The Disorder Called Bulimia

Bulimia is an eating disorder that combines the habits of binge eating and anorexia. The patient indulges in bouts of binge eating and tries to get rid of the food by vomiting fasting, enemas or purging. Bulimia like all other eating disorders is caused by an underlying psychological problem.

Bulimia is not easily detectable. Patients who suffer bulimia are usually able to keep a normal body weight. Patients suffer a loss of control over their eating patterns, abnormal weight fluctuations, tooth decay and calluses’ in the skin because of forced vomiting. In advanced cases patients suffer bone loss, fluctuating levels of the hormone estrogen, shrunken breasts, swollen lungs, cancer, diabetes and hyperthyroidism. Treatment is administered using antidepressants and serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Psychiatric therapy helps to treat and cure the underlying psychiatric problem that caused bulimia. Some patients find relief in herbal treatment and alternative medical therapies to cure bulimia.