The Dangers of Laxatives in Eating Disorders

When people think of bulimics, the thought of purging through vomiting is most often present. However, there are many with the eating disorder that purge through a different way - the use of laxatives. It is a dangerous method of dealing with weight loss, and in this article, we'll address the problems that laxatives pose when it comes to losing weight.

Laxatives are often abused by people with eating disorders since they believe that they will stimulate their digestive system so that the food that they are eating won't be absorbed. However, this statement is complete and utter nonsense. To illustrate the idea, you need to consider what it is that laxatives actually do within the body. Laxatives cause the nerve endings that are located within the bowel to be stimulated, causing one to have to go to the bathroom. This causes all the food that is located within the large intestine to be expelled. However, the large intestine isn't responsible for the absorbing of nutrients from food. It is simply to path for waste to take once the body is done digesting it. The true digestion of food is performed in the small intestine, and the food that is located within the small intestine isn't removed from the body through the use of laxative. While many may note weight loss after taking laxatives, it is often water weight that is not representative of true weight loss. All that laxatives do when it comes to causing one to lose weight is a simple dehydration of the body, which can cause numerous problems.

Using laxatives on a regular basis in order to control weight loss can be a very damaging procedure. It can cause an imbalance of electrolytes to occur within the body, which is crucial when it comes to the proper functioning of the nerves and muscles of the body. When the electrolyte levels within the body are imbalanced, muscle pain and spasms may occur. In extreme cases, an irregular heartbeat may develop which can result in death. Laxative abuse can also cause the colon to lose its mucous membrane, causing you to be more exposed when it comes to the possibility of infection. Irritable bowel syndrome and bowel tumors are also more present within those who abuse laxatives.

If you think that you have a problem with using laxatives to control your weight, you should speak to a doctor or a counselor. While the problem may feel embarrassing, you don't want to expose your health to such a drastic issue for a long period of time. Doctors can help to advise you on the best course of action to take when it comes to beating your problem, and their advice will be specifically tailored to suit your needs. Going it alone is no substitute, as you need to address the problems within your mind as well as your body to be truly healed from the destructive habit of using laxatives to maintain your level of weight. Whatever you choose to do, know that the human body is strong, but when it is being heavily abused by an eating disorder, you face certain risk.

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