How to get bulimic. Ways to treat bulimia at home

Traditional medicine plays an important role in the treatment of bulimia. How to get rid of bulimia on your own, supplementing the treatment with herbal remedies and what effect do they have on the body? The active substances contained in plant materials have the ability to positively influence the metabolic processes occurring in the body, which contribute to the burning of fats and calories. These natural products include:

  • pumpkin - freshly squeezed juice 100 ml three times a day;
  • cucumber - freshly squeezed juice in half a glass after eating;
  • tomatoes - freshly squeezed juice in half a glass in the morning before breakfast;
  • cabbage - freshly squeezed juice in half a glass before meals three times a day;
  • natural birch sap 200 grams once a day for a month.

The use of juices gives the body additional vitamins and minerals, and also contributes to the normalization of the digestive system of the body.

Phytotherapy

A positive effect in the treatment of bulimia is provided by various decoctions and infusions. medicinal plants. In the treatment of this pathological process, there are two categories of prescriptions traditional medicine, which are aimed at suppressing pathological appetite and relieving manifestations of a nervous nature.

Herbal medicines that help reduce appetite:

Herbal medicines that have a sedative effect on the nervous system:

  • preparing a collection of valerian root, lemon balm, mint in a ratio of 1:1:1. 15 grams of the collection is poured with boiling water and infused. It is taken twice a day, 100 ml;
  • an infusion is prepared from dry raw materials of motherwort leaves. 15 grams of grass is poured with boiling water and infused. It is taken in half a glass three times a day;
  • a collection of hop cones, lemon balm and valerian is being prepared in a ratio of 1: 1: 1. 30 grams of the mixture is poured with boiling water and infused. It is taken 100 ml three times a day.

Treatment with traditional medicine recipes should be carried out in a course and after the recommendation of a specialist.

Since bulimia is a psychosomatic illness accompanied by eating disorders, it is necessary to go to without fail consultation with a psychotherapist and nutritionist. Only a specialist can find out the cause of the appearance of incorrect behavior and eliminate the factors contributing to the development of pathological symptoms. Cognitive behavioral therapy allows the patient to effectively, with the help of a psychotherapist, identify wrong thoughts and develop positive eating behavior.

The sooner the doctor prescribes treatment, the faster the pathological symptoms stop. Important in the treatment of bulimia is the consultation of a nutritionist. A nutritionist, in the presence of manifestations of the disease, will individually determine the patient's need for the required number of calories for the body and help develop the right eating habits.

The prognosis for life and work capacity in bulimia is positive. The sooner an appeal to a specialist occurs, the faster the relief of symptoms occurs. According to the reviews of patients undergoing psychotherapeutic treatment, after a few sessions with a specialist, there was an improvement in the general condition and an equalization of the emotional background.

Bulimia is a mental disorder associated with eating disorders. In medical practice, as an independent disease, it began to be considered relatively recently. The main manifestation of bulimia is bouts of overeating, in which a person is able to consume a large amount of food without feeling full. After breakdowns, bulimics feel guilty and try to get rid of what they have eaten. different ways for example, by taking a laxative or by inducing vomiting. Such behavior inevitably leads to exhaustion of the body and the development of many complications from various internal organs.

As statistics show, the ailment in question is more common in young girls and women under the age of thirty-five. Among all patients, only 5% are males. A person with bulimia has two obsessions: food and weight loss. Even very thin women may consider themselves overweight, which forces them to adhere to the strictest diets.

A person, in fact, falls into a vicious circle, is in a constant state. At some point, a nervous breakdown occurs - an attack of compulsive (uncontrolled) overeating. Absorbing food in a large volume, the patient experiences euphoria, which is then replaced by a strong sense of guilt and panic that this will entail an increase in body weight. Again there is stress, hunger strike, etc.

Bulimics themselves do not consider themselves ill, do not seek help from specialists. Such people perceive violations of their eating behavior, rather, as a bad habit, which they are ashamed of. This explains the fact that all patients try to hide their overeating and “cleansing” of the body from others.

Bulimia is almost always accompanied by other disorders, such as sexual disorders, severe, etc. As medical practice shows, only about 50% of people achieve full recovery, but even they may have relapses. The success of treatment depends not only on the right tactics, but also on the desire and willpower of the patient himself.

Causes of bulimia

At the heart of the development of the considered mental disorder is, as a rule, a psychological trauma that caused a disruption in the functioning of the food center in the brain. Such injuries can occur even in infancy and childhood due to lack of nutrition and parental attention. In adolescents, the development of the disease may be facilitated by unsettled relationships with peers.

Important: experts note that the risk of pathology increases in children who are encouraged by their parents with food for good study and behavior. This contributes to the fact that the child begins to consider food the main source of positive emotions.

Other possible causes of bulimia:

  • low self-esteem due to any existing or far-fetched external flaws, the desire for the ideal appearance of the model;
  • increased anxiety, stress;
  • nutritional deficiencies in the body caused by strict diets;
  • hereditary predisposition.

Most bulimics are not able to independently understand what exactly pushes them to overeat. The trigger mechanism of the disease can be found with the help of specialists and measures can be taken to control one's own eating behavior.

Doctors identify three main symptoms that characterize bulimia:

  • uncontrollable craving for food, which pushes the patient to eat a large amount of food in a short time;
  • taking measures that, in the opinion of the bulimic, will help to avoid obesity: taking diuretics and laxatives, artificial induction of vomiting, cleansing enemas, exhausting physical exercises;
  • fluctuations in body weight;
  • self-esteem of the patient is based on the state of his figure.

There are a number of signs by which you can suspect bulimia in a loved one:

  • frequent talk about proper nutrition, newfangled diets and excess weight;
  • patients can recover dramatically, and then also dramatically lose weight using fairly radical methods;
  • increased fatigue, depression, decreased concentration and memory, daytime sleepiness and insomnia at night - all these symptoms are a direct consequence of a lack of nutrients in the body;
  • the presence of diseases of the oral cavity, deterioration of the teeth, susceptibility to frequent tonsillitis and pharyngitis, the presence of scratches on the fingers, heartburn - these signs of bulimia indicate that a person often causes himself to vomit. Hydrochloric acid contained in vomit corrodes the oral mucosa, provokes an inflammatory process in the oropharynx;
  • another sign of frequent vomiting may be bursting vessels in the eyeballs due to a sharp increase in blood pressure;
  • bulimics often suffer from stool disorders caused by overeating;
  • deficit useful substances leads to convulsions, impaired functioning of the kidneys, liver, cardiovascular system;
  • dry skin, signs of premature aging, unsatisfactory condition of nails and hair;
  • in women, the menstrual cycle is often disturbed up to amenorrhea. This is due to the fact that one of the main causes of hormonal disruptions is a violation of metabolic processes in the body.

