The problem is widespread enough that physicians now see insulin underdosing as a form of purging, making it a close cousin of the eating disorder bulimia. Some doctors even call it "diabulimia." Unlike disorders such as anorexia, in which a person severely restricts calories, a person omitting insulin can eat whatever she wants. Pizza, beer, ice cream -- none of it can be processed by the body. Nor do diabulimics have to go through the pain of self-induced vomiting. All they have to do is skip shots and watch their weight spiral drastically down, calories purged from the body in a sugar-filled stream of urine.
Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends on the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors and inaccuracies found will be corrected.
