Bulimia Nervosa as an Eating Disorder (Research Paper Sample)

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Bulimia Nervosa as an eating disorder
An eating disorder is defined as an illness causing severe turmoil on one’s daily diet, for example, taking in extremely small or huge amounts of food. This urge starts slowly then springs out of control. In some cases, severe distress, concern for body weight may as well indicate an eating disorder. Bulimia nervosa a known serious, life-threatening eating condition pigeonholed by a phase of bingeing plus compensatory conducts like induced vomiting to counteract binge eating effects. This rancorous cycle takes a toll on an individual’s body as well as emotional well-being. However, this cycle may be broken, and treatment arrived at to help one in establishing a healthier food relationship with themselves hence overcome anxiety, shame as well as guilt feelings (Ruggiero and Adriane, 2008).
Bulimia nervosa affects women and men of all ages whereby there is a persistent fight sandwiched between a desire to weight loss and irresistible force to overdo eating. During a normal binge, one consumes between 3,000-5,000 calories per an hour followed by anxiety at the end hence one turning to drastic undo measure like taking ex-lax or inducing vomiting to counteract the effect. However, bulimia doesn’t always involve physical elimination of food from the body using any means like diuretics; bulimia is also indicated by fasting, excess exercise crash diets to reduce binge.
Binge and purge phase
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Going on a diet triggers the destructive phase in bulimia involving bingeing and purging. Ironically, the more stringent and inflexible your nutrition, the more you are likely to be gripped, with food as the body reacts with potent cravings. While rigidity, hunger and deprivation feelings toll, the force to eat builds to beyond resisting and the dietary rule not to eat is broken. One now goes on testing a little food then is tempted to eat more and more. Unfortunately, relief brought about by bingeing is short-lived. This closely is followed by guilt resulting to purging to compensate for bingeing and recapture control. More badly, purging only assists to fortify binge hence it is not the best way to reduce calories and that is why bulimia victims gain weight over time. Spewing only eliminates half or less of the consumed calories immediately after eating since calorie immersion starts when food is in the mouth. Further, purgatives, as well as diuretics are not helpful as they only get rid of 10% total calories taken while diuretics get rid of none. They only help in water loss and not weight loss (Parks and Peggy, 2013).
Binge signs and symptoms may include but not limited to; being unable to control one’s eating, when one wants to eat in private, eating incredibly large food amounts hence overweight and switching between over-eating and fasting. On the other hand, purging may be characterized by; abnormal bathroom visits after eating to vomit, use of enemas, laxatives, and diuretics or taking diet pills to control appetite, presence of vomit smells disguised under perfumes and strenuous exercise after eating to burn the calorie. Bulimia physically characterized by hands or knuckles with calluses or scars as a result of sticking fingers in the trigger throat vomiting. It is also be signaled by repeated vomiting result in puffy cheeks, discolored teeth out of stomach acid exposure while throwing up, both men and women in this condition are not underweight or slightly overweight and lastly frequent weight fluctuations (Schwartz and Harvey, 1998).
Effects of bulimia may set in with time. Living with bulimia puts you at risk with dehydration as the most dangerous side effect due to purging. Consequentially, vomiting, diuretics, as well as laxatives, are capable of causing body electrolyte imbalances which is often low potassium ion levels. The truncated potassium planes elicit a number symptoms that ranging from fatigue and vague thoughtfulness to lopsided heartbeats and eventually demise of the victim. Persistently low potassium levels may also lead to kidney failure. Some other medical complications plus adverse effects include: bloating, hand and feet swelling, eye blood vessels getting broken, swollen salivary glands, mouth sores, reflux of acids causing ulcers, loss of menstrual periods as well as chronic constipation as a result of heavy use of a laxative. Ipecac Syrup used to induce vomiting after binge may build up in the body with time when regularly used leading to heart damage followed by sudden cardiac arrest.
No known sole root of bulimia. Although reduced self-esteem, weight plus body image worries have played major roles in causing bulimia, many contributing causes also exist. Mostly, people suffering from eating disorders have problems in managing their emotions in a healthier way hence take eating as an emotional release when anxious, angry or depressed. Therefore, certainly, Bulimia presents itself as a complex emotional subject. The primary causes and risks of bulimia include appearance-guided professions like ballet dancers, actors, gymnasts, runners, and models. Also, life challenges like puberty, college life and breakups apart from poor body image as per ill culture emphasis through media images obsession are causes; having low esteem by taking of oneself as useless and unattractive; and trauma like sexual abuse (Parks and Peggy, 2013).
People suffering from this disorder can easily get help but through devotion. These people experience scary feelings out of proportion as awareness that they are damaging their bodies augments more fear. Victims need to learn how to disrupt the binge-purge succession hence establish a better food and body defiance. This activity can take a few steps that involve admitting that they have a problem and hope that life will still be better by losing more weight and controlling how one eats. Talking to someone about it by finding a good listening individual and not hiding it anymore; and completely avoiding those individuals, residences, and doings that initiate the urge to the binge-purge cycle. This is through actions like not watching fashion, websites on weight loss and being choosy on meal planning magazines; and lastly seeking ...