Attention! Having found signs of bulimia in a loved one, one should realize that the patient himself is not able to help himself, so the only right decision in such a situation will be to see a doctor.

An attack of bulimia is characterized by an uncontrollable feeling of hunger, which can appear even with a full stomach. There are obsessive thoughts about specific dishes, dreams about food. All this prevents a person from concentrating on study or work, leading a full life.

When the bulimic is left alone, he literally pounces on food. With the rapid absorption of food, the patient does not even feel its taste. Many people consume completely incompatible products together. As a rule, bulimics prefer high-calorie foods, such as sweets.

After a breakdown, a full stomach puts pressure on the diaphragm and neighboring internal organs, breathing becomes difficult, pain and spasms in the intestines occur. The feeling of euphoria is replaced by remorse, guilt, fear of being overweight. The patient has an irresistible desire to get rid of calories, which causes him to induce vomiting or take a laxative.

Important! In the early stages of the disease, such breakdowns occur infrequently, only after stressful exposures. Over time, the situation worsens, and the person suffers from bouts of bulimia already several times a day.

Consequences of bulimia

Being a serious illness nervous system, bulimia leads to severe complications, among which are:

  • a decrease in blood pressure, provoking fainting;
  • and other pathologies of the cardiovascular system;
  • renal failure, which develops due to a deficiency of potassium salts;
  • reproductive problems: miscarriages early dates, fetal development disorders, infertility;
  • diseases of the oropharynx and the entire digestive system as a whole;
  • chronic inflammation of the lungs;
  • decrease in working capacity;
  • irritability;
  • severe depression, attempts.

In an effort to hide the disease from others, bulimics often lose social ties, move away from relatives and friends, which only exacerbates their emotional state.

Diagnosis of the disease

There are several diagnostic features that can lead to a diagnosis of bulimia.

These diagnostic symptoms include:

  • recurring episodes of binge eating (at least twice a week for three months);
  • obsessive thoughts about food
  • constant struggle with excess weight;
  • frequent vomiting or spitting out food without swallowing;
  • low self-esteem.

An experienced doctor must distinguish between ordinary binge eating and compulsive overeating - bulimia. Common features of these conditions include eating large amounts of food at a fast pace, usually alone. Both disorders are caused by disturbances in the emotional sphere and entail a sense of shame. Features of bulimia are that its attacks occur as a kind of reaction to stress, sadness, sadness or other emotions. Overeating in this case is not spontaneous, but is planned by the patient, who has a negative attitude towards food and is ashamed of the very fact of eating it.

Bulimics always compensate for overeating with artificially induced vomiting, laxatives, debilitating physical training. At the same time, taste properties and the type of products used are absolutely not important to patients.

The problem of bulimia is in the competence of a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. In advanced cases, a person may be referred for inpatient treatment if he has signs of severe exhaustion and dehydration, severe depression with suicidal tendencies. Pregnant women suffering from bulimia are also treated in a hospital, as the disease poses a direct threat to the life of the child.

The best results are obtained by complex treatment of bulimia, which combines psychotherapeutic and drug methods. Psychotherapeutic treatment is always selected on an individual basis. As a rule, the course consists of ten to twenty sessions, which are held twice a week for several months.

The main areas of psychotherapy used in the treatment of bulimia:


note! Psychotherapy should be supported by regular physical activity. If the bulimic has comorbidities, such as obesity or gastrointestinal disease, consultation with narrow specialists and appropriate treatment is necessary.

As for drug treatment for bulimia, at the discretion of the attending physician, it may include taking the following groups of drugs:

  • antidepressants, contributing to the improvement of the conductivity of signals of nerve cells
  • selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors- contribute to the elimination of depressive states, as well as to improve the conductivity of signals from the cerebral cortex to the food center;
  • tricyclic antidepressants, which increase the concentration of serotonin and adrenaline in the nerve conductors, which have a pronounced sedative effect
  • antiemetics to suppress the gag reflex- they may be recommended in the initial stages of treatment before antidepressants begin to work.

Patients and their relatives need to remember that the treatment of bulimia is always a complex and long process, the success of which is directly proportional to personal desire and effort. Having learned to control one's own eating behavior and enjoy not only food, a person will begin to lead a full, versatile life.

In the 21st century, diseases associated with eating disorders have become more frequent. This is due to factors such as the imposition of social stereotypes, elevated level stress and the spread of fast food.

From the screens and covers of magazines, certain standards of beauty are promoted, which people strive to meet. Sometimes, against the background of constant nervous breakdowns, this becomes an obsession and develops into a real phobia. One such case is bulimia, which, according to statistics, affects about 7% of the population.

The figure is still small, but tends to constantly grow. Many suffer from it without even realizing it and having no idea what kind of disease it is. Therefore, it is so important to familiarize yourself with the basic information: forewarned means forearmed.

What it is?

If many have heard about anorexia, then information about this disease pops up much less often, although these diseases are similar. According to medical reference books, bulimia is an unhealthy eating behavior that is characterized by bouts of overeating and an obsessive desire to correct the figure and lose weight, although in most cases it does not exceed the norm.

People suffering from this disorder have very low self-esteem, they are mentally unstable and often abuse laxatives to cleanse the body again and again, causing diarrhea or vomiting by any means. Such stresses lead not only to numerous health problems, but also to alcohol addiction and even to suicide.

To date, this disease has overtaken anorexia and compulsive overeating in its prevalence. Many patients do not even realize that they suffer from bulimia. For them, the picture looks like this: they lead a healthy lifestyle (go in for sports, constantly cleanse the body, diet), but at the same time, nature has deprived them of ideal body proportions. They are guided not by their BMI, but by the parameters of beauty that flicker in the media, and their own reflection in the mirror, which they cannot objectively evaluate.

Bulimia is a cyclic disease, as the patient has to move again and again in the same circle that he is unable to break: an overeating attack - cleansing the body (through vomiting, enemas or laxatives) - a new breakdown.

In connection with this situation, psychotherapists and nutritionists today are trying to convey to the masses as much information as possible about bulimia: how to identify it and how to get rid of it. The American National Association for Anorexia Nervosa and Related Disorders (ANAD) has called it a fatal mental condition.

Etymology. The term "bulimia" comes from two Greek words: "βοῦς" means "ox" and "λῑμός" means "hunger".

Causes

In each case, the reasons may be different. Their identification and elimination is the main task of treating this disease. Without getting rid of the provoking factor, it is impossible to cure the patient. All of them are divided into 3 large groups.

