Borges

Bulimia, also referred to as hyperphagia, is characterized by unnatural constant hunger or abnormally voracious appetite. Excessive eating is followed by self-induced vomiting or excessive exercise.

The vicious cycle of bingeing and purging may begin in adolescence and haunt its victim through endless years of hiding and sneaking. Even ones best friend or husband may not be aware of this miserable condition. Eating disorders are one of the fastest growing behavioral syndromes in the United States, affecting rich and poor alike. Our culture aggravates this condition by placing before us abnormally thin models and movie stars to emulate. The problem is that most people ARE normal and NOT excessively thin. When we try to change our normal selves, our mind-body connection gets twisted and appetite and thinking processes are no longer natural.

To maintain the unnatural physical condition of young models, desperate women resort to inducing vomiting or excessive exercise after twisted eating patterns induce a binge. The frequency of this behavior varies from person to person, it may happen once a week or on a daily basis. Years of self-induced vomiting results in the entire digestive tract being warped. Teeth are stripped of enamel by strong digestive juices, esophagus damage occurs from repeated acid baths, the stomach no longer produces the proper acids and enzymes to begin the digestion process, the intestines no longer glean nutrients from food and waste products are not properly eliminated. This becomes a serious health issue when a persons diet is reduced to bananas and crackers because nothing else will digest.

When my husband leaves, I clear the cupboards, laments a young woman. She eats everything in sight and then goes grocery shopping to replace what she has consumed. But, she also forces two fingers down her throat to expel the contents of her stomach because she wants to maintain that catalog model figure. She is miserable and wants to quit, but cant. Her thoughts about food are not like those of an ordinary person. Foods fall into two categories, forbidden because they have too many calories or not satisfying. Hunger and desperation soon drive the mind to an eating binge where all the forbidden foods are feasted upon and then guilt finishes the cycle with a purge and emotional defeat.

The woman who exercises endlessly to compensate for eating is just as unhappy as the one who purges. She rises up early in the morning to spend two or more hours with her exercise programs and fitness equipment and maybe some more during the day if time permits. Physically and mentally she is drained by lack of sleep and physical activity that does not produce psychological satisfaction. She faces the day already exhausted and starved, primed for overeating and the imminent exercise blowout.

The desire for a certain amount of fatty or greasy foods is perfectly normal and healthy. The ordinary person wants and needs these foods. They provide energy and cause the appetite to be satisfied for longer periods of time. Moderation, of course is also a necessary component of a proper diet. A small dish of ice cream may be just what the body needs to turn off that hunger sensation and turn on the pleasure signals.

Advertising, by large companies with a substantial monetary investment in new products, has convinced many Americans that any food with even the most negligible amount of fat in it is bad. We give up taste for less calories along with artificial and unhealthy ingredients, because the advertisers told us to, not because it is true. Again, the culture that surrounds us is leading us in the wrong direction for a healthy lifestyle.

There are many clinics where help is offered for those affected by eating disorders, but they can be costly and many women do not want to make their problem known. They would prefer to cure it with the same secrecy they are suffering in. Support groups may help, but again that means bringing the skeletons out of the closet. Sometimes this is just too hard to do.

Many such women are finding help with natural products that affect the way the brain functions. One such compound is phenylethylamine, a molecule found in the cocoa bean and other natural sources. Abbreviated as PEA, Phenylethylamine is naturally present in the brain as one of a number of neurotransmitters necessary for proper brain function. As some people may be deficient in this transmitter, adding PEA to the diet in sufficient amounts can bring about desired changes in behavior and promote a feeling of well being that replaces mild depression symptoms.

Jackie Benson can be contacted at jackie.benson@yahoo.com