The mixing of caffeine in energy drinks and alcohol is popular among American youth. In fact, this practice resulted in the incidence of drunk driving getting higher.

The University of Florida researchers has surveyed more than 800 people which are regular college age go to the bar and out of the bar, at approximately 22:00 and 03.00. The participants were asked about their consumption of energy drinks, caffeine, and alcohol. Their breath odor of alcohol is also measured.

Based on Health24 which is launched on Monday (15.2.2010), as much as 6.5 percent of participants who said that drinking alcohol mixed with energy drinks three times more often than those who consume alcohol only, without any mixture. Meanwhile, the measured of alcohol breath to those who consume alcohol and energy drinks is 0.109. Yet, limits authorized by the United States government is 0.08.

Common misconceptions

The researchers also found that regular bar customers who mix alcohol and energy drinks will stay at the bar until late at night and drinking for longer periods, and four times more likely say that they will drive a car after drinking. According to a report in the journal Addictive Behaviors.

“There’s a common misconception that if you drink caffeine with alcohol, the stimulant effects of caffeine counteract the depressant effects of alcohol. That’s not true,” said study co-author Bruce Goldberger, Head of the Department Toksiologi at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

In simple explanation, caffeine reduces the feeling of drowsiness caused by alcohol. This condition will cause risky behavior. Therefore, affirmed by Goldberger, further study is necessary to measure how safe levels of caffeine consumed along with alcohol or energy drinks.

Bulimia is a more common eating disorder than anorexia and often develops slightly later in life, from mid to late teens or the early twenties. Studies suggest that between 0.5 per cent and 2 per cent of young women in the UK have bulimia.

There are two main features of bulimia. Individuals regularly binge, which involves eating a large amount of food in private until they feel uncomfortably full. They feel they have little or no control during a binge and tend to eat ‘forbidden’ foods with a high carbohydrate content.

Bingeing is normally followed by intense feelings of guilt and shame. To compensate for the food consumed during a binge, the individual then uses other behaviors, such as vomiting, laxative misuse or excessive exercise. This is often termed as ‘purging’ behavior.

People with bulimia are locked in a regular cycling of bingeing and purging and usually have overwhelming feelings of shame about their eating disorder. The frequency of the cycle varies from one individual to another and there are also wide variations in purging behavior.

Teenagers who have tried unsuccessfully to diet but failed sometimes believe that this cycle of bingeing and purging will help them to lose weight successfully. But studies show people with bulimia are often of normal body weight and if untreated, over time, there tends to be weight gain rather than weight loss. Bulimia is often associated with low self-esteem or a general lack of self-confidence.

However, this cycle has a range of harmful effects on the body. Some of these side-effects will be evident from a fairly early stage in the bulimia. They can include:

• Frequent and major weight changes.
• Stretch marks.
• Sore throat, the erosion of tooth enamel and bad breath caused by excessive vomiting.
• Swollen salivary glands making the face round and puffy.
• Poor skin condition and possible hair loss.
• Irregular menstrual periods or loss or periods.
• Lethargy and tiredness.
• Abdominal pain and bloating.
• Chronic constipation and risk of bowel problems due to laxative abuse.

There are a range of very serious effects for people who continue to suffer with untreated bulimia during a long period of time. Many people with bulimia develop chronic dehydration, caused by vomiting and the use of laxatives. This can lead to low potassium levels, triggering a wide range of symptoms ranging from lethargy and muddled thinking to potentially life-threatening heart and kidney problems. Another serious complication of bulimia is the rupture of the stomach.

Bulimia has a lower mortality rate than anorexia. However, very rare and extreme cases, death can occur due to heart failure.

Fortunately, people with bulimia tend to want to overcome their eating disorders and feel less ambivalent about change than those with anorexia. The difficulty usually lies in seeking help, as people with bulimia often feel profoundly ashamed of their eating habits and worries that if they do seek support, their problem will be dismissed.

However, studies show that people with bulimia respond well to treatment. A form of cognitive behavioural therapy designed for eating disorders, called CBT-E is very effective for people with bulimia.

Bulimia is an eating disorder that is easy to keep secret. It’s said, not surprisingly, that bulimia is the most secretive of all eating disorders. Why is that? The bulimic learns to keep the eating disorder a secret and easily hides their disorder from the public and even their family for many years.The actress Jane Fonda, for instance, confesses to suffering frombulimia from age 12 to 35, when she was finally able to recover.

The bulimic eats as does most anyone and maybe even more than normal, however, they then ‘purge’ themselves immediately after eating. The bulimic often rushes off to the bathroom, or they may even wait, 20 – 30 minutes till their alone, to make themselves vomit out what they just ate. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you have nocturnal panic attacks? Many of us do and most of those that do have them do not know what they are. If you find yourself doing things like this, then you may be experiencing this condition.

You go to sleep knowing that you need to sleep to have a good day tomorrow. But, then trouble happens. As you unconsciously transition from one level of sleep to another, something frightening happens. You bolt upright to find yourself short of breath and suffering from chest pains. You feel dizzy and have a sense of impending doom and suffocation. You’re sweating and feel as if you’re going crazy. You have just experienced a nocturnal panic attack. Read the rest of this entry »