Organic:

  • disturbed metabolism;
  • metabolic syndrome;
  • diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance;
  • lesions (toxic, tumor) of the brain in the hypothalamus;
  • hypothalamic-pituitary insufficiency (hormonal disorder);
  • genetics, heredity;
  • lack of nutrients as a result of constant hunger strikes.

Social:

  • desire to meet the standards of beauty imposed by society;
  • internal complexes come from childhood and adolescence (bullying from classmates and relatives about excess weight at 10-16 years old);
  • constant comparison of oneself with someone from the environment, unhealthy rivalry with a thin and slender girlfriend (colleague, neighbor ...);
  • dependence on social networks, in which acquaintances constantly publish pictures with flat tummies, a wasp waist and a pumped-up booty;
  • careless and tactless remarks, jokes, comments from acquaintances, parents, coaches, friends about the figure or weight.

Psychogenic:

  • psychological trauma received in childhood, and these include not only fullness in adolescence, due to which relations with peers did not develop, but also the starvation of the newborn, and the lack of parental love;
  • constant nervous breakdowns;
  • depression;
  • prolonged depression;
  • low self-esteem associated with shortcomings in appearance;
  • inferiority complex;
  • negative attitude towards life;
  • high anxiety.

Moreover, bouts of overeating can be triggered by both negative stress (due to the loss of a loved one, divorce, failures at work) and positive stress (a new romance, promotion at work). In the first case, food becomes the only pleasure that helps to calm down. In the second, it acts as a reward for merit.

Most often, a bulimic sufferer is not able to independently realize the true cause of overeating attacks. But finding the trigger is very important so that you can take the appropriate steps to curb your appetite.

Other names. Bulimia is also called wolf hunger or kinorexia.

Kinds

There are several classifications.

Clinical and pathogenetic approach

  1. Bulimia nervosa - develops against the background of mental disorders when comparing oneself with others.
  2. Hereditary.
  3. Depressive - begins after serious stress or psychological trauma.
  4. Emotional - bouts of overeating for a person are a method of emotional discharge, such patients are characterized by irritability, irascibility and sudden mood swings.
  5. Dietary - develops against the background of too long a hunger strike in order to correct the figure.

According to the mechanism of occurrence

  1. Reactive - a surge in the disease occurs at 20-25 years, the provoking factor is unbearable psychological stress, the main manifestation is the constant struggle between the desire to eat tasty and a lot and the need to limit and control nutrition.
  2. Autochthonous - begins in adolescence, is characterized by frequent attacks, an irresistible craving for tasty and forbidden food, a lack of understanding of the presence of a disease, and a lack of satiety.

Structural psychopathological analysis of seizures

  1. Obsessive - the patient is constantly struggling with himself, with his own attacks, often he manages to control overeating for weeks and even months, but then a powerful breakdown occurs, and he cannot stop, absorbing food in exorbitant quantities.
  2. Dysthymic - the patient is emotionally worried that he is drawn to food, but is unable to fight the attacks, so they happen almost daily.
  3. Impulsive - a person does not understand what is happening to him, therefore he does not particularly worry about attacks, although there are internal complexes about the imperfection of his own figure.

Way to lose weight

  1. Medicinal - uncontrolled intake and.
  2. Vomiting - artificial induction of vomiting several times a day.
  3. Sports - grueling workouts.

Classifications of bulimia are used in medical practice to clarify the diagnosis, identify the underlying causes and prescribe the optimal treatment.

Statistics. 10% of those suffering from bulimia are men. 10% of adolescent girls between the ages of 12 and 16 are diagnosed with this condition. In 10% of cases, the disease ends in death due to cardiac arrest, exhaustion or suicide.

Clinical picture

The main signs of bulimia:

  • overeating, when a person cannot control the amount of food eaten, and it exceeds the daily allowance;
  • the constant use of various methods of dealing with excess weight: cleansing the body through emetics and laxatives, hunger strikes, exhausting training programs;
  • excessive dependence of self-esteem and mood on body weight and figure parameters.

Bulimia often develops against the background of mental disorders, diseases of the central nervous system and the endocrine system. For each individual, it manifests itself in different ways:

  • self-harm, where a person suffers from the fact that his body does not meet the standards of beauty imposed by society;
  • appetite, which leads to the absorption of a large amount of food, can be sudden (most often this happens at night) and constant (a person always chews something without ceasing);
  • attacks are accompanied by severe weakness, excruciating hunger, dizziness and pain in the stomach.

Some symptoms are simultaneously the result of the measures taken by the patient and his lifestyle. They relate to his mental and physical health:

  • prostration;
  • predisposition to ENT pathologies;
  • failure menstrual cycle up to amenorrhea;
  • fluctuations in weight;
  • violation of metabolic processes;
  • pathology of the gastrointestinal tract;
  • depressive state;
  • self-hatred, constant guilt for bouts of overeating;
  • painful need for approval from other people;
  • muscle pain;
  • dental problems;
  • too frequent talk about diets, models, nutrition, weight;
  • stool disorders caused by overeating;
  • dry skin, poor condition of nails and hair.

At the same time, the majority have a normal weight, that is, the idea of ​​extra pounds is invented, obsessive, not true.

Since bulimia is a mental disorder, a person cannot objectively evaluate either his own behavior or the parameters of his body. It seems to him that he is doing everything right (starves, goes in for sports, cleanses the body), but he is so imperfect that even this does not lead to the desired result (sizes 90/60/90, cubes on the press, wasp waist, etc. ). This provokes constant bouts of irritability, and internal complexes quickly develop into real self-hatred.

On a note. The age peaks for outbreaks of the disease are adolescence (13-16 years old) and young girls (22-25 years old).

Diagnostics

The disease is not diagnosed by conventional tests, as it belongs to the category of psychological disorders. There is a test for bulimia - this is EAT-26: it stands for Eating Attitudes Test (test for attitude to food). It was developed in 1979 in Toronto at the Clark Institute of Psychiatry. Already based on it, other similar tests were released. They can be found on the Internet and go online, but the interpretation of the results and the final diagnosis should be carried out exclusively by a doctor.

If you suspect bulimia, you should contact a psychotherapist. To confirm the diagnosis, consultations with a gastroenterologist, therapist and nutritionist are also required. To identify concomitant diseases, traditional tests are taken: blood, urine, ECG, ultrasound of internal organs that could be affected.

For comparison. Many experts believe that bulimia is akin to drug addiction, only food acts as a drug. Signs of addiction are obvious: the patient cannot independently break out of the cyclical circle. Over time, the feeling of satiety is lost, so you have to increase portions and the number of meals.

