Many people do not know how large a problem obesity and being overweight are in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that 67% of Americans who are 20 years of age and above are either obese or overweight. That means that more than two out of every three Americans are either obese or overweight.

Nearly all of us eat too much at one time or another. Taking second and third helpings of food at holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas are examples of this. If overeating is something that you do habitually and uncontrollably, you may have a disorder that is called bulimia nervosa.

Bulimia nervosa, which is simply called bulimia much of the time, is an eating disorder that is characterized by recurrent binge eating. This eating disorder is similar to binge eating disorder. The primary difference in these two eating disorders is that a person with bulimia nervosa follows their binge eating with some method of purging or bingeing to prevent gaining weight. These unhealthy methods include self induced vomiting, laxatives, enemas, diuretics and over exercise.

The signs and symptoms of both types of bulimia nervosa are similar. There are several physical signs and symptoms of this eating disorder. These include:

• Irregular heartbeat
• Bloating
• Scars, calluses or sores on your hands or knuckles
• Abnormal function of your bowels
• Amenorrhea (loss of menstruation) or menstrual irregularities in women
• Damaged gums and teeth
• Dry skin
• Fatigue
• Swollen salivary glands in your cheeks
• Dehydration
• Sores in your mouth and throat.

There are also behavioral and emotional signs and symptoms of bulimia nervosa. Some of these are:

• Hoarding food
• Exercising for long, extended time periods
• Going to the bathroom during meals or after eating
• Ongoing dieting
• Anxiety
• Feeling like your eating is out of your control
• Depression
• Eating until you feel pain or discomfort
• Misusing diuretics, enemas or laxatives
• Having an excessive, distorted negative body image of yourself
• Preoccupation with your weight or body shape
• Eating far more food than in a normal snack or meal.

You or a loved one may have bulimia nervosa. This condition and/or complications resulting from or other conditions along with it may be why you are disabled. It may be the reason why you need financial help.

You or your loved one may have applied for financial assistance from the Social Security Administration by applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits. Were you denied?

If you or your loved one intends to appeal the denial by the Social Security Administration, here is something important for you to think about. People who have a disability lawyer like the one you will find at socialsecurityhome.com are approved more often than people who are not represented by a disability attorney.