Hope from Bulimia
When Bulimia strikes, a teenager’s life could be altered forever. Behind the façade of a binge eater could be an individual struggling from peer pressure and discrimination; and the only answer she knows to keep herself from being ridiculed is by pressuring herself to lose weight by self-induced vomiting or medicines. However, this harmless act could lead to a life-threatening health condition.
Bulimia Nervosa starts off with a very misleading image: a person with normal body weight (or some could start off overweight) indulges in food and everything in between. From sweets, to spicy food, to junk food, he or she will splurge on anything edible. However, at the end of the day, she doubts her eating habits and this is where the real danger begins—she will do anything to compensate for what she ate hoping this would prevent her from gaining any more weight.
After a meal, she could pop a laxative or two, or some other medication which she believes could help her rid of the excess and unwanted calories. This dream to stay slim and slender could turn into a teen’s worst nightmare as she is pulled even further into the dangers of Bulimia Nervosa.
Other than laxatives, a Bulimia sufferer could turn to other ways of purging the food through self induced vomiting, too much exercise, and fasting. Abuse of the use of enemas, diuretics, laxatives and other medication are common as well.
Although bulimia is an eating disorder and therefore a physical health condition, it also has psychological bearings. The act of engaging in binge eating followed by purging his/her food intake is a developed fear of discrimination, peer pressure and other factors. Although minding one’s weight is a healthy decision, demonstrating signs of bulimia shows a wrong and destructive way of gaining control.
A person with bulimia often shows the following signs. By observing your child or friend intently, you will be able to identify is she is a sufferer before it is all too late.
- Binge eating. Bulimia sufferers develop a bad habit of binge eating—from junk foods to sweets to certain delicacies, he/she will consume a great amount of food, and in some cases, more than what a person of the same age and weight would consume. Most times, this casual trait could turn into a daily habit and the patient will not have control over his/her “addiction” for food.
- Losing Weight. After a heavy meal or a food fest, he/she decides to lose the intake by taking laxatives, excessive exercising or worse, vomiting. This could turn to a daily habit until he/she is satisfied that her weight has decreased greatly.
- Obsession with staying thin. Most patients will complain about their weight and body frame wishing they were thinner even when they are extremely thin themselves already. They will show desperation and obsession for staying thin.
- Excessive Exercise. Exercising is a good habit—when it’s for the good cause, but for those with Bulimia, excessive exercise could be dangerous. This could make them lose great amounts of weight until it leads to extreme thinness.
If you know someone showing these unusual symptoms, he/she could be a victim of Bulimia Nervosa and a visit to an internist or a doctor is advised. Bulimia, when untreated could lead to your child’s health’s vulnerability or worse, death. Your intervention could bring hope to your child and save her from Bulimia.
Photo credits: nikki.unger.fink
Tags: bulimia, bulimia nervosa, cure for bulimia, treatment for