DR. WALLACE: Which eating disorder is more dangerous, 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. — Sylvia, Dallas, Tex.

SYLVIA: 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 find it very difficult to stop for fear of becoming overweight. A higher percentage of anorexics die from their eating disorder.

BY AGE 15, BOYS CATCH UP WITH GIRLS

DR. WALLACE: Why are girls mature at age 12 and boys are still so immature at age 12? I know this is true because all of my girlfriends and I, who are all age 12, are mature young ladies and the boys our age are brats. — Joy, Little Rock, Ark.

JOY: You have a point. Girls do, indeed, mature earlier than boys, though Mother Nature is silent on why this is so. Adolescence normally begins at age 11 