LivingBitsAndThings LivingBitsAndThings

Categories

  • Aging Parents
  • Alternative Health
  • Asthma & Lung Disease
  • Beauty
  • Beauty Treatments
  • Cabinet
  • College Issues
  • Couples Counselling
  • Craft
  • Decorating
  • Diets
  • DIY
  • Dogs
  • Elder Care
  • Entertaining
  • Environmentalism
  • Family & Social Concerns
  • Finance
  • Fitness
  • Furnitures
  • Gardening
  • General Medicine
  • Grade School
  • Green Living
  • Growth & Development
  • Health
  • Health Education
  • Home & Garden
  • Home Exterior
  • Home Improvement
  • Home Management
  • Home Renovation
  • Horses & Ponies
  • Infants & Toddlers
  • Interior
  • Irrigating
  • Kitchen
  • Landscaping
  • Mental Health
  • Mind & Soul
  • Motivation
  • Moving Out
  • Natural Medicine
  • Nutrition
  • Parenting
  • Pets
  • Psychology
  • Real Estate
  • Special Needs Parenting
  • Sports Medicine
  • Weight Loss
  • Weight Loss Methods
  • Windows
  • Women’s Health
  • Woodworking
  • Young Adult

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • December 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap
  • About
  • Contact Us
26K
98K
0
LivingBitsAndThings LivingBitsAndThings
  • Health
    • Alternative Health
    • Beauty
      • Beauty Treatments
    • Diets
    • Fitness
    • General Medicine
      • Arthritis
      • Asthma & Lung Disease
      • Health Education
    • Natural Medicine
    • Nutrition
    • Sports Medicine
    • Weight Loss
      • Weight Loss Methods
    • Women’s Health
  • Home & Garden
    • DIY
      • Craft
    • Gardening
      • Landscaping
        • Irrigating
    • Home Improvement
      • Decorating
      • Furnitures
      • Home Exterior
      • Home Management
      • Home Renovation
      • Interior
      • Kitchen
    • Woodworking
      • Cabinet
  • Parenting
    • Elder Care
      • Aging Parents
      • Seniors
    • Grade School
      • Growth & Development
    • Special Needs Parenting
      • Early Intervention
      • Family & Social Concerns
    • Young Adult
      • College Issues
      • Moving Out
  • Mind & Soul
    • Couples Counselling
    • Psychology
  • Pets
    • Dogs
    • Horses & Ponies
  • General Medicine
  • Health
  • Health Education

Bulimia Nervosa: The Binge-Purge Cycle

  • Perla Irish
  • October 17, 2018
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
0
0
Table of Contents Hide
  1. The Binge Purge Cycle, Bulimia Nervosa
    1. Self-Esteem and Bulimia
    2. Binging and Purging
    3. The Effects of Binge and Purge

The binge-purge cycle as found in bulimia nervosa has the ability to perpetuate itself, making this eating disorder a dangerous and debilitating illness.

Bulimia nervosa is a chronic eating disorder that affects an estimated 1 to 4 percent of the female population in the United States, according to studies from The American Journal of Psychiatry. A smaller percentage of men also suffer from the illness.

The Binge Purge Cycle, Bulimia Nervosa

The binge/purge cycle is at the heart of the bulimia disorder. A bulimic will take part in a binge, which consists of eating an unusually large amount of food in one sitting. The binge is followed by a purging behavior, in which the bulimic tries to counteract the binge by ridding the body of the food consumed.

Self-Esteem and Bulimia

To understand how the binge-purge cycle works, it is important to understand the underlying psychological issues that can trigger this cycle in bulimia nervosa.

Self-esteem is the key to the binge/purge cycle. Although sometimes viewed as a modern pop-psychology catch-phrase, self-esteem is serious business. The National Association for Self-Esteem defines self-esteem as “The experience of being capable of meeting life’s challenges and being worthy of happiness.“

Over the years studies have shown that low self-esteem and eating disorders go hand in hand. Those with eating disorder express feelings of poor body image, loneliness, depression, helplessness, loss of control and an inability to adapt to stress or change. These factors are often seen within eating disorder patients and also are the components of low self-esteem.

