Know about Bulimia. A quick guide on Bulima.

Here is an article on Bulimia to give in-depth information on bulima symptoms and treatments which you may find interesting and informative:
What is Bulimia?

Bulimia is also termed bulimia nervosa and bulimarexia. It is a psychological eating disorder. Bulimea can be  supposed as a mania for food and weight which is characterized by repeated overeating followed by activities such as self induced vomiting and excessive exercise. Approximately bulimia affects about 10 percent of college aged women in the United States and about 10 percent of individuals affected with bulimia are men.

Some professions where thinness is emphasized, have been found to have more eating disorders like bulimia. Such professions include gymnastics, wrestling, modeling, dancing and long distance running.

In Greek bulimia means ox-hunger. It was widely practiced in the Greek and Roman times. Bulimea has now been identified as an eating disorders, which is a widespread cultural phenomena. It is believed that it starts from a persons feeling of dissatisfaction for his/her body and intense concern for his body size and shape. Usually individuals affected with bulimia have feelings of helplessness, low self-esteem, and a fear that they will become fat.

Symptoms of Bulimea:

• Recurrent episodes of binge eating often within less than 2 hours.
• Taking an amount of food that is significantly larger than most people would eat on an average during a similar given time period, under similar situation.
• Swollen glands in neck and face.
• A feeling of lack of control over eating during the occurrence, like a feeling that one can't stop eating.
• Irregular periods.
• Recurrent behavior to prevent any weight gain, such as by self induction of vomiting, excessive exercise, use of laxatives or diuretics.
• Using the bathroom frequently after meals.
• Such behaviors occur at least twice a week for at least 3 months.
• Weakness, exhaustion bloodshot eyes.
• Self evaluation is influenced by body weight and shape.

Bulimia cases can be life damaging and therefore require to be taken seriously. Although symptoms of bulimia revolve around food behaviors and a fear of gaining weight, bulimia is a way to cope with personal emotional distress and pain. Eating binges take away time and focus from more disturbing concerns, and purges can be seen as effective method to regain the feelings of safety. While bulimic behavior may have started as a method to lose weight, the continuous cycle of bingeing and purging usually becomes an escape routine from all other kinds distressing problems.

In a recent study done by Dr. Walter Kaye, a  psychiatry professor at The University of Pittsburgh, indicates that there is significant evidence of bulimic women having an altered brain chemistry, which may be possibly from birth, this puts them at higher risk for eating disorders such as bulimia, even long periods after they have recovered from bulimia in the past.

And another study supports the previous one by giving evidence that the eating disorder bulima is initiated at least partly by a chemical malfunction in the brain and not just because of intense desire to look thin.