Bulimia

Bulimia – General Information

Bulimia also known as Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder, in which the patients engage in binge eating and after words they feel guilty and depresses. The patient will begin to have a compensatory behavior in order to make up for the excessive eating. This compensatory behavior is known as “purging”, but there is also a second type of Bulimia known as non-purging. This “purging” may take the following forms:

• Vomiting
• Fasting
• Use of laxatives, enemas, diuretics and other sorts of drugs with the same effect
• Over-exercising

The non-purging type appears in approximately 7-8% of the cases. This type involves doing a lot of exercises or fasting after meals, in order to burn the extra calories. The cause of this medical disorder is related to psychological issues and feeling a lack of self-control. The patients can hide or hoard the food, but also they can over eat when they are stressed, upset or depressed. It is also true that in many cases this disease is induced depending on the group of friends or the job the patients have, as gymnasts, cheerleaders, models, dancers, wrestlers, long-distance runners and skaters usually need to be thin, but not bulimic, as many of them usually are. People who suffer from this disease usually look normal, most of them having a normal weight or even overweight. This is why it is usually hard to tell if someone suffers from this medical disorder or not, and besides this, patients in most of the cases do not admit that they are bulimic.

Bulimia - Symptoms

It is well known the fact that any medical disorder (including Bulimia) can trigger a variety of symptoms. Therefore, some of this medical condition's most uncommon symptoms have not been listed (mentioned) here. This is why we strongly recommend you to contact your personal health care provider whenever you develop any unusual, bothersome or unpleasant symptoms. Your personal physician will be able to tell you if you are suffering from Bulimia or from any other medical disorder. Here is a list of the most common symptoms that a person who’s suffering from Bulimia may experience: eating uncontrollably, purging, strict diet, fasting, vigorous exercises, vomiting, abusing laxatives or diuretics – in the attempt to loose weight, vomiting blood, frequently using the bath after meals, depression, mood swings, feeling out of control, preoccupation with body weight, swollen glands from the neck and face, heartburn, indigestion, constipation, bloating, sore throat, dental problems, weakness, exhaustion, bloodshot eyes, abnormal bowel functioning, fatigue, sores, scars or calluses on the hands or the knuckles, menstrual irregularities, loss of menstruation also known as amenorrhea, recurrent episodes of binge eating, eating until the point of discomfort or even pain, eating much more food in a binge episode than at meals, having a distorted, negative body image, hoarding food, anxiety, unhealthy focus on one’s body shape or weight, and so on.

Bulimia – Treatment

Here is a list of complications that may appear from this eating disorder (Bulimia):

• Erosion of teeth
• Dental cavities
• Sensitivity of the teeth to hot or cold food
• Stomach ulcers
• Swelling and soreness in the salivary glands, which is usually caused by the repeated vomiting.
• Abnormal buildup of the fluid in the intestines
• Disruptions in the normal bowel release functions
• Ruptures of the stomach
• Ruptures of the esophagus
• Decrease in libido
• Dehydration
• Electrolyte imbalance
• A higher risk of suicidal behavior
• Irregular heartbeats
• In sever cases heart attack
• Loss of normal colonic function.
• Psychological problems

The treatment of this medical condition is mostly effective in the early stage of its development, but as this disease is easy to hide, diagnose and treatment of Bulimia usually starts when the disease is already in an advanced stage.
Some of the Bulimia treatments refer to:

• Medical Care
• Long term support
• Counseling
• Symptom interruption
• Group Psychotherapy
• Nutritional therapy
• Group cognitive behavior
• Hospitalization

The medical care – as Bulimia causes a large palette of complications, people who suffer from this medical condition usually need treatment for the complications that develop. These types of patients also need medical surveillance of the vital signs, hydration levels and electrolytes levels.
Psychotherapy – is a type of the cognitive behavior which is used in the majority of the cases of patients who suffer from this disease. This therapy may be individual, family therapy or group therapy.
Nutritional therapy – patients should ask for help at a dietitian or other health care providers in order to establish a normal and healthy diet which will induce to the patients a healthy weight gain and also healthy eating habits.
Medications – doctors usually prescribe antidepressants for their patients. The only approved antidepressant is Prozac (also known as fluorextine).
Hospitalization – when patients present severe problems and complications from any eating disorder, they usually require hospitalization. But this medical condition can in almost all of the cases be treated outside the hospital.
With a good treatment, the majority of the patients recover from this disease. But for a part of the patients may become a life long battle.
Here is a list of drugs that the patient’s personal health provider or doctor may prescribe the patient if he suffers from this medical condition:

• Fluorextine
• Prozac
• Prozac weekly delayed release capsules
• Rapiflux
• Sarafem

In order to treat this type of medical condition (disease), many patients usually benefit from all sorts of therapies. There are therapists who are experienced in helping people with eating disorders. A therapy session provides, for many patients, a comfortable and confidential setting, in which they can confess about how this disease affected their social life, their relationships with the other people around them, or how this disease affected their concentration abilities and where they can receive specialized help that will aid them in the battle with this medical condition.