Treatment

In order for the treatment to be effective, a comprehensive examination of the body is carried out and the conclusions of various specialists are collected. But the main course of therapy will be conducted by a psychotherapist.

Medical

You can treat bulimia with medication - in some cases, antidepressants are prescribed. They are effective when:

  • overt depressive disorder;
  • neuroses;
  • obsessive-compulsive disorder.

In the course of ongoing research, the effectiveness of the following antidepressants has been scientifically proven:

  • selective inhibitors: fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, citalapram, escitalopram;
  • tricyclic: Amitriptyline, Imipramine, Clomipramine, Maprotiline, Mianserin, Trazodone;
  • monoamine oxidase: Moclobenide, Pirlindol.

Most other drugs are prescribed (tablets), since tricyclic drugs, for example, in 30% of cases cause multiple side effects, because of which therapy is forced to be interrupted.

It is believed that the treatment of bulimia with antidepressants alone is not effective, since it only eliminates mental disorders, against which the underlying disease develops. Therefore, they are most often prescribed in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

To cure bulimia, you need to seek help from a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. Hospitalization is required only in the most extreme cases, so most patients are seen by a doctor on an outpatient basis. The most effective treatment method is CBT, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It includes the following work with patients.

  1. The goal is to teach the patient to control his diet.
  2. Tools to achieve this goal: patients write down how much they ate at each meal, and then try to identify factors that provoke binge attacks.
  3. Work to eliminate these factors.
  4. Reducing Eating Restrictions: Instilling Proper, Healthy Eating Habits.
  5. Development of skills to counter attacks.
  6. Identification and change of dysfunctional thoughts and attitudes about the figure and body weight.
  7. Fighting negative emotions.

How effective CBT is in treating bulimia can be seen from the following facts:

  • in 50% - complete relief from the disease;
  • in 80% - reduction of seizures;
  • results can last for a year or more;
  • the patient is registered for about 6 years after undergoing CBT, which is an excellent prevention of further development of the disease;
  • the frequency of seizures decreases after 3-4 sessions.

Neither antidepressants nor other psychotherapeutic methods give such an effect. The latter include:

  • behavioral therapy;
  • psychodynamic therapy;
  • family psychotherapy;
  • analysis of experiences;
  • the Twelve Steps program (adapted from the system for treating substance dependence disorders);
  • interpersonal therapy (interpersonal) is one of the most promising methods after CBT, which also gives good results.

The treatment program is drawn up in each individual case individually, as it depends on the presence of mental disorders, against which the underlying disease develops.

Additional measures

  1. In some cases, diet helps. It is not a panacea and is prescribed purely individually. Most often it concerns a strict schedule of meals and exact dimensions portions, as well as exclusion from the diet of fast food and sweets.
  2. Reception of multivitamin complexes is needed only in the presence of a lack of certain trace elements and vitamins.
  3. Treatment of concomitant diseases.

To cope with bulimia, the patient must learn to accept himself as he is, to lead a normal life. Restoring health (both physical and psychological) takes a lot of time, the results manifest themselves gradually, so you need to be patient. The positive attitude of the patient himself and the professionalism of the doctor are the main components of successful therapy.

Folk remedies

Many are interested in how to get rid of bulimia on their own, without the involvement of antidepressants and CBT. You can try, but no one will give a guarantee of a complete cure, since it is very difficult to cope with a mental disorder.

First, you need to try:

  1. Eat fractionally: organize 5-6 meals a day, portion sizes should be no more than 250-300 g.
  2. Get up from the table with a slight feeling of hunger.
  3. Drink at least 2 liters of plain water daily.
  4. Food should be light, low-fat, low-calorie, so that the stomach digests it quickly.
  5. You need to have breakfast before 9 am, lunch - before 14.00, dinner - around 18-19.00.
  6. Between the main meals, you need to arrange light snacks from fruits, nuts, smoothies, berries, dairy products.
  7. Give up soda, fast food, sugar, coffee and alcohol.
  8. Try to lead a healthy lifestyle.
  9. Spend a lot of time outdoors.
  10. Get enough sleep (but do not oversleep), the optimal amount of time for sleep is individual, but on average it is 7-8 hours.
  11. Do not be nervous.
  12. Walks must be on foot.
  13. Intense sports (gym, swimming, running) are not recommended, as they lead to the burning of a large number of calories, which is fraught with an increase in appetite, exhaustion of the body, up to anorexia.
  14. As soon as you feel another attack, drink kefir, green tea or the usual one.

The hardest part is choosing the right products. After learning that it is recommended to abandon a certain list, many fall into extremes, which entail new breakdowns and attacks. Therefore, if you can’t wake up in the morning without coffee, you don’t need to force yourself in any case: once a day, 150 ml of your favorite drink without sugar can be afforded. The same goes for chips or a hamburger. Once a week, a small pack or a small portion will not cause serious harm. Make indulgences, otherwise the more you restrict yourself in food, the more powerful and more dangerous later seizures happen.

Secondly, at home, you can try to use folk remedies to dull the appetite.

  • Garlic

Grind 3 cloves of garlic, pour a glass of warm water, leave for a day, drink a tablespoon daily before bedtime. Garlic infusion has a beneficial effect on the valve that unites the esophagus and stomach. If there are problems with the gastrointestinal tract, this recipe is contraindicated.

  • Linseed oil

Before each meal (both main and snacks), drink 20 ml.

  • Mint and parsley

An infusion of mint and parsley has a calming effect. They need to be dried, crushed, mixed in equal proportions (a teaspoon), pour a glass of boiling water. Strain after half an hour. Drink as soon as the attack begins. It dulls the feeling of hunger for 2-4 hours.

  • Wormwood

Pour 20 g of dried and chopped grass with a glass of boiling water, leave for half an hour, strain. Drink a tablespoon 30 minutes before meals three times a day.

  • Plum and fig

Take 250 g of plums and figs. Fruits are crushed, mixed and filled with 3 liters of water. Put on fire and boil down to 500 ml. Drink 4 times a day for half a glass, regardless of meals.

  • Celery

Pour 20 g of fresh celery stalks with a glass of boiling water. Keep on fire for 15 minutes, strain. The resulting volume should be drunk 1 day in 3 doses 10 minutes before meals.

  • Corn silk

Pour 10 g of corn stigmas with a glass of boiling water, steam in a water bath for 20 minutes. Take a tablespoon before meals.

  • Collection of herbs

Mix 40 g of dried herbs of lemon balm, couch grass, chamomile, yarrow, dandelion, St. John's wort, horsetail. Pour 500 ml of boiling water. Insist 2 days. Drink a glass twice a day for a month.

