Identifying and Solving Bulimia Essay -- Health, Eating Disorders

â€Å"In Fiji, before television came about in 1995, the island had no reported cases of eating disorders. Within three years of obtaining American and British television programming, more than two-thirds of the Fijian girls developed eating disorders and three quarters of the girls felt fat† (Hall 1-2). Now, eating disorders are becoming more and more common as the years go by. Bulimia has been around for thirty years and people are still not very familiar with the harm it can do physically and emotionally. Bulimia nervosa can destroy not only a person's life but others around them, and it can be stopped with support and counseling. â€Å"Eating disorders in America are common. One or two out of 100 students will struggle with one† (â€Å"Eating Disorders† 1). A person is affected physically, mentally, and emotionally by bulimia. The signs of bulimia can be mistaken for the signs of other disorders or can be easily dismissed as something minor. Physically, bulimia causes extreme exhaustion and weakness. The person will have frequent sore throats and bloodshot eyes due to their blood vessels popping from the excessive throwing up. They will also vomit blood and experience constipation  regularly. Indigestion and bloating are common occurrences. The bulimic person will have swollen glands in their neck and face. The person will also have clear looking teeth and calluses or scrapes on their knuckles due to their extreme methods of vomiting. In addition to the physical signs a bulimic person has, it may be hard to tell if they are bulimic or not because a bulimic person can be thin, overweight, or at a normal weight. Along with the physical signs are the mental signs. Bulimics are obsessive thinkers about food. They have a pattern of becoming ... ...Health care professionals want everyone to know that it may take time for the Prozac to go into effect. â€Å"To be effective in treating bulimia, Prozac may need six weeks before seeing any improvement† (â€Å"Prozac†¦Ã¢â‚¬  1-2).  Bulimia is a serious eating disorder that needs to be dealt with. It affects not only the bulimic, but their friends and family. There are so many solutions to this problem but they go unnoticed because people chose to ignore bulimia and the seriousness of its effects. We need to spread the word. We need to make people aware of the things they chose to ignore. We need to make these resources more accessible and easy to find. Do not be scared or embarrassed to reach out to a friend or family member. They want to help in any way they can. No one wants to sit back and watch a loved one suffer, especially if there is something they can do about it.