Eating Disorders

Bulimia

Treatment for Bulimia

Casa Palmera is a treatment facility that provides overall healing to its residents. We emphasize evidence-based treatment and maintain a holistic approach to healing. This holistic approach encompasses the whole person. Our goal is to help each individual achieve a healthy balance through individualized treatment. By using this approach, we will treat physical symptoms as well as address the underlying causes.

Casa Palmera understands the seriousness of an eating disorder such as bulimia and the emotional effects it can have on an individual. Psychotherapy is an integral part in the treatment of bulimia. These sessions address symptoms and any current dilemmas associated with your disorder, as well as help you cope with past issues. Through our treatment program, we help you reverse unhealthy patterns and negative thinking regarding your overall health.

Information about Bulimia

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder in which someone is preoccupied with food. Someone with bulimia goes through periods of binging and purging. They will consume large amounts of food to a point of uncomfortable fullness and then proceed to vomit what they have previously eaten through self-induced vomiting, or through the use of laxatives and diuretics.

Women make up a greater percentage of those with bulimia than men do, about 90%, but this disorder has no borders. It affects people from all walks of life. This disorder tends to have a later onset than anorexia. Most people who develop bulimia develop it between the ages of 10 and 25. Bulima affects 10% of college students in the U.S. today.

Signs of Bulimia

Bulimia maybe harder to detect than other eating disorders. Someone suffering from bulima may be a normal weight, underweight, or overweight.

1. Swollen cheeks or jaw
2. Dehydration
3. Binge eating
4. Calluses or sores on knuckles
5. Going frequently to the bathroom after meals
6. Misuse of diuretics, laxatives or enemas
7. Stomach problems
8. Feels out-of-control when eating
9. Secretive about eating, or hides food
10. Broken blood vessels in the eyes

Causes of Bulimia

A variety of factors can contribute to the onset of bulimia.

• Psychological factors common in those with bulimia include low self-esteem, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
• The interpersonal environment of an individual plays a large role in affecting an eating disorder. An unstable relationship between various members of the family, as well as a history of physical, verbal, and/or sexual abuse, can be sources of stress in the home.
• The presence of a family member with history of an eating disorder also can play a role in the onset of bulimia. Biological make-up of a person may also affect his or her chances of developing bulimia. There is some evidence that the brain chemical, serotonin, may have an impact in those who develop bulimia, as serotonin helps to regulates food intake.
• Also, culture greatly affects susceptibility to this disorder. In Western society today, thinness is an obsession. It is often promoted that the definition of beauty and success is a perfect body.

All of these factors increase a person’s susceptibility to bulimia and can make the condition worse. At Casa Palmera it is our goal to heal the physical body of the person as well as the spirit. We do this by addressing the physical aspects of bulimia as well as the emotional and psychological aspects.

Our program includes four core elements of recovery:

• The medical/psychotherapy core
• The lifestyle core
• The complementary medicine core
• The environmental core

Effects of Bulimia

Bulimia has many serious medical complications that arise as the disorder progresses. Some effects of bulimia are:

Physical Effects

• Irregular heart rhythms, heart failure
• Dry skin, callused or sore knuckles
• Sore, swollen cheeks
• Increase in cavities, tooth enamel loss, gum disease
• Stomach ulcers
• Rupturing of the esophagus, soreness
• For women, irregular periods
• Complications of the intestines
• Dependency on laxatives

Emotional Effects

• Depression
• Fluctuating emotions
• Feelings of anxiety
• Poor self-image
• Feeling out-of-control
• Isolating oneself from others

Call for help today at .

Suggested Reading:

• 7 Secrets To Recover From Bulimia Read More »
• What types of Eating Disorders exist? Read More »
• Why Extreme Dieting Sometimes Leads To Eating Disorder Treatment Read More »
• Laxative Abuse: A Common Practice Among Bulimics Read More »

Did you know?

Eating Disorders affect males as well as females, although the majority of people struggling with bulimia are women.

Men involved in lean sports or in sports requiring weight checks are typically at a higher risk for an eating disorder such as bulimia. Another eating disorder which primarily affects men is Bigorexia. Those with this disorder feel they are underdeveloped and constantly work out to enlarge muscular mass.

- Males and eating disorders »

- What is Bigorexia?

Self Assessments

Are you dealing with bulimia? Take the following self assessment for aid in discovering whether or not you should be seeking treatment.

- Eating Disorder Quiz