If you're caught up in a cycle of binge-eating and vomiting (or other methods of quickly eliminating food from your body, such as overuse of laxatives), you could be seriously damaging your health.
Vomiting and overuse of laxatives can result in dehydration with symptoms that include dizziness and weakness. Severe dehydration can lead to seizures, brain damage, kidney or heart failure, and death. Vomiting also causes excessive loss of essential nutrients, including minerals like potassium that maintain the body's electrolyte (mineral) balance and are vitally important to kidney and heart health.
The acid from persistent vomiting ultimately causes sore throats and swollen glands, an inflamed esophagus and worn down tooth enamel, which then leads to tooth sensitivity and decay. Esophageal reflux, which occurs when partially digested food, acid and enzymes back up from the stomach into the esophagus, can result from excessive vomiting. This type of reflux not only damages the esophagus, larynx (voice box) and lungs, but can also increase the risk of developing cancer of the esophagus or larynx.
Although using laxatives and diuretics may give you a sense of weight loss, no actual weight is lost. In fact, by the time a laxative takes effect, most calories have already been absorbed from your food. Overuse of laxatives can cause intestinal problems, including a dependence on the laxatives themselves. Both diuretics and laxatives can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalance because of the amount of nutrient-rich fluids you lose.
Syrup of ipecac is often the drug of choice among people with bulimia because it induces vomiting. But this is not a harmless drug; it is supposed to be used only in emergencies, to prevent accidental poisoning. Routine use of syrup of ipecac can cause chest pains and irregular breathing, and severely damage your nervous system and weaken your heart.
Because of the damage done to teeth from repeated vomiting, dentists are often the first to notice signs of an eating disorder. If you think you or someone you know has bulimia, the most important thing to do is see a family physician to rule out any urgent medical problems. Your physician can then recommend a licensed psychotherapist or other eating disorder specialists, if necessary. Approximately half of all people with bulimia who seek treatment recover completely and other 35% partially recover. As with most medical conditions, early diagnosis and treatment increases the likelihood of full recovery.
Resources:
National Eating Disorders Association
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/index.php
Something Fishy: Webstie on Eating Disorders
http://www.something-fishy.org/
University of Massachusetts: Student Health Services: Eating Disorders
http://www.uml.edu/student-services/health/illnesses/eating/eatmain.html
Columbia University Health Services: Go Ask Alice! Dangers of Bulimia
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/0834.html