  • St. John's wort

Mix 30 g of dried St. John's wort, 10 ml of concentrated lemon juice, 50 ml cold water, a teaspoon. Beat thoroughly with a whisk, drink a tablespoon before meals for a month.

  • Baths with lavender

Their main function is soothing. Put a few drops in the bath essential oil lavender. Take twice a week before bed.

  • Motherwort

Pour a tablespoon of dry chopped motherwort with a glass of boiling water. Keep for 20 minutes in a water bath. Strain. Drink 50 ml before meals three times a day.

If you have taken all possible measures to eliminate bouts of overeating, but they return again and again, it is better to start medical or psychotherapeutic treatment as soon as possible.

Facts. Bulimics tend to prefer sweets and starchy foods. Scientifically, this is quite understandable. Firstly, such products deliver maximum pleasure and contribute to the production of a large amount of endorphins. Secondly, they are high in calories, increase blood sugar levels, which allows you to feel full for at least some time.

Forecasts

Can bulimia be completely cured? Many sources claim that even after completing the full course of therapy, the disease still returns. Indeed, the risk of such a development of events is very high for two reasons. Firstly, the main trigger is stressful situations that lie in wait for modern man at every step. Secondly, the disease belongs to mental disorders, and it is extremely difficult to overcome problems with the central nervous system even with the help of medications.

Here are the experts' predictions:

  • complete deliverance is not guaranteed by any technique known today;
  • the main symptoms and consequences are eliminated by CBT for a sufficiently long period, subject to the implementation of all medical recommendations;
  • there are cases of spontaneous disappearance of signs of bulimia in the absence of treatment after a strong mental shock, which was of a positive nature, but they are extremely rare;
  • attempts at self-treatment rarely end in recovery;
  • in the absence of psychotherapeutic and drug treatment, the prognosis is extremely unfavorable - complications begin to develop, the risk of death due to heart failure, gastrointestinal bleeding, and suicide is high;
  • with the support of relatives and the immediate environment, the chances of recovery increase.

An unfavorable prognosis is if the patient does not realize the presence of a problem for a very long time and refuses treatment.

Complications

Unfortunately, most patients do not even know how dangerous bulimia is. In the absence of proper treatment, the consequences for the body can become irreversible and lead to death. The most common complications are:

  • neurasthenia;
  • various forms of addiction: drug, alcohol, narcotic;
  • suicide;
  • acute heart failure;
  • antisocial behavior, isolation, cessation of communication up to autism;
  • irritation of the pharynx and mucosa of the esophagus (due to constantly induced vomiting);
  • violation of water-salt balance;
  • proctological disorders due to the frequent use of enemas;
  • severe dehydration;
  • caries, bleeding gums due to repeated vomiting (gastric acid destroys tooth enamel and irritates the oral mucosa);
  • inflammation of the esophagus;
  • electrolyte imbalance leads to muscle cramps;
  • intestinal disorders;
  • disorders in the liver and kidneys;
  • internal bleeding;
  • amenorrhea;
  • heart disease.

Such serious and severe consequences of bulimia once again indicate that it poses a danger to human life and health and requires timely medical attention.

Prevention

Prevention is necessary if such a diagnosis has already been made in the past, after a recent course of CBT, in the presence of such diseases in one of the relatives. It is aimed at acquiring and consolidating normal eating habits and maintaining psychological health. What measures need to be taken for this?

  1. Avoid any stressful situations whenever possible.
  2. Find something non-food related that will give you pleasure: hobbies, work, family, etc.
  3. Do not abuse drugs.
  4. Temper your character.
  5. Take a multivitamin twice a year.
  6. If you have low self-esteem, sign up for training.
  7. Do not close in yourself, expand the circle of communication.

A very large responsibility in the prevention of bulimia falls on the shoulders of parents. The risk of its development in the future may depend on their upbringing. To protect the child from this problem in the future, it is necessary:

  • maintain a comfortable psychological microclimate in the family;
  • to form the correct self-esteem in the child;
  • do not use food in educational measures: you can not use it as a reward or punishment;
  • to instill in the child the right attitude to food as a normal physiological need, and not as a way to get emotional and physical pleasure;
  • form the right eating habits: eat according to the regimen, eliminate (or minimize) harmful foods.

The support of family and friends plays a huge role. Their help is a guarantee that a person will never encounter this disease, and if this happens, it will be much easier to recover.

Helpful information

Bulimia is a disease that is not yet so common, but doctors are sounding the alarm. It is assumed that the number of people suffering from it will increase several times every year. The massive use of the Internet, which describes all kinds of diets and methods of cleansing the body, leads people (most often young and inexperienced girls) to a stressful state when they want to achieve an ideal figure by any means, even to the detriment of their own health.

Not everyone is in a hurry to consult a doctor with this disease, even if they suspect it in themselves. A block of useful information will dispel some of the doubts.

What movies about bulimia can you watch?

  1. Starving.
  2. Maledimiele.
  3. Sharing the Secret.
  4. Kate's Secret.
  5. When friendship kills (When friendship kills).

How does bulimia affect pregnancy?

It is important to prevent bulimia and pregnancy from occurring at the same time. The disease depletes the strength and resources of the mother's body, and this is fraught with numerous complications in the development of the fetus and further labor activity. In most cases, this leads to caesarean section, miscarriage or stillbirth. Babies born to mothers suffering from severe bulimia are weak, they are often diagnosed with:

  • developmental delay;
  • low blood sugar;
  • increased level of red blood cells;
  • weakened immunity;

As practice shows, in the future, such children have an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes, and hypertension. Given the seriousness of the situation, when diagnosing bulimia in a pregnant woman, timely and comprehensive assistance from doctors of various specializations is necessary. The chances of a successful birth of a healthy child in this case increase several times.

How is bulimia different from anorexia?

Which famous people suffered from bulimia?

Princess Diana - fell ill when she found out about her husband's infidelity and became depressed. The treatment took 10 years.

Elvis Presley - became the saddest and most famous example of a fatal outcome in bulimia, which the singer constantly aggravated by drug use.

Diane Keaton (actress) - fell ill after losing weight for one of her roles.

Jane Fonda is an actress who was one of the first to admit that she had been treated for an illness for almost 30 years. She even founded a foundation to help women with this diagnosis.

Lindsay Lohan also made an official admission that she had been suffering from the disease for several years.

Nicole Scherzinger hid her illness for a long time not only from the public and doctors, but even from her family and friends.

famous in the 70s. of the last century, the fashion model Twiggy was very fashionable, as she resembled a reed girl, but after another bout of overeating, her heart failed, she was in a state of clinical death but they managed to save her.

Elton John - fought not only with drug addiction and prolonged depression, but also with bulimia.

