Sauna abuse as a clinical feature of bulimia nervosa.

The authors describe a series of 14 patients with bulimia nervosa who regularly spent long periods of time in saunas as a weight-control technique. This practice is probably more common in parts of the world where Finnish saunas are in widespread use. Many of these patients also engaged in other behaviors that resulted in dehydration, such as diuretic abuse and laxative abuse.