Support For Those With Bulimia This Christmas

The holiday season can be a wonderful time of thanksgiving and fellowship with friends and family, but for those suffering with bulimia, the absolute abundance of food during the holiday season can be overbearing and difficult to cope with.  Since the holidays tend to revolve around food and feasting, this can be the most challenging time of the year for bulimia sufferers, particularly as overwhelming feelings of panic, anxiety, and fear may be invoked.  It is not uncommon that the pressure of holidays such as Christmas can instigate a worsening of behaviors for many with eating disorders.  With the support of loved ones, Christmas doesn’t have to be associated with deterring feelings or anxiety about food, but rather a day to commemorate love, family and friends.  If you or a loved one is struggling with bulimia, please continue reading here for tips and support during this holiday season.

Be encouraged that recovery is possible and can continue to be maintained, even during difficult time periods.  If you have been in recovery from bulimia, what advice can you share for those who are struggling during this holiday season?

Personal Matters: Eating disorders and our family dynamics

Personal Matters  
Susan Britt
Source: http://www.gloucestertimes.com

Eating disorders are epidemic in America, and are likely to be at their most destructive and intense during this holiday period from Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve because holidays tend to stir up suppressed feelings.
...Continue reading here.
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The holidays can be a particularly stressful time, especially if you are attempting to maintain recovery from an eating disorder.  What are effective ways of coping and managing stress during this holiday season without engaging in eating disorder behaviors?

Bulimia, binge-eating issues for men are on rise

Marjie Gilliam/ Cox Newspapers

Source: http://www.detnews.com

Traditionally thought of as affecting mostly women, eating disorders among men are on the rise.

Harvard research results from the first national study of eating disorders in a population of nearly 3,000 adults found 25 percent of those with anorexia or bulimia and 40 percent of binge eaters were men. It was previously thought that men accounted for only about 10 percent of anorexia and bulimia cases.

Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by gorging of food followed by purging or other methods to control weight, while anorexia is self-starvation marked by the refusal or inability to maintain normal weight combined with intense fear of gaining weight. Binge eating is the uncontrolled consumption of large amounts of food, and here, too, the number of men suffering from the condition is increasing.

Of the three eating disorders, binge eating is the only one considered nonlife-threatening, and not officially recognized as a psychiatric disorder.

Many active, thin males with extremely low body fat levels are looked upon as fit and healthy when, in fact, they may be struggling with an eating disorder. Due to the stigma attached, along with a reluctance to admit lack of control, men are less likely than women to seek treatment.

In addition, men are more likely to be diagnosed with having depression when significant appetite changes occur than receive a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20111116/LIFESTYLE03/111160306/Bulimia--binge-eating-issues-for-men-are-on-rise#ixzz1e5Hq4aWa

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Why are men less likely to seek treatment for an eating disorder than women?  What are ways to increase awareness of how bulimia and binge-eating issues impact men?

Vail health: Bulimia and the brain

Randy Wyrick
rwyrick@vaildaily.com
VAIL CO, Colorado

Source: http://www.vaildaily.com 

VAIL — Don't put your kid on a diet, because diets don't work, says Dr. Kenneth Weiner, an expert in eating disorders and brain development.

Within three years, 90 percent of people weigh more than they did before the diet. The other 10 percent have built lifestyle changes into their lives, Weiner said.

Weiner is co-founder, CEO and chief medical officer of the Eating Recovery Center in Denver and has been treating eating disorders for more than 25 years. He talked to Colorado School Counselors Association's annual conference at the Vail Cascade Resort & Spa on Friday.

To help adolescents avoid eating disorders, concentrate on who they are and not what they are, what's on the inside rather than what's on the outside, he said.

“We live in an obese society and childhood obesity is going to break the healthcare bank. My patients are the collateral damage,” Weiner said. 

...Continue reading here.

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What are the various factors that are thought to contribute to the development of bulimia?  

Cheerleading and Bulimia: A Serious Risk

By Samantha Van Vleet
Source: http://sports.yahoo.com

Bulimia is a very serious eating disorder that can have long-lasting and serious consequences for those who suffer from it. With approximately 1% of the population suffering from bulimia, it isn't any wonder that that eating disorders, such as bulimia, has made their way into the world of cheerleading. Unfortunately, it seems that cheerleaders may be at a greater risk of developing eating disorders due to increased levels of pressure to maintain certain weight standards.

What is bulimia?

Bulimia is commonly used as shorthand for the medical condition known as bulimia nervosa. Unlike anorexia, bulimia is characterized by the consumption of a large quantity of food during a short period of time (also known as binging) followed by efforts to remove the food from the body though means such as induced vomiting (also known as purging) and the over-use of laxatives. Bulimics most commonly induce vomiting and may exercise excessively.

What are the symptoms of bulimia?

Bulimia can be much more difficult to spot than other disorders such as anorexia because many bulimics present at an average and even above-average weight. Cheerleaders suffering from bulimia may be expressing extreme amounts of stress of anxiety regarding their weight. Bulimics may talk about weight loss, diets and exercise routines to an excessive degree. They are likely dissatisfied with their body size and shape. A bulimic cheerleader may demonstrate extremely secretive behaviors following activities that involve food, such as sneaking off alone following eating. A cheerleader with bulimia may also be abusing diet pills and laxatives. Bulimic cheerleaders are likely to suffer from dizziness and light-headedness as well.

