Eating Disorders – Seattle – Causes of Bulimia Nervosa

Often, the eating disorder bulimia nervosa is caused by a combination of hereditary chemical imbalances, environmental triggers, family genes, family history of psychological disorders, family issues and is often ignited by a multitude of societal influences. Bulimia Nervosa often involves cycles of food restriction, becoming ferociously hungry, binging on large amounts of food in a hurried manner, followed by purging the binged food.

Binging is often characterized by the rapid and voluminous consumption of high-calorie food in a short period of time. Once the process of a binge begins, it becomes difficult to interrupt. A trance or stupor is often described when a binge takes over. Food can be consumed so rapidly that it’s often not tasted. An average binge can consist of about 1,500 to 60,000 calories or more.

Having seen many forms of binging, Ramey Nutrition has developed its own definition of a binge. When listening to our patients, as they discuss binge episodes, it’s not about calories, or portion sizes, and it rarely concerns hunger.

Scarlett’s Definition of a Binge: Any food eaten in a hurried manner while feeling out of control.

This definition, please note, has no calorie price tag. Patients have reported “binging” on an apple. Any time one of my patients says they felt out of control with food and they ate hurriedly, telling me they binged, I NEVER say “Don’t feel bad, because it wasn’t a true binge.” Acknowledging feelings of control loss is crucial to a patients trust in themselves and their provider. When a patient hears “Your feelings aren’t real,” as the above statement implies, feelings of distrust arise. Feeling crazy due to a provider’s flippancy with a patient’s worst fear, the patient often starts distrusting the provider. Our mission is to put feelings on the table, whatever they may be, and process them. Each feeling is a step toward recovery, and therefore valid. How dare we invalidate a step toward recovery?

Many think of purging only as vomiting, however, there are various forms purging can take on as well. Self-induced vomiting is the predominant method, however, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas, medications; fasting or excessive exercise are also used frequently.

The Biology of Bulimia Nervosa
When a person purges, electrolyte imbalances often transpire, which generally lead to muscles failing to fire when called upon by the brain. The most common prognosis for severe bulimia is heart attack or a stroke. The heart is a muscle, and if not fired precisely, and accurately, could stop beating without the correct mix of electrolytes in the blood.

Some of the most common complications of bulimia are:

• Erosion of tooth enamel because of repeated exposure to acidic gastric contents.
• Dental cavities, sensitivity to hot or cold food
• Swelling and soreness in the salivary glands (from repeated vomiting)
• Stomach Ulcers
• Ruptures of the stomach and esophagus
• Abnormal buildup of fluid in the intestines
• Disruption in the normal bowel release function
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Dehydration
• Irregular heartbeat and in severe cases heart attack
• A greater risk for suicidal behavior
• Decrease in libido

The Psyche behind Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is usually a response to depression, stress, or self esteem issues, and is often a product of pressure a person perceives to succeed, or direct shame. During the binge there is a sense of control loss, however, the sense of a loss is followed by a short-lived tranquility. This calmness is often followed by extreme self-loathing.

People with bulimia are not one size; they can take any shape or size and tend to be high achievers. It’s often difficult to determine whether a person is suffering from bulimia, due to the nature of binging/purging being done in secret and they often deny their condition when confronted.