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The Link Between Anorexia and Bulimia
Young women and men sometimes starve themselves.
It doesn’t matter how thin they may be— in their internal
mirror, they are fat. Or they may so afraid of gaining weight,
yet so desperately hungry, that they eat and eat until they
feel so guilty that they must vomit up all the food. These
people suffer from eating disorders. Eating disorders have
nothing to do with the digestive tract of the person. Rather,
the illness resides in the mind.
Anorexia and bulimia are the two most common
eating disorders. They tend to appear most commonly in women.
In fact, 90 percent of all cases are in women. Most eating
disorders begin in the teenage years: anorexia most often
occurs around puberty, and bulimia hits a bit later. People
with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa share the same fear,
guilt, and shame about food and fat. Still, they are two separate
disorders with different symptoms. People with anorexia starve
and exercise themselves thin. People with bulimia eat unhealthy
amounts of food and then vomit or purge themselves. People
with anorexia or bulimia tend to start at normal weights,
but then suffer from poor nutrition as well as the mental
and emotional effects of having an eating disorder. Some people
with eating disorders may have a combination of anorexia and
bulimia.
People with anorexia or bulimia, despite their
different behaviors toward food, share many of the same symptoms.
Both are undernourished, and, as a result, may have dry skin,
brittle hair and nails, be constipated, and may be sensitive
to temperature changes. Women may have irregular periods.
People with eating disorders may develop food rituals, like
only eating certain foods or at specific times, and they may
eat in secret. Even when thin, people with eating disorders
think of themselves as fat and are terrified of gaining weight.
Each eating disorder has its unique symptoms,
however. People with anorexia lose dramatic amounts of weight,
eat little amounts of food, and exercise excessively. People
with bulimia, however, have symptoms related to constant vomiting.
Their stomach acid eats away at their teeth enamel, burns
their esophagus, and can cause the salivary glands to swell.
People with bulimia may also have cuts or bruises on their
fingers from inducing vomiting.
Both anorexia and bulimia are completely treatable.
People with eating disorders need professional help from doctors
and psychiatrists. It may take years to learn to control an
eating disorder. Love and support from friends and family
are also needed for recovery from any eating disorder.
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About the Author:
Thomas Morva
Bulimia
Info provides detailed information about the causes, symptoms,
and effects of bulimia; bulimia treatment and recovery; the
relationship between anorexia and bulimia; and information
about the “pro bulimia” viewpoint. Bulimia Info is affiliated
with Original
Content. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Morva
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