Kate Moss - used to be constantly starving in order to be the owner of a flat, almost childish figure. But when she started eating, she often couldn't stop. She underwent long courses of treatment in many prestigious clinics in the world.

Nicole Kidman - suffers from a very serious illness - anorexia nervosa against the background of bulimic attacks.

Bulimia is a very serious and dangerous disease, often leading to death. Most people are not even aware that they suffer from this disease. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor your eating habits and any changes in weight. As soon as there are any doubts, it is better to seek medical help so that it does not come to complications and hospitalization.

The term "bulimia" has become increasingly popular in recent years. It can be found both in scientific and medical literature, as well as on the pages of newspapers and popular magazines. The popularization of this concept is associated with an increase in the number of cases of morbidity. So what is bulimia? What causes the disease, and what consequences can it lead to?

Bulimia is the uncontrolled consumption of food in quantities greater than necessary to maintain energy metabolism. Simply put, the disease is a kind of gluttony, in which a person experiences a constant feeling of hunger. There are several reasons for this state of affairs. However, in most cases, the disease is the result of neuropsychiatric disorders or organic pathology of the central nervous system.

Until the beginning of the twentieth century, medical specialists did not classify the condition in question as a disease. It was believed that an excessively increased appetite is nothing more than one of the many bad habits inherent in man. The term entered medical textbooks only when the phenomenon began to become widespread. The reason was the acceleration of the rhythm of life and the increase in the number of mental disorders associated with this phenomenon.

Bulimia is characterized by fluctuation in the patient's weight from less to more and vice versa. In this case, a person usually understands that the consumption of such an amount of food is not normal. Patients often use emetics, try to limit themselves with the help of willpower or drugs that fill the stomach. However, such attempts, not combined with psychological help, are usually useless. The line between simple overeating and the onset of the disease is difficult to draw.

Types of disease

Modern medical science distinguishes between two types of the disease:

  • primary bulimia;
  • bulimia as a compensatory reaction in anorexia.

Primary bulimia in most cases is a symptom of a neuropsychiatric disorder and is characterized by constant hunger. Feeling full, restricting food intake a healthy person, the patient with bulimia is absent. Patients prefer to eat high-calorie foods: pastries, fatty meat and fish, pasta. Some experts consider the disease to be a kind of drug addiction, since the patient needs more and more food as the body weight and volume of the stomach increase. In its absence, a state similar to alcohol withdrawal occurs.

Symptoms of bulimia can also occur in people suffering from anorexia. More often these are girls aged 18-28 years old, obsessed with their own weight. Exhausting diets lead to exhaustion of the body, which triggers a compensatory reaction. The body tries in a short time to restore the body weight necessary to maintain vital processes. Therefore, anorexics sometimes experience breakdowns, in which they begin to indiscriminately absorb any food that is available. Bulimia of this type is characterized by alternating periods of gluttony and hunger, fluctuations in body weight of the patient and poor absorption of nutrients and foods eaten.

Interesting to know: a sudden intake of large amounts of food after a long period of starvation often leads to serious problems in the intestines. In some cases, such breakdowns in anorexics cause acute intestinal obstruction.

Causes of bulimia

The causes of bulimia are divided into:

  • psychological;
  • physiological.

Among the psychological causes of overeating include inferiority complexes, often cultivated since childhood, depression, low self-esteem. With all this, the process of eating is the only way for the patient to achieve psychological comfort. While eating, a person enjoys and forgets about existing psychological problems. A similar mechanism for the development of bulimia is by far the most common and occurs in 70-80% of cases of the disease.

As mentioned above, another mechanism for the development of pathology is a compensatory reaction in anorexia. There are also psychological disturbances. Compensatory bulimia is the lot of girls who are overly fond of diets and obsessed with their own weight.

Among the physiological causes include hormonal disorders, insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus, hormonal disruptions. Also, the cause of the disease may be a history of trauma associated with damage to the food center in the cerebral cortex. There are known cases of bulimia in patients admitted not only with open, but also with closed craniocerebral injuries.

Consequences for the body

The main consequences of bulimia are associated with a slowdown in metabolism and the development of obesity.

In this case, the patient has the following health problems:

  1. Hypertension is a persistently high blood pressure. Pathology entails the development of atherosclerosis and heart disease.
  2. Myocardial hypertrophy - thickening of the heart walls due to increased stress on it.
  3. Diseases of the spine - occur due to too much body weight, which the spinal column cannot tolerate without negative consequences.
  4. Fatty degeneration of internal organs - occurs as a result of an increased content of high-density lipids in the blood.
  5. Gastroesophageal reflux disease is the reflux of acidic gastric contents into the esophagus with the development of heartburn, chronic esophagitis, and the formation of esophageal strictures.

The above list is not a complete list of the consequences of obesity. In reality, people who have excessively large amounts of subcutaneous fat suffer from many different diseases associated with increased nutrition. As a rule, their life expectancy is short. The cause of death of such patients is strokes, heart attacks and other pathologies associated with impaired patency of blood vessels.

In addition to being overweight, patients with bulimia experience worsening dental health. They develop caries, periodontitis, periodontal disease. The fact is that, according to dental standards, after each meal, you should use dental floss or rinse your mouth. Patients are not able to perform such processing, as they eat almost constantly. This leads to active reproduction in the oral cavity of pathogenic microorganisms.

Sharp fluctuations in body weight, characteristic of compensatory bulimia, also entail certain negative consequences. In such patients, hormonal disorders develop, the body does not have time to readjust to work in new conditions, which leads to functional failures in the work of the intestines, digestive organs, and systems responsible for the level of immune defense.

Symptoms and Diagnosis of Bulimia

Bulimia nervosa, like its physiological variety, is characterized by bouts of overeating, which often occur against the background of increased psycho-emotional stress on the patient. In this case, a person begins to absorb food in quantities limited only by the volume of his stomach. Patients with these disorders prefer high-calorie foods, but in reality they can eat everything that is at hand.

An attack of bulimia usually ends with a feeling of shame for their intemperance. Fearing obesity, a person takes measures that help him fight excess weight: puts enemas, causes himself to vomit, takes fat-burning drugs. These methods work, however, only partly. A certain percentage of nutrients has time to be absorbed into the bloodstream and deposited in the form of subcutaneous fat. Therefore, few bulimics are not obese.

The symptoms of the disease that are used for diagnosis include:

  • bouts of overeating;
  • uncontrollable cravings for food;
  • dependence of self-esteem on the state of the figure;
  • drowsiness and fatigue after an attack;
  • violation of the chair, chronic constipation;
  • hormonal disruptions;
  • menstrual irregularities.

