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Myths about Bulimia Nervosa

It is an eating disorder that enables a person to initially overeat and then, use methods like vomiting to prevent weight gain.

The best way to lose weight is bulimia. You can eat whatever you want and get rid of them too.Bulimia is a kind of eating disorder affecting people who are very conscious about their body weight and shape. Such people cannot stop eating. They indulge in bingeing often and resort to purging to get rid of the foods. They eat a lot of foods and even store food in various places to avoid being noticed or caught eating. Their primary thought is about food. People suffering from this disorder eat without any control and feel guilty about it. So they indulge in purging and use methods like vomiting, use of laxatives, excessive exercises, sleeping or fasting for a number of days together to get rid of the foods. This has a negative effect on their mental and physical states. A study conducted in London among some 500 bulimics showed that bulimia is a poor method for weight reduction as it resulted in weight gain and dangerous psychological and physiological problems.Intelligent and educated women have low risk of having the disorder.This is not true particularly because most number of people who have bulimia belong to the college going women. According to reports, about 5-20 percent of women going to college have this eating disorder. Women and adolescents in their middle age and belonging to middle class families with strong desire for an improved lifestyle and achievement are vulnerable to this disorder. Most of these women are highly educated, attractive and have successful carriers. But the desire for perfection can cause some kind of low-esteem, loneliness and isolation. They have an obsession for food as well. These women have a desire to remain desirable and feminine forever.Only females have bulimia.Certain reports state that about 1-7 percent of the college going male students suffer from bulimia when compared to the 5 percent of the general public. Researches also suggest that both males and females suffering from this disorder have similar characteristics like obsession with food, thinness and other emotional problems. They even share the same etiological factors like family dynamics, socioeconomic status, weight disturbance etc. However, men are considered to be of low-risk group when compared to women. They do not have the same kind of social pressure to remain slim.Bulimia is not a life-threatening condition.Bulimia can become life-threatening if serious action is not taken to control it. The continuous processes of bingeing and purging can strain the body of its electrolytes and potassium. There two are most important nutrients for sustaining life. When the body is deprived of these two nutrients, it can lead to conditions such as strokes and heart failures, which are commonly fatalities seen in bulimics. Due to the backing up of stomach acids, the ulcers in the stomach rupture. The acids can eat the insides and cause a lot of damage to the stomach. When the body begins to lose the essential nutrients, it begins to shut down the functioning one by one. Getting immediate medical help is the best way to combat bulimia.Only people who are underweight or overweight may have bulimia.About 70 percent of women diagnosed with bulimia have normal body weight. Only 15 percent each are overweight or underweight. So it may not be right to state that that people with normal body weight do not have any problem. All the eating disorders are characterized by a group of psychological symptoms such as obsession with body image and weight, distorted body image, obsession with foods, perfectionism, distress over shape and body weight, emotional problems etc. Most of these psychological problems do not reflect on the weight.Repeated weight loss measures such as purging and dieting leads to permanent weight control.The truth is that repeated weight loss efforts and dieting leads to more weight gain. This is because the body when subject to constant deprivation of foods tries to store the energy by bringing down the metabolic rate instead of using up the body fat. When people remain on low calorie foods for a long time, the metabolism takes longer time to become normal. So dieting is not a healthy way for permanent weight loss. When people lose weight through dieting, they lose both fat and protein. But when they regain, it is mostly fat only.Only mentally ill people develop bulimia.Eating disorders such as bulimia are caused due to various factors like psychological, biological and socio-cultural. Women are more likely to suffer from this condition than men. All kinds of women, colored or Caucasian can develop this disorder. The high-risk people involve the young adults and the adolescents particularly, if they are achievement-oriented. Other occasions like sports, artistic activities, gymnastics, wedding, dancing etc also become the cause of the disorder where they have to maintain their body weight. The good news however is that bulimia can be treated and prevented successfully.Bulimia means only vomiting.This is only a part of how the bulimics work. They indulge in eating and try to use methods like vomiting for get rid of he foods. Some bulimics resort to various other methods such as fasting for many days together, using laxatives or diuretics etc. Some use a combination of these methods to get rid of the foods.Bulimia applies to people who eat large quantities of food.Bulimia is an eating disorder where the person is not able to control his eating habits. At the same time, the person has great conscious about the body shape and weight. She may use various methods to get rid of the foods consumed to stay in shape.

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