Page 6 November 29, 1984 The Capitol Times
Bulimia worst over holidays
Most students look forward
to holiday vacations as a joyful
time for reunions and large
family meals; but, for people
with eating disorders, these in
stead may be times for confron
tations, lies and painful
anxiety.
Bulimia, which is
characterized by binge/purge
behavior, and anorexia ner
vosa, a less common but related
condition of self-starvation, are
dangerous epidemics currently
affecting between 25-33 percent
of college-aged women (also
many men).
Under ordinary cir
cumstances, the lives of these
students are dominated by low
self-esteem, generalized fear
and obsessive thoughts about
food. During the holidays,
however, these feelings are in
tensified. With a well-thought
out plan and plenty of motiva
tion, these individuals can use
this time off to start a program
for recovery.
Although the underlying
causes vary, eating disorders
typically begin for
psychological reasons and
become addictive. Most cases
are women with unrealistically
high expectation of achieve
ment, especially concerning
Bulimics often binge on several thou
sand calories after eating...one bite too
many.
their own appearance and
weight. The initial binges might
be triggered by specific events,
such as: moving away from
home, rejection by a lover, or
family pressures. The behavior
often starts as a way of dieting
or in reaction to a failed diet.
It becomes a numbing, drug
like coping mechanism that
provides instant relief for emo
tional pain or boredom.
Bulimics often binge on
several thousand calories after
eating what they feel to be one
bite too many at a meal. Since
they have eaten more than they
"should" anyway, they go
ahead and binge, knowing that
they will later force themselves
to vomit or abuse laxatives.
These purges confuse body
signals causing extremely low
blood sugar levels, electrolyte
imbalances, and cravings for
more sugary foods. This cycle
perpetuates itself, dangerously
upsets normal digestion, and
further complicates the original
psychological reasons for
bingeing.
Lindsey Hall, who cured
herself after nine years of
bulimia has co-written three
booklets on this subject, which
are used in more than 500 col
leges and universities. She
writes in her first booklet, "Eat
Without Fear", "I binged up to
four and five times a day after
the third year. There were very
few-days without one. My vi
sion often became blurry and I
had intense headaches. What
used to be passing dizziness and
weakness after a binge had
become walking into doorjams
and exhaustion. My complex
ion was poor and I was often
constipated. Large blood
blisters appeared in the back of
my mouth. My teeth were a
mess." The research study on
which her third booklet,
"Beating Bulimia," is based,
documents other bulimics who
were hospitalized, had miscar
riages, and spent more than 20
years struggling with food. Bet
ween 7-9 percent die due to car
diac arrest, kidney failure, or
impaired metabolism.
Dr. Jean Rubel, president of
Anorexia Nervosa and Related
Eating Disorders (ANRED), a
non-profit organization which
serves as a national clearing
house of information and refer
rals, observes that college
studentg'rcommoftly fall victim
to food problems.
"Students are vulnerable to
a cycle of stress inherent in the
structure of the school year.
There is a separation from
home and all that is familiar,
anxiety resulting from having to
make new friends and learn
one's way around campus, plus
classwork and studies which
pile pressure on top of stress.
All the while, women are being
vigilant about presenting to the
world an immaculate, thin ap
pearance. Many students resort
to disordered eating in efforts
to gain some peace and
release," Rubel says.
"That student returns
home," Rubel continues,
"perhaps still preoccupied with
problems at school, to find a
different set of pressures and
expectations awaiting. To fur
ther complicate matters,
holidays are traditionally times
of feasting. For someone who
is already terrified of weight
gain, who is craving rich food
after a period of dieting, the
prospect of spending time
around large amounts of easily
available food is frightening in
deed."
Students with food obsess
ions can use the holiday break
from school to begin to get bet
ter, though recovery is rarely
quick or easy, Rubel recom
mends that students be aware
of the pressures awaiting them
at home and make detailed
plans for how to cope with
_them. They should set
reasonable goals for
themselves, such as planning
non-food related activities,
perhaps by setting a limit for
weight gain, or avoiding
specific incidents that may trig
tress seminar
ffered here
(continued from pg. 1)
trap," Gailey said, "because so
much of my time belongs to
other people and school pro
jects. There's not enough time
for myself."
Frequently, stressed-out
students over study or study
minute details, missing the "big
picture" of a class, the study
said.
There are, however, several
ways to combat stress. A series
of meditation exercises can he
learned to help relax the mind
and body. Stress reduction
classes are available free to all
students who feel they may
need help in dealing with stress,
Beck said.
Because final exams are on
ly a few weeks away, Beck of
fered several tips on how to
deal with the stress of prepar
ing for exams.
"Don't stay up all night or
take any mind-altering
substances because they throw
the mind and body out of
sync," he said. Beck suggested
eating well-balanced meals, ex
ercising to release tension, and
finding time to just "veg-out."
"Stress, by definition, is any
feeling that causes us to make
mistakes. Everybody has some
form of stress in their life but
learning to cope with it builds
new perspectives."
The university study also in
dicated the need for good col
lege instructors in eliminating
much of the excess stress that
plagues students.
"Teachers should emphasize
excitement about a subject
rather than competition," said
Spendlove. "Excitement is
much more rewarding."
Instructors also should
mingle with their students, and
get to know them as people, he
said.
"By socializing with
students," Spendlove explain
ed, "faculty make themselves
more approachable, more
human."
Instructors should also en
courage students to socialize
with each other, too, by allow
ing advanced students to tutor
beginners, the study suggested.
ger binges. She adds, "If you
do slip back into a food
behavior, remind yourself it
does not mean your plan is not
effective. It merely shows you
a place to make some revisions
so you can more easily achieve
your goals."
Most who are cured find that
the commitment to getting bet
ter is made easier with the im
portant first step of confiding
in someone who can help.
Vacation time may provide the
perfect setting for getting sup
port from friends or family
members, who are often
understanding and compas
sionate, despite the sufferer's
fears of rejection. However,
even with the help of loved
ones, overcoming bulimia or
anorexia nervosa may require
FRANKLY SPEAKING
© CREATIVE MEDIA SERVICES Box 5955 Berkeley, CA. 94705
Academic Assistance
The Capitol Campus tutorial pro
gram provides free tutorial
assistance to students of Capito
Campus.
For further Information,
contact: _
George Young
Wrisberg Hall
948-6271 / 948-6269
Or, leave your name and phon
number in the Student Affairi Office
W-105.
professional therapy and
medical treatment. Without
proper attention, the behavior
does not suddenly end and can
continue for a lifetime.
Lindsey _Hall's bulimia
developed into a daily habit
during her college years, and
now she regularly speaks to
students who are struggling
with food. She emphasizes her
success at overcoming bulimia
rather than dwelling on her suf
fering, "I am now able to en
joy growing, touching, tasting,
smelling, and eating food
without the temptation to
binge." Hall asserts, "The best
Christmas present that people
with eating disorders can give
themselves is to make a devoted
effort to end their food obses
sions."
phil frank