In addition to the above, the doctor draws attention to diseases and injuries that occurred earlier, and also sends the patient to a psychiatrist's consultation. The diagnosis of "bulimia" is made if the objective signs and the psychological state of the patient correspond to the above picture.

Which doctor should I contact?

A person thinking about how to get rid of bulimia often experiences difficulties before starting to take any measures. The fact is that many people find it difficult to understand which specialist should deal with the treatment of this disease.

The primary link where the sick person goes should be a local therapist or a general practitioner. The specialist will conduct an initial examination (tests, monitoring of some functional indicators) and refer the patient to the institution that will directly deal with the treatment. Pathology related to the therapeutic profile, this doctor treats himself.

As a rule, specialists of two profiles take part in the treatment process: a gastroenterologist and a psychiatrist. The first deals with the treatment of somatic pathology that has arisen against the background of bulimia, the second eliminates the root cause of the disease, if it lies in the presence of certain mental disorders.

With advanced forms of the disease, the patient also needs the help of a nutritionist who can choose low calorie diet. In some cases, there is a need for exercise therapy, which is smoothly translated into classic fitness. This is necessary to correct the patient's weight if he is obese.

Bulimia treatment

The treatment of bulimia can be carried out using several separate therapeutic methods to choose from, however, in most cases, several methods of getting rid of the constant feeling of hunger are used simultaneously.

Medical treatment for bulimia

The mainstay of medical treatment for bulimia is the use of antidepressants. These drugs contribute to the normalization of the mental state of the patient, which prevents attacks of the disease.

Some of the best known antipsychotics today include:

  • Prozac;
  • Zoloft;
  • fluoxetine.

In addition to antipsychotics, the patient receives antiemetics (Cerucal, Ondansetron). This allows you to avoid vomiting and keep the feeling of fullness of the stomach after eating. In some cases, it becomes necessary to combine antiemetic drugs with drugs that fill the volume of the stomach. These funds (slim point) are based on microcrystalline cellulose and, once in the stomach, swell. In this way, a feeling of satiety is achieved without the consumption of high-calorie foods.

Medical therapy for bulimia is practically not used as a independent method treatment. The fact is that chemicals eliminate the symptoms of the disease, but do not affect its root causes. While receiving medication, the patient must undergo a course of psychotherapy.

Treatment by a psychologist

Treatment by a psychologist or psychiatrist is sometimes the only effective method of dealing with bulimia. During his sessions, the doctor conducts a psychotherapeutic course, helps the patient navigate the world around him and solve psychological problems that the patient cannot cope with on his own.

As a rule, a psychologist has to deal with people who have an inferiority complex, unable to build relationships with colleagues at work and with the opposite sex. Sometimes the cause of bulimia is dissatisfaction with one's own body or unhappy love. A specialist psychologist during a session teaches the patient to look differently at the existing difficulties. It is ideal when, as a result of treatment, the patient begins to understand that all problems exist only in his head. In reality, no one treats him as badly as he does.

There are several types of psychotherapeutic influence:

  • interpersonal therapy;
  • cognitive behavioral therapy;
  • psychodynamic therapy;
  • family therapy;
  • therapy by the Maudsley method (parents treat a teenager suffering from bulimia).

After the course of treatment, the amount of food consumed by the patient should gradually return to normal. Otherwise, the treatment is considered ineffective and resort to other ways to combat the disease.

Treatment for bulimia nervosa

Treatment of bulimia nervosa is carried out according to the standard scheme, according to which the patient is first established with an adequate diet, relieving him of the usual scheme of "eating - vomiting - eating". This allows you to prevent obesity, avoid many problems of a therapeutic profile. Unfortunately, this is not enough for recovery.

The second important stage of therapy is the psychotherapeutic effect, during which the doctor explains to the patient the cause of his problems and ways to deal with existing disorders. It is important to create an incentive for the patient, to set a goal, striving for which, the person himself will actively fight the disease. Without this, healing is almost impossible.

An important point in the treatment is the prevention of relapse. The fact is that after the normalization of nutrition and diet, patients gain some weight. Such an increase is normal, and with an adequate regimen of physical activity, body weight quickly returns to normal. However, for many people, this becomes stressful, which they deal with in their usual way - immoderate food intake. In such a situation, they speak of a relapse of the disease.

To avoid a recurrence of the disease, the patient should be clearly explained that a small increase in weight is normal and does not entail a significant change in appearance. A person must understand that it is possible to improve one's physical condition only by regular sports exercises and proper nutrition.

Phytotherapy

Treatment of bulimia can also be carried out using phytotherapeutic recipes. As a rule, the patient is prescribed combinations of sedative and brain-stimulating plants. The following recipes are used:

Calming Blend #1

Ingredients are in grams:

  • hop cones 7;
  • chamomile flowers 100;
  • melissa 50;
  • peppermint leaves 20;
  • angelica root 50;
  • wild rose 100;
  • St. John's wort 50;
  • valerian root 8;
  • yarrow herb 50.

The components of the mixture are placed in a metal or glass container, poured with one liter of boiling water, covered with a lid and left for 1-2 hours. After the infusion is filtered and consumed 1 cup 3 times a day, 1 hour before meals.

Blend #2

Ingredients are in grams:

  • nettle 50;
  • melissa leaves 50;
  • lavender flower 50;
  • chamomile flowers 50;
  • lovage root 50;
  • chicory root 50;
  • hop cones 50;
  • valerian root 8;
  • hypericum 50.

Herbs are crushed, poured with 1 liter of boiling water, infused for an hour and consumed in the same way as mixture No. 1.

Blend #3

All components of 50 grams:

  • rosemary leaves;
  • melissa leaves;
  • valerian root;
  • lavender flowers;
  • hop cones;
  • calamus rhizome;
  • peppermint leaf;
  • yarrow herb;
  • angelica root;
  • thyme herb.

Herbs are mixed, poured with 1 liter of boiling water and boiled in a hydrobath for 20 minutes. Treatment with the resulting remedy is carried out 2 times a day, ½ cup, 1 hour before meals.

Bioenergy therapy in the treatment of bulimia

Bioenergy therapy is a way of influencing a patient with the help of bioenergetics. The technique was actively used in ancient China, after which it was undeservedly forgotten. Today, ancient Chinese traditions are being revived and used, including for the treatment of bulimia. The essence of the method is to exclude thoughts about the disease, which subsequently leads to the recovery of the physical body.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture, another alternative medicine technique that came from the Middle East. The essence of the method is to stimulate biologically active points. As a result, the patient's energy metabolism is normalized, appetite and body weight are reduced. As a rule, acupuncture is used only in combination with other methods of treatment.

How to get rid of bulimia on your own?

