Essay On Bulimia

Bulimia Essay, Research Paper Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by episodes of uncontrolled binge eating, often involving extremely large amounts of high-calorie foods, followed by induced vomiting or the use of laxatives, or diuretics to "purge" or cleanse the body of the food eaten during the binge. An estimated thirty percent of high school and college age girls use this method to stabilize their weight, and then it turns into a fixed pattern of conduct. The binge eating and purging are carried out in secret; therefore, the disease may go undetected for years. This is a serious medical and psychological problem with potentially dangerous complications.

The causes of bulimia are most often psychological in nature, and

There are however, many physical signs of bulimia. For example, bulimics may have bradycardia (low heart rate), constant heartburn, or irregular heartbeats, and may even go into cardiac arrest. They have potential kidney and liver failures, and may even have osteoporosis. They may get edema (tissue swelling from water retention) due to electrolyte imbalances. Bulimics may have extreme fluctuations in blood pressure, irregular menstrual periods, bloating, abdominal pain and cramps, internal bleeding, and they may even vomit out blood. They have severe damage to their bowels, and constantly have indigestion, gas, and constipation. They suffer from dehydration, fainting spells, insomnia, tremors, blurred vision, and swollen cheek glands. Bulimics have severe throat problems caused by stomach acids and esophageal scarring and dental decay from excessive vomiting. They have broken blood vessels in the face and under the eyes and have intestinal rupture from excessive use of