Eating Disorders - Bulimia Nervosa Signs
This is probably a very timely article with famous actress and
singer Lindsay Lohan having just revealed that she suffers from
the terrible eating disorder, Bulimia Nervosa. In this article
we're doing to cover the basic characteristics of the disease.
Bulimia Nervosa is a serious and possibly life threatening
disease. It is characterized by binge eating and behaviors to
compensate for the binges such as induced vomiting. Bulimia
Nervosa has three primary symptoms.
1. Regular eating of food in large quantities which is
accompanied by a sense of loss of control over one's eating
behavior.
2. Regular use of compensating behavior such as induced
vomiting, or use of laxatives, diuretic abuse, fasting, and
obsessive or compulsive exercise.
3. Extreme worry over body weight and shape.
Specialists have concluded beyond doubt that the chance of
recovering from this horrible disease is directly proportional
to how soon the disease is discovered and treated. Therefore it
is important to be on the lookout for the warning signs of when
someone might be suffering from this disease.
These are the warning signs of someone suffering from Bulimia
Nervosa.
a. The disappearance of food from the fridge in a very short
period of time. This is usually the first sign of binge eating.
Also if you happen to find many wrappers or containers in the
trash this is another sign of binge eating.
b. Evidence of purging behaviors, such as if the person makes
frequent trips to the bathroom after meals or if there are
signs, such as smells, of vomiting. Also check for packages of
laxatives.
c. A rigid routine of exercise regardless of weather or how
tired the person may be.
d. Unusual swelling of the area around the cheeks or jaw.
e. Also check for calluses on the back of hands or knuckles from
induced vomiting.
f. Also check to see if the teeth are stained or discolored.
g. Creation of a very rigid routine in order to make time for
bingeing and purging.
h. A person suffering from this disease will usually withdraw
from society, especially from friends.
i. In general look for signs that weight loss, dieting and
control of food intake has become an obsessive point in the
person's life.
Bulimia Nervosa can be very harmful to a person's body. The
cycle of bingeing and purging can take its toll on the digestive
system and can drastically alter how it functions, even to the
point of the system being unable to function properly on its own
where the person can no longer keep food down. This can lead to
terrible chemical imbalances in the body and in turn affect many
of the major organ functions, including and especially the
heart, which can only take so much stress from the bingeing and
purging until eventually it can totally give out.
In our next article we will cover the consequences of Bulimia
Nervosa and how to deal with them. We'll also discuss how to
psychologically deal with a person who is suffering from this
terrible disease.