Anorexia nervosa essentially is self-starvation. Vomiting and abuse of laxatives, diuretics or exercise may be additional elements in an anorexic person's effort to control weight. Bulimia nervosa involves "binge eating and purging." Which is consuming large, high-calorie meals and vomiting and/or taking laxatives in an attempt to expel the food before it can be absorbed by the body.
             Anorexia and bulimia are much less prevalent than obesity, which is the No. 1 eating disorder among adolescents and adults. However, the incidence of anorexia and bulimia is rising among teenage girls and young women. Up to 1 percent of girls between 13 and 17 develop anorexia nervosa. Bulimia is more common among a slighter older age group, occurring in 2 percent to 4 percent of women in their late teens and twenties. Males can develop either disorder. But females, generally more conscious about weight and fashion, are many times more vulnerable.
             Dr. Lucas says there is no single explanation for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa – or how these eating disorders may go unnoticed. Unfortunately, there are messages all around us that seem to contradict nature's plan of growth: Teen idols, models, gymnasts, ballet students and movie stars are often thin to an unhealthy degree. Many adolescents compare themselves to thinner people around them.
             And for some, this results in a seriously distorted body image. A bright, high-achieving 14-year-old who is rational in every other way may come to believe that 90 pounds is the ideal weight for her 5-foot-4 inch frame. Gradually, she begins skipping meals, denying herself the fuel that her body needs to develop normally. She gets thinner and thinner but still believes she is fat. Eventually, she becomes so undernourished that she needs to be admitted to the hospital for anorexia nervosa, a serious eating disorder.
             Cases of anorexia and bulimia range from mild to s
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