....Continue reading here. 

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If you suspect that a friend, teammate, or loved one is struggling with bulimia, what might be some helpful ways to approach them and convey your concern?

It’s bulimia

By Dr MILTON LUM

Source: http://thestar.com
When you eat excessively and then try to purge the food through various means, you’re suffering from bulimia.

BULIMIA nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by cycles of eating large amounts of food (binge eating) followed by the sufferer taking measures to get rid of it (purging) by stimulating vomiting, use of laxatives, or excessive exercising.

The cause of eating disorders is unknown. However, it is believed to be due to a complex interaction between biological, family, psychological, and social factors.

The causative factors include:
·Family history of parents or siblings with an eating disorder suggests a biological factor.
·Psychological factors like poor self-esteem, perfectionism, disturbed relationships and family conflicts may be contributing factors.
·Social factors like media focus on body shapes and peer pressure may be contributing factors in teenage girls.
... Continue reading here.
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If you or someone you know may be struggling with bulimia, what might be some of the factors that may be preventing you from seeking the appropriate help you need? 

The secret world of mid-life bulimics

It's usually associated with teenage girls but bulimia is also afflicting women overwhelmed by the pressures of modern family life 

By Charlotte Kemp

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

With her Karen Millen pencil skirt, pretty blouse and two-inch heels, Heather Cooper looks very much the professional.

Every morning, she arrives at her London office immaculately dressed, her blonde hair groomed into a chignon and her nails carefully manicured.

But the truth is, behind her polished exterior, this 45-year-old sales and training manager from Hertfordshire is hiding a self-destructive secret. For Heather is bulimic, caught in a cycle of bingeing and purging which destroyed one long-term relationship and has robbed her of the chance of motherhood. Yet she cannot stop.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2040144/Bulimia-Usually-associated-teenage-girls-afflicting-women-mid-life.html#ixzz1Yd8sA7Ix

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Eating disorders are a struggle, no matter what age you may be.  What can be the difficulties of struggling with bulimia in mid-life as opposed to a adolescent or young adult?

CU research: Bulimic purging alters chemistry within brain

by SARA CASTELLANOS, Staff Writer
Source: www.aurorasentinel.com

Research conducted by psychiatrists at the University of Colorado Hospital shows that bulimia has discernible effects on the brain.

Dr. Guido Frank, psychiatrist and assistant professor in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department at Children’s Hospital Colorado found that there is a direct correlation between the number of binge-purge episodes someone has, and the sensitivity of the brain-reward system, which includes the release of dopamines.

“It’s a bit like a drug abuse model,” he said. “When you use the drug for the first time you might get excited over it, but then over a certain time you might become dependent for different reasons, and then the brain responds less to it.”
...Continue reading here.
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If you or someone you know is currently in recovery from bulimia, what have been motivating factors that have encouraged you to seek treatment?

Teen surviving four-year struggle with bulimia nervosa

By Diane Crocker
Source: www.thewesternstar.com

CORNER BROOK — For almost four years Belle has been fighting a war with herself and with food.
A war the 18-year-old young woman from a small community on the Northern Peninsula is finally ready to end. 
Belle, not her real name, has bulimia nervosa.
She believes her eating disorder, which started when she was 15, was triggered by stress.
...Continue reading article
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Recovery journeys from eating disorders are as unique and distinctive as the individual in recovery.  What is something you may have experienced in your recovery that has encouraged you to keep striving towards a life free from bulimia?

Research links bulimia to disordered impulse control

Author: Eva Valenti
Source: Stanfordmedicine.org

Although some consider eating disorders like bulimia to be the over-hyped, Hollywoodian maladies of the wealthy and superficial, the fact is that they are serious psychiatric disorders. Bulimia seems to be particularly complex from a psychological standpoint.
...Continue reading article

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New research studies on bulimia are continuing to demonstrate the serious implications of this disease as well as the importance of treatment for recovery.  If you or someone you know is struggling with bulimia, what steps have you taken to seek treatment or towards recovery?

Family Therapy Helps Teens With Bulimia

by Salynn Boyles @ WebMD Health News

"A family-based approach showing promise to help treat children and teens with anorexia may be an even more effective treatment for bulimia.  Family-based treatment involves close monitoring of an anorexic or bulimic child's eating behavior by parents who are encouraged to intervene when they see signs that the behavior is out of control."

Please finish reading this article by following this link:
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/bulimia-nervosa/news/20070904/family-therapy-helps-teens-with-bulimia
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What are other ways in which a family can become involved in an individual's recovery from bulimia?

Therapeutic Writing and Bulimia Treatment

Source for article:
http://www.eating-disorder-resources.com/category/eating-disorder-articles/

"Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a cycle of binge eating and purging. Binge eating is defined as eating excessive calories in a relatively short amount of time, while purging follows by using vomiting or laxatives to prevent the food from causing any weight gain."

Please follow this link to continue reading this article regarding therapeutic writing and bulimia treatment:
http://www.eating-disorder-resources.com/eating-disorder-articles/bulimia/therapeutic-writing-and-bulimia-treatment/
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If you or someone you know is struggling with bulimia, what are therapeutic methods you may use/know of that have helped you in recovery?
  
To read more excellent articles regarding eating disorders, visit the Eating Disorder Hope Articles Library.