Kungani Kuwubhadane Losuku Lwanamuhla?

“UKUBA nomzimba omncane kwaba into ebaluleke kakhulu ekuphileni kwami,” uAnn oneminyaka engu-34 ubudala wavuma. Ukwesaba kwakhe ukukhuluphala kwamholela ekudleni kancane kakhulu nasekwehleni kwesisindo esingamakhilogremu angu-30 ngesikhathi esifushane. Umyeni wakhe uthi, “Wazaca waba ngangothi lokuvungula futhi wabukeka sengathi uphuma enkanjini yokuhlushwa.”

Khona-ke, ngenxa nje yendlala, waqala ukudla kakhulu. Ngemva kwalokho, ukuze agweme ukukhuluphala, wasebenzisa imithi yokuhlambulula isisu futhi wenza ukuba ahlanze ukuze akhiphe ukudla. Ungase uzibuze ukuthi ‘umuntu angahileleka kanjani emkhubeni oshaqisa kanje?’

“Kulula ngaphezu kokuba ucabanga,” kusho uAnn othulula isifuba. “Ngangifuna nje ukuba nomzimba omncane. Abesifazane bacindezelwa kakhulu ukuba babe bancane ngomzimba. Ngangifundekelwa omagazini bezimfashini, ababegcizelela ‘umzimba omncane, umzimba omncane, umzimba omncane.’ Ngakho ngangizimisele ukuba nomzimba omncane kakhulu futhi ngikhange.”

Ngakho uAnn ngokungazelele waxhakathiswa ngokunamandla ukuphazamiseka kwemikhuba yokudla. Waba kulesosimo iminyaka eyishumi. Njengoba aphawula: “Awucabangi nakucabanga ukuthi kungase kuholele kulokho okuholela kukho.” Kodwa uAnn akuyena yedwa okulesimo. Uphakathi kwabesifazane baseMelika abalinganiselwa esigidini ababa nesifo okuthiwa ianorexia nervosa noma ibulimia unyaka ngamunye. Namadoda amaningi aye aba nalokhu kuphazamiseka kwemikhuba yokudla, futhi amaningi awo akhuluphele kakhulu. Kodwa kuyini ngempela lokhu kuphazamiseka?

Ukuphazamiseka

I“anorexia nervosa” ibonakala ngokungakwazi noma ukwenqaba ukudla okungathi sína nokuthatha isikhathi eside okubangelwa ukuphazamiseka kwemizwelo. Akubangelwa ukugula okungokomzimba. Lesisimo siholela ekwehleni kwesisindo somzimba okuphawulekayo. Lowomuntu—ngokuvamile owesifazane osemusha—ukwesaba kakhulu ukuba yisitetelegu futhi uzizwa ekhuluphele kakhulu ngisho nalapho ezacile. Ukuya esikhathini kuyanqamuka. Akafuni ukugcina isisindo sakhe singaphezu kwesifanelekele ubude nobudala bakhe.

I“Bulimia” ibonakala ngokufobela ukudla ngokuphindaphindiwe, okungukuthi, ukudla ukudla okuningi ngokungazithibi ngesikhathini esifushane. Ngemva kwalokho, umuntu onebulimia uzama ukukhipha amacalory ngokuzenza ukuba aphalaze, asebenzise imithi ehlambulula isisu kanye nechamisayo, noma ukuvivinya umzimba ngokuzikhandla. Umuntu onebulimia ukhathazeka njalo ngokwakheka komzimba wakhe nesisindo.

Ukuminza okubangwa ukucindezeleka kubonakala ngokudla ngokungazithibi, okulandelwa ukuzizwa unecala nemizwa yokuba namahloni ngokuphathelene nokudla ngaleyondlela kanye nokukhuluphala okukubangelayo. Umuntu odla kakhulu ngenxa yokucindezeleka ubonakala edla ngokweqile lapho ekhathazekile noma ejabulile. Ngokuvamile kuphumela ekukhuluphaleni, njengoba abantu abadla kakhulu ngoba becindezelekile ngokuvamile abasihlambululi isisu ukuze bakhiphe ukudla.

