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BULIMIA
Many people suffer from eating disorders that may seriously lead to anorexia and
bulimia. And not only victims of bulimia suffer from a life-changing loss, but
also their loved ones.
There's a point in one's life when we grieve for the loss of our beloveds. Some experience loss
upon the death of the people who are close to them. Even a kid may feel great
loss when he finds out his puppy was strangled to death by a car on the street.
Others feel loss when a best friend or a brother moves away from the house after
marriage. We all get to experience a feeling of loss of different kinds and
level. And often times, a voice within tells us that it is our fault that
triggered loss, while shame and guilt wallow us like an empty cup.
People who are overly depressed think wrongly and use their bodies as a tool to punish
themselves. People affected with bulimia have this "Everything would be better
if only I were thin" philosophy. So they eat up to fill an empty feeling, and
throw up to hurt themselves and avoid getting fat, since eating is the only
thing in our system we can take full control in. Through eating, we can easily
determine what's retained and what's lost.
Bulimia, also called bulimia nervosa, was diagnosed and known in early 1980s,
and is known to be a psychological disorder. Bulimia is associated with episodes of
binge-eating followed by inapt methods of weight control. Inappropriate methods
of weight control include vomiting, excessive use of fiber pills, laxatives,
diuretics, compulsive exercising and fasting.
Excessive concerns about figure and weight are also characteristics of bulimia. A binge is a series where a person eats much larger amount of food than most people would take in the same
case. Binge eating is not a corrective action to intense hunger. It is usually a
responsive stimulus to depression, stress or issues concerning low self esteem.
The binge episode comes with experience of loss of control, short-lived calmness
and self-loathing. The phase of binge and purging becomes a routinary obsession
for a person with bulimia.
A person highly suffering from bulimia consumes large quantities of food, sometimes up to 20, 000 calories in one eating. The food they love to splurge on are usually labeled as "comfort foods" - rich in sweet, high in calories, and soft foods like pastries, cake and ice cream.
It is difficult to determine if one is suffering from bulimia. People with
bulimia can appear to look perfect and normal, with normal weight, and others
with overweight. This is because they secretly do the binging and purging, and
will often deny their condition.
A friend, relative or a family member with bulimia needs huge amount of love,
care and support. He/She should be given extra care and attention, and most
especially, he needs to see an eating disorder expert to help them battle with
their problem.
Health experts says there is no known cause of bulimia. They believe it all
start with a person extremely concerned with his or her body size and figure, and has low
self-esteem, feelings of helplessness and fear of becoming fat.
Bulimia has victimized almost 10% of college women in the United States. They
could possibly die from either starvation, cardiac arrest, other medical
complications, or even behavioral suicide.
People think more about ways on improving inner beauty rather than one's
physical feature. We should feel happy to stay fit and healthy. And hey, count
your blessings, not your calories!
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