Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa, often referred to as 'Bulimia' is a serious eating disorder commonly found in girls in adulthood. It is very rarely found in men. Person with bulimia eat a lot in a short amount of time (bingeing). This binge eating usually ends with abdominal discomfort and then the patient attempts to undo the consequences of the binge through self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, severe caloric restriction, diuretics, enemas, or excessive exercising and fasting etc.

Bulimics may devour huge quantities of food, during a binge, most typically foods that would normally be not allowed in a healthy/weight reduction diet. It usually includes foods high in carbohydrates or sweets, meat, cheese etc.

There are also two subtypes of bulimia nervosa, purging and non-purging. The Purging type describes individuals who regularly compensate for the binge eating with self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse, diuretics, or enemas. The Non-Purging Type is used to describe individuals who compensate through dietary fasting or excessive exercising.

The use of vomiting by bulimics can easily become addictive. Although at first they may have done it to get rid of excess food calories, it soon becomes a form of security. They are afraid to stop because they fear their eating habits are out of control and without the use of vomiting they fear they will become grossly overweight. Self induced vomiting could also lead to further hunger and binging, thus creating a cycle.

The bulimic is dominated by a sense of lack of control over the eating. It can occur together with other psychiatric disorders such as depression, obsessive- compulsive disorder, substance dependence or self injurious behavior. Characteristics of persons with bulimia is the worry about weight and shape and tendency to go on strict diets to achieve an ideal figure

Diabetes

Healthy routine helps to minimize the risk of developing complications of diabetes. One can keep blood glucose levels normal by a healthy diet and maintaining physical fitness. Eating right, controlling your weight and exercising regularly will help you to control sugar level.

Excess consumption of alcohol is harmful as it may lower blood glucose levels and cause weight gain. Smoking is very harmful to diabetes patients, because it increases the risk of long-term complications. Foot care is important because diabetes can increase the risk of skin infections and ulcers on the feet. You must clean your feet daily and if a sore develop on your feet, consult the doctor promptly. Diabetes patients have an increased risk of high blood pressure, so regular monitoring is important.

Low-fat, vegetarian diets are ideal for diabetics. In most cases, diabetics can manage their disease much better with a food plan that gets most of its calories from complex carbohydrates while minimizing fats.

Diet for Diabetes :

With a near-vegetarian diet and exercise program, one can maintain their sugar levels with out taking any medications. Ideal diet program for a diabetic is a low fat vegetarian diet, reducing meats, high-fat dairy products, and oils. At the same time increasing grains, legumes, and vegetables.

• Have your meals at regular timings and limit your overall intake.
• Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Soluble fibers mainly found in fruits, vegetables and some seeds are good for diabetics. They reduce or slow down the absorption of glucose from the intestines.
• Diabetes patients should include leafy vegetables, vegetable soups and juices in their diet. Vegetables like tomato, cucumber, bitter gourd, carrot, cooked kidney beans, pumpkin, snake gourd, beans, cabbage, lady finger, brinjal, onion, spinach, inner part of banana stem, drum sticks etc. are good for diabetes. Fruits and fruit juices of apple, guava, lemon etc. are good. Avoid fruits like banana, mango, grapes, papaya, jack fruit etc. and vegetables like potato, tapioca, sweet potato etc. containing lot of carbohydrates.
• Eat more starches such as bread, cereal, and starchy vegetables. Aim for six servings a day or more.
• Eat sugars, sweets and fat and fat-fried items in moderation.
• It is better to avoid cakes, jaggery, honey, ghee, butter, cool drinks, biscuits, dried fruits like badam and excess use of oil while cooking.

Home Remedies

Some home remedies help to regulate the blood sugar level. You can try out some of these remedies which compliment along with the diet for diabetics and regular exercises to lower blood sugar levels and protect from diabetes related damages.

Have

• 1 litre of cinnamon water daily. Cinnamon contains a chemical to help utilize blood sugar naturally in your body. Add 3 table spoon of cinnamon to 1 litre of boiling water. Simmer for 20 minutes in a low flame, then strain the mixture.
• Fresh or dried bitter gourd (bitter melon) or 2 ounces of its juice every day. Bitter melon increases the insulin secreting cells in the pancreas and daily intake of juice reduces the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.
• Wild (Black) cumin boiled in water regularly.
• Equal quantities of turmeric powder and dried gooseberry powder with honey or drink equal quantities of gooseberry juice and fresh turmeric juice in an empty stomach regularly.
• Regularly, the juice of crushed 'touch me not' with its roots.
• First thing in the morning, have the juice of crushed fish-berry (amruth) soaked in water for a day.
• Make coffee with powdered fried fenugreek and wheat, taken in equal quantities.
• Garlic every day early in the morning in an empty stomach.
• Tender curry leaves (fresh) twice a day.
• Crush guava leaves, a handful and 3 grams of cumin together. Boil with one glass of water and make it half.
• Drink 8 glass of water in the morning and walk for one hour.

The leaves of gymnema sylvestre (Gurmur- a climbing vine), a traditional Ayurvedic medicine for diabetics, significantly reduces the metabolic effects of sugar by preventing the intestines from absorbing the sugar molecules during the process of digestion. Add 3 quarters of gymnema powder to one glass of boiling water, strain and drink it warm twice a day, 1 hour before breakfast and 1 hour before dinner for best results. The leaves can also be ground and had. It has the property of blocking sugary taste and thus curbs the craving for sweet things.