Kodwa ukumane wehlise noma ukhuphule isisindo, noma ukukhuluphala kakhulu noma uzace, akubonisi ukuthi unomkhuba ophazamisekile wokudla. Kungase kube nezimbangela ezingokofuzo noma ezingokomzimba. Kusuke kukhona ukuphazamiseka kwemikhuba yokudla lapho isimo sengqondo somuntu ngokudla kanye nesisindo sisontekile. Khona-ke umuntu uyadla—noma enqabe ukudla—ngenxa yokuphazamiseka okukhulu kwemizwelo.

Kuyanda

Izincwadi eziningi zibika ukwanda kokuphazamiseka kwemikhuba yokudla, ezinye zize ngisho zikubize ngokuthi umqedazwe. Esihlokweni esithi “Imikhuba Yokudla Ephazamisekile: Ekushoyo Ngeminyaka Yawo-1990,” abacwaningi bachaza ukuthi lokhu kuphazamiseka “kuye kwanda ngendlela ephawulekayo kusukela ngo-1970 futhi manje kutholakala kakhulu ekupopolweni kweziguli.” Ngokombiko, abantu abangu-150 000 bayafa minyaka yonke ngenxa yezinkinga ezihlobene neanorexia nervosa nebulimia.

Nokho, uAnn walulama ngokuphelele. Waba nenhlanhla. Abaningi ngangamaphesenti angu-21 alabo ababa neanorexia nervosa babulawa yilokhu kuphazamiseka. Imicabango yokuzibulala ivamile kulabo abanebulimia, futhi odokotela abaningana babika ukuthi ingxenye eyodwa kwezintathu yeziguli zabo iye yazama ukuzibulala ngokwayo.

Lokhu kuphazamiseka kwemikhuba yokudla kuthinta abantu babo bonke ubudala, ubuzwe, kanye namaqembu ezinhlanga futhi kufinyelela wonke amazinga ezenhlalo. Lolubhadane olukhulayo luye lwahlasela amazwe amaningi athuthukile ngokwezomnotho. EJapane kubikwa ukuthi ukwanda “kuye kwaba okuphawulekayo” kusukela ngo-1981. ISweden, iBrithani, iHong Kong, iNingizimu Afrika, iAustralia, kanye neCanada, wonke aye aba nokwanda.

Kodwa kungani ukuphazamiseka kwemikhuba yokudla, nakuba bekubikwa emakhulwini amaningi eminyaka, kuye kwaba umqedazwe kulelikhulu lama-20 leminyaka?

“Indawo Yokukhulekela Umzimba Omncane”

Ngemva kweminyaka engu-40 yokucwaninga, uDkt. Hilde Bruch uyachaza: “Ngithambekele ekukuhlobaniseni nokugcizelela okukhulu iMfashini ekubeka ekubeni nomzimba omncane. . . . Omagazini namabhayisikobho kunesigijimi esifanayo, kodwa okufundekela kakhulu ithelevishini, ikuphindaphinda nsuku zonke, ukuthi umuntu angathandwa futhi ahlonishwe kuphela lapho emncane ngomzimba.”

Ngaphambi konyaka ka-1900, ukugqoka izingubo ezisemfashinini kwakukhathalelwa kakhulu abacebile. Kodwa ngemva kweMpi Yezwe I (1914-18), ukufika kwezitolo ezihlukaniswa ngokwezigaba, omagazini babesifazane, nezithombe zemfashini kwakha isithakazelo esikhulayo emfashinini kwabesifazane abaningi. Izimfashini ezintsha ezinhle zazenziwa ngobuningi ngosayizi abaphakathi nendawo. Kodwa ukuze agqoke lezingubo, owesifazane kwakufanele abe nesimo somzimba “esikahle.” Kanjalo, amaphutha okwakheka komzimba abangela ukukhungatheka nokudumala kwabesifazane ezazingabalingani lezozingubo eziyisitayela.

Khona-ke ngo-1918, incwadi yokuqala yaseMelika eyadayiswa kakhulu ephathelene nezindlela zokudla yahlanganisa ukulawula isisindo somzimba nokuzethemba. Ukukhuluphala kwabesifazane kwabhekwa njengephutha lobuntu kanye nesiphazamiso emphakathini. Encwadini yakhe ethi Fasting Girls, uJoan Brumberg uchaza umphumela: “Empeleni, ngawo-1920 ukubukeka kwangaphandle kwakubaluleke kakhulu kunobuntu bangaphakathi ngenxa yokuthi ukuheha ngokobulili kwakuthathe indawo yokuba ingokomoya libe ‘yinto ecwazimulayo yokuhloba’ kowesifazane. . . . Abaningi bawenza waba indinganiso umqondo wokuthi ubukhulu nokwakheka komzimba kwakuyisilinganiso sokuzethemba.”

Kanjalo, isifiso sokudla kancane nobuhle bomzimba sakhula. Namuhla, ngaso sonke isikhathi kunesilinganiso samaphesenti angu-50 abesifazane baseUnited States abadla kancane ukuze banciphe, abaningi babo benza kanjalo ukuze babukeke. Ukuhlola okwenziwa umagazini iGlamour kwabuza abesifazane abangu-33 000: “Yini enganenza nijabule kakhulu?” Amaphesenti angamashumi amane nambili aphendula, “Ukwehla kwesisindo somzimba.” Lokho kwakuyisilinganiso esiphindwe kabili sanoma ikuphi okunye ukukhetha okwanikezwa ukuhlola, ‘njengeMpumelelo emsebenzini.’

Njengoba singena eminyakeni yawo-1990, ukuba nomzimba omncane kuye kwaba uphawu lwamandla, impumelelo, nokukhanga. “Njengoba benikwe ukukhulekela kwethu kobunye kwesikhathi eside nokweqile ethempelini lomzimba omncane, akumangalisi ukuthi abesifazane abasha abaningi besimanje benza ukudla kancane kube indaba yokholo,” kuchaza uBrumberg. Uyini omunye umphumela osobala? Umqedazwe wokuphazamiseka kwemikhuba yokudla.

Naphezu kokucindezela komphakathi kokuba nomzimba omncane, akubona bonke abesifazane ababa nemikhuba ephazamisekile yokudla. Khona-ke, obani abasengozini ngokukhethekile?

[Ibhokisi ekhasini 3]

Izingozi Zempilo Ezibangelwa Imikhuba Yokudla

IAnorexia Nervosa

Ukuphazamiseka kwegazi, umfutho wegazi ophansi kakhulu ngokungafanele, ukwezela okungavamile noma ukuphelelwa amandla, ukushintshashintsha kokushaya kwenhliziyo, ukuhluleka kokusebenza kwenhliziyo okungalindelekile, ukuba phuzi kwesikhumba, ukuphazamiseka kwamahormone, ukunqamuka kokuya esikhathini, ukwehla kwesisindo samathambo.

IBulimia

Ukungayi esikhathini ngezikhathi ezithile, ukuba buthakathaka kwezicubu kanye nokuqaqamba kwazo, ukuphela kwamanzi emzimbeni, isiyezi, ukusuka koqweqwe olumhlophe lwamazinyo nokumbeka kwawo izimbobo, ukungenwa kalula umkhuhlane, ukukhathala, izinkinga zokugayeka kokudla, ukushintshashintsha kokushaya kwenhliziyo okungaholela ekumeni kwayo ngokungazelele, izinyembezi kanye nokophela ngaphakathi emphinjeni, nobuhlungu besisu.

Ukuminza Okubangwa Ukucindezeleka

Umfutho wegazi ophakeme ohlobene nesisindo somzimba kanye nokukhathala, ukukhuluphala ngokweqile (okukhulisa ingozi yokuba nesifo sikashukela), isifo semithambo yenhliziyo, umdlavuza, ukuphazamiseka kwamahormone, kanye namaqondo (gallstones).