sprouts, bananas, dried dates, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, spirulina, chickpeas.

 Even though tryptophan is a component of protein, it is the intake of carbohydrate foods that actually brings about increased tryptophan levels in the blood and brain. This happens because of some biochemical reasons. Other nutrients that can play a vital role in the recovery of a bulimic are zinc, vitamin B complex and calcium.

 A serotonin-friendly diet that is tailor-made to fight bulimia must, therefore, include in plenty foods like complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and protein preferably from vegetarian sources. For example, a healthy breakfast could include a combination of fruits and cereals, lunch could comprise vegetables and starch (bread, rice, pasta, potatoes), and dinner should include protein with vegetables.

Fruits/vegetables in combination with a skimmed-milk yogurt dressing are ideal for in-between-meals snacking. There are many ex-bulimics that have intelligently and successfully fought the battle with bulimia in a completely natural and safe recovery way without drugs and doctors. One of the most successfull self recovery programs from bulimia is one that based on serotonin-friendly eating plan and step-by-step daily schedualed recovery program.

 I hope this article will inspire you to invoke in yourself the miraculous self-healing powers of your body, mind and spirit, and help you get rid of the traumatic experience of bulimia once and forever.