Medical professionals have determined that there are two types of bulimia.
This particular eating disorder is evident by episodes of binge eating which are immediately followed by behaviors that are considered to be compensatory.
Many individuals will engage in vomiting which is self-induced, while others will ingest high levels of over-the-counter laxatives and powerful diuretics that will remove the foods and drinks that they consume at a high rate.
In the year of 1979, a psychiatrist that was located in Britain developed the name of this particular eating disorder.
This medical professional's name was Gerald Russell.
While he introduced solid information on the topic, medical professionals have since discovered that there are two types of bulimia.
Here, you will learn about these types.
Purging Bulimia Individuals that suffer from purging bulimia will often engage in behaviors that assist them in eliminating foods and drinks that they have ingested.
The most common form of purging in this type of bulimia is vomiting that is self-induced by the sufferer of the condition.
This type of vomiting is usually due to the fact that the individual triggers their own natural gag reflex.
Many individuals will ingest certain substances in order to make themselves vomit when they suffer from purging bulimia.
An example of such substances is "Syrup of Ipecac".
This is done so that the food that is ingested is rapidly removed from the body.
The point is to ensure that it never reaches the point of digestion.
The individual that has this type of bulimia may also use other strategies to eliminate the foods that they ingest from their bodies apart from vomiting and using substances to make themselves vomit.
Examples of these strategies include take high doses of over-the-counter laxatives, and even utilizing enemas in order to remove excess from the body.
Many individuals will also implement over-the-counter diuretics in order to eliminate excess water from their body.
It is also very common for bulimics that suffer from this type of bulimia to take a massive amount of diet pills, drink diet shakes, and other products that are intended to burn fat, block carbohydrates, and result in weight loss.
Non-Purging Bulimia The second type of bulimia is referred to as the "Non-Purging" type.
This accounts for approximately eight percent of all cases when it comes to this eating disorder.
Individuals that suffer from this type of bulimia will often binge on a large amount of food and will nearly always quit eating immediately thereafter for an extended amount of time.
This, in the sufferer's mind, will offset the calories that were ingested during the initial binge.
The fasting that is done during this time typically has many negative consequences.
Unfortunately, in the mind of the bulimic, it is a form of weight control.
Many individuals that suffer from this form of bulimia will also become involved in a vast amount of exercises on a consistent level.
If you or someone that you know suffers from this eating disorder, it is essential to get assistance as soon as possible.
This could be potentially fatal.