The basis of self-disposal of bulimia is the awareness of the fact of the disease, and the futility of such measures as taking laxatives, provoking vomiting, and so on. It is necessary to clearly indicate the time of eating and strictly follow the plan. Any snacks outside the meal schedule are excluded. You can drink water in between. The volume and calorie content of food should comply with the recommendations of nutritionists. On average, an adult is enough 2-2.5 thousand kcal per day. People engaged in heavy physical labor or attending sports training can consume up to 3.5 thousand kcal per day without compromising health. More food leads to obesity.

In addition to restricting food intake, you should look for solutions to your psychological problems. If you are dissatisfied with the figure, you need to go in for sports, in the presence of conflicts in the family - to improve relations with relatives. With excessive modesty and inability to communicate with other people, it is necessary to fight through auto-training. Solving the underlying psychological problem, combined with a strict diet, allows you to get rid of the disease without visiting a doctor.

Note: bulimia caused by somatic diseases and injuries cannot be treated on its own. In such situations, a thorough diagnosis and treatment of the underlying pathology should be carried out. Only after that you should deal with the correction of the diet.

Folk remedies for illness

Folk remedies are mainly used to improve bowel function and reduce hunger. Also, decoctions of herbs can somewhat improve the mental state of the patient.

The following means are applied:

  1. Plum and Fig: 250 grams of both fruits are poured with 3 liters of water and boiled until 500 ml of broth remains in the container. The mixture is drunk ½ cup 4 times a day. It improves performance gastrointestinal tract, stimulates the act of defecation, enhances intestinal peristalsis.
  2. Decoction of corn stigmas: 10 grams of raw materials are poured into 200 ml of water and steamed in a water bath for 20 minutes. The resulting product is cooled, filtered and taken 1 tablespoon before meals. The decoction reduces the feeling of hunger and helps to reduce the amount of food absorbed.
  3. Herbal decoctions: more often used lemon balm, which has a mild sedative effect. 50 grams of grass should be poured with 200 ml of water, put on fire and boil for 5 minutes. The decoction can be drunk in unlimited quantities. It is used to stabilize the psyche, prevent dehydration, improve the mental well-being of the patient.

It should be remembered that traditional medicine is used only after consultation with the attending physician.

Prevention

Preventive measures mainly consist in creating a healthy psychological climate around you. You should not take the comments of other people to heart, enter into conflicts, get hung up on external data. Emerging psychological problems should be addressed immediately, without waiting until they become the cause of serious somatic pathology.

Second important preventive measure is strict control of the diet. Eating should be fractional, 3-6 times a day, in small portions. There should not be any snacks between planned meals. Particular attention should be paid to refraining from going to the kitchen at night.

All of the above gives an idea of ​​what bulimia is and how it manifests itself. This will allow you to reasonably approach the assessment of well-being and diet, notice the signs of the disease in time and correct the state of health. It must be remembered that a negligible number of patients manage to cure bulimia on their own. Therefore, at the first signs of illness, it is recommended to seek medical help.

To resolve this issue, we turned to Ekaterina Mikhailova : a certified psychologist, biologist and specialist in solving the problems of compulsive overeating and excess weight.

What is bulimia in a nutshell?

In a nutshell, bulimia is a disease, a serious eating disorder (food addiction), characterized by uncontrolled overeating and further cleansing (vomiting, exhausting yourself with sports, taking laxatives and diuretics). This eating disorder occurs against the background of many factors, such as: psycho-emotional state, social environment, features of family relationships. And, first of all, this violation has a psychological basis, that is, the main causes of bulimia are psychological prerequisites. Such prerequisites may be hidden deep in childhood, or they may lie in our daily life. And they are expressed like this, in an uncontrollable desire to overeat, and then in an attempt to get rid of what they have eaten so as not to gain weight.

What are the statistics for this disease?

Until now, in the post-Soviet space (Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, etc.) no serious statistical studies of this problem have been conducted, since this disease has appeared relatively recently. And if in Western Europe a clear idea of ​​bulimia was formed in the last quarter of the 20th century, then we have bulimia as a problem that arose and became apparent even later (in the early 90s of the last century).

If we talk about who is at risk and who most often shows signs of this problem, then these are girls aged 15-28 years. They make up the highest percentage of people with bulimia, but that doesn't mean the younger or older group doesn't have bulimia. Also, about 10% of all cases are men.

It is also difficult to keep statistics in this area because usually a person suffering from a food addiction either does not want to seek help or does not know that he has fallen into a trap.

What are the first signs that a person has bulimia?

The first and most striking signs and symptoms of bulimia are:

    uncontrolled overeating;

    sharply flashing, groundless (from the point of view of physiology) hunger;

    an acute desire to get rid of what was eaten by vomiting or to “work it out” after eating (there is guilt for the food eaten);

    fear of getting better;

    excessive focus on diets and "proper" nutrition (although often at first it seems innocent).

What can bulimia lead to if left untreated?

All these experiments with nutrition, diets, hunger strikes, cleansing, exhausting yourself lead to serious physiological consequences. Usually the digestive and hormonal systems suffer greatly. Diseases such as gastritis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, bulbitis and others begin to develop. Hormonal disruptions lead to amenorrhea, polycystic, thyroid problems. Of course, all this affects the appearance (teeth, hair, skin, nails). I don’t want to scare anyone here, but it’s very desirable if you notice eating problems in yourself, you need to track down whether you have an eating disorder and turn to specialists, at least for more complete information about what is happening to you, and how to get out of it so as not to ruin your life.

This is a very good question! First of all, it is necessary to realize that there is a problem, and that it will not go away on its own. It is necessary to be aware that since this is an addiction and a disease, then efforts will need to be made to get out of it. It needs to be treated and it can be cured.

Ekaterina Mikhailova

Certified Psychologist, Biologist and Specialist in Compulsive Overeating and Overweight

The treatment will work in two directions: psychology and physiology.

In psychology, you will have to analyze all the reasons that caused the development of bulimia and those psychological moments that continue to provoke attacks of bulimia now. And in the future, eliminate these causes or modify them so that they do not provoke bulimia and do not spoil life.

At the level of physiology, you will have to start learning to eat and adequately treat food and the body, so that they cease to be the most important area in life.

And, of course, a person who wants to recover from bulimia nervosa will need to answer the question of what methods and methods he wants to use in order to recover as soon as possible.

Since eating disorders are a serious problem, they deal with it with the help of psychologists and psychotherapists, resort to pharmaceutical treatment (and tranquilizers), turn to specialized clinics, and also include physiotherapy and so on in the treatment process.

The main thing is not to waste time and start the healing process as soon as possible!

bulimia , gluttony , eating disorder, uncontrolled eating,