I was watching a talk show the other day that dealt with eating disorders. One thing they kept mentioning was the physical dangers of bulimia, however, unless I missed something, no one on the panel clarified just what those dangers are.
I don’t doubt that there are physical results of “scarfing and barfing” but what are they? Aside from the psychological aspects (which they did go into detail), why is bulimia not a good weight control system? Are dangers severe enough to outweigh the benefits of weight loss by self-puking? Wouldn’t most teeth decay be prevented by brushing after barfing? Would the dangers of stomach acid be any worse than someone who suffers heartburn or reflux? Wouldn’t the contractions actual help to tone stomach muscles?
I don’t have plans to stick my finger down my throat, I just have a lot of questions that the show didn’t answer.
Yeah- its bad for you. Let’s see… well I’m no expert but I’ll just muster up what I can from various health classes.
The stomach acid that comes up your throat when you puke can eventually cause what are basically ulcers in your throat lining. I know that the rotten teeth thing is an issue, but I’m sure its secondary to other health risks. BTW, conventional drinking wisdom has it that brushing your teeth immediately after puking is bad b/o the same acids. (I don’t know–just something that permeated my brain in college!) Apparently, you only succeed in hastening the loss of enamel when you scrub your teeth immediately after puking.
These answers are only SWAG, but should tide you over until the big guns respond
Let’s see, tearing of the esophogus, that’s one. Also, your body gets used to the feeling of throwing up, meaning that you can’t really eat a regular meal without throwing up, I believe. Also-it’s very addicting. And most end up with sores on their mouths from the acid.