Therefore, for bulimics, the defining aspects of self-esteem—accepting self-worth and dealing with stress—is difficult and often aids in the fueling the binge-purge cycle.

Binging and Purging

The trigger for a binge is different for each patient. A bad day at work, a fight with a family member, or a comment about weight from a stranger can play upon the inherent existence of low self-esteem within the patient.

A binger can consume as many as 3,400 calories in one sitting, as cited by Psychology Today. Once the binge is over, the overwhelming feelings of guilt begin to take hold. To try and “fix” the damage done from the binge, the bulimic will then attempt to purge the body of the food and calories just consumed.

The purge can be from self-induced vomiting, taking laxatives, diuretics or enemas or participating in excessive exercise or periods of fasting.

Laxatives and diuretics are common aids to purging - Bulimia Nervosa - The Binge-Purge Cycle
Bulimia Nervosa: Laxatives and diuretics are common aids to purging

The entire binge-purge experience leaves intense emotional reactions, which are filtered into the category of low-self esteem. In order to deal with existing feelings of loneliness, helplessness, and isolation, the patient binged.

To deal with the negative feelings from the binge, the patient purged. But after the cycle ends, the patient is still left with feelings of low self-esteem from the inability to control the behavior, and the binge-purge cycle begins again.

The Effects of Binge and Purge

Without treatment, bulimia nervosa can go on for years and have serious physiological effects. The National Eating Disorders Association sites that those who partake in the binge/purge cycle can increase the risk for:

  • Dental problems such as tooth decay and damage to tooth enamel from self-induced vomiting.
  • Irregular bowel movements from abuse of laxatives.
  • Electrolyte imbalances from dehydration and a lack of sodium and potassium in the body.
  • Esophageal and/or gastric rupture from vomiting.

There are treatments available to stop the binge-purge cycle and recover from bulimia.

For more information on bulimia nervosa and the binge-purge cycle, try the NEDA website or the American Psychological Association’s section on eating disorders.

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • causes
  • disorder
  • eat
  • research
  • symptoms
  • treatment
Perla Irish

You May Also Like
What to Do If You Suspect You Have Undiagnosed Autism
View Post
  • General Medicine
  • Health
  • Health Education

What to Do If You Suspect You Have Undiagnosed Autism

  • Perla Irish
  • December 29, 2022
Here Is Why Sitting Too Long Can Be Dangerous for Your Child
View Post
  • General Medicine
  • Health
  • Health Education
  • Parenting

Here Is Why Sitting Too Long Can Be Dangerous for Your Child

  • Perla Irish
  • December 28, 2022
What Causes Frozen Shoulder
View Post
  • General Medicine
  • Health
  • Health Education

What Causes Frozen Shoulder? Adhesive Capsulitis: Stages, Causes & Management

  • Perla Irish
  • December 26, 2022
View Post
  • Gardening
  • Health
  • Home & Garden
  • Natural Medicine

Purslane – The Omega-3 Champion of Leafy Vegetables

  • Perla Irish
  • August 21, 2022
Featured - Top 5 Health Benefits of Reading Daily
View Post
  • Health
  • Mental Health
  • Mind & Soul
  • Motivation

Top 5 Health Benefits of Reading Daily

  • Perla Irish
  • August 14, 2022
Featured image - Wrist Ganglion Cysts, What You Need to Know to Avoid Surgery
View Post
  • Alternative Health
  • General Medicine
  • Health
  • Natural Medicine

Wrist Ganglion Cysts, What You Need to Know to Avoid Surgery

  • Perla Irish
  • September 30, 2021
View Post
  • Alternative Health
  • Health
  • Natural Medicine

Little Known Secret Healing Powers of Turmeric Spice

  • Perla Irish
  • October 25, 2020
Featured image - What You Should Know About Disinfectants and Hand Sanitizers Compliance in Canada
View Post
  • Health

What You Should Know About Disinfectants and Hand Sanitizers Compliance in Canada

  • Perla Irish
  • July 10, 2020

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

LivingBitsAndThings LivingBitsAndThings
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap
  • About
  • Contact Us
Helping Quickly Solve Problems

Input your search keywords and press Enter.