Your Question is Difficult to Answer by Dr. Robert Wallace on Creators.com

Recently

Love Is the Key to Successful Parenting DR. WALLACE: I am a single parent of an 11-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son. I had a lot of problems as a teen because my parents were super lenient in controlling me. Let's say I could do almost anything that I wanted with no questions asked.…Read more. Give Intelligent Young Women a Break DR. WALLACE: I'm angry that you encourage all girls, even the mentally, emotionally and physically mature young women who happen to be teenagers, not to get involved with older guys. You are dead wrong in your assumption that older guys and teenage …Read more. Open and Honest Conversation Is Paramount DR. WALLACE: Please tell me what to do. I'm 20, married three years and the mother of a 2-year-old son. I love my husband very much, but I'm lonely and depressed. My husband works 12 to 16 hours, 6 days a week. I have no friends, no job and no time …Read more. My Friend's Mother Helps Her Cheat DR. WALLACE: We have homework four days a week in world history. I do all my homework by myself, but my best friend's mother helps her with hers. I average a B on my homework, but my friend averages an A. I don't believe this is fair. Both of us are …Read more.

Your Question is Difficult to Answer

DR. ROBERT WALLACE: Which eating disorder is worse, anorexia nervosa or bulimia? I have a cousin who is anorexic and her sister is bulimic. Our family can't decide who is worse off. — Juliet, Elkhart, Ind.

JULIET: Your question is difficult to answer. It's like asking who has the more serious injury, the person with a broken hand or the one with a broken foot. It all depends. To a writer, a broken writing hand is more serious. To the long-distance runner, it would be the broken foot.

Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia are serious eating disorders. Anorexics severely limit their intake of calories to the point of becoming dangerously thin. Those who suffer from bulimia achieve their goal of thinness by vomiting or taking laxatives after consuming huge amounts of food.

Most experts would agree that with everything equal, those suffering from anorexia are at greatest risk because they always feel "fat" and rarely admit that they have a problem. On the other hand, bulimics are aware that their eating habits are abnormal, but they find it very difficult to stop for fear of becoming overweight. A higher percentage of anorexics die from their eating disorder.

ABSTINENCE IS THE ANSWER

DR. WALLACE: If a condom is used properly, will it prevent a girl from getting any kind of sexually transmitted disease? I think it will, but my girlfriend says a condom, even when used properly, is not 100 percent effective. Who is right? — Jared, Santa Ana, Calif.

JARED: For sexually active couples, condoms are the best way to reduce the chances of getting a sexually transmitted disease.

But your girlfriend is correct. They are not flawless. They're particularly ineffective against certain STDs.

One of these is HPV (Human Papillomavirus), which is at an epidemic stage, according to Dr. Margaret Poleneczky, an obstetrician-gynecologist at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Both HPV and herpes can be transmitted when skin not covered by a condom touches the skin of one's sexual partner.

Abstinence is still the safest way to avoid all STDs.

BINGE DRINKING IS A DANGEROUS GAME!

DR. WALLACE: My cousin is a student at the University of Minnesota, and she is a very good student. She is also a good athlete and plays on the varsity volleyball team. Last week, my parents and I went to Minneapolis to watch her play and we were happy that they won.

After the game, our entire family went out for supper. I sat next to her and asked her a lot about university life. She said it was wonderful, but her only problem was that her roommate was a binge drinker. All I said was, "That's too bad" because I don't know what a binge drinker is. Can you enlighten me? — Nameless, Willmar, Minn.

NAMELESS: Binge drinking almost always happens at "party-time." When a male consumes five or more alcoholic drinks in a short period of time (15 minutes or less) or a female consumes four or more alcoholic drinks in the same amount of time, it is called "binge drinking."

It's a very dangerous game to play. Peer pressure forces many bingers to "drink-up!"

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at rwallace@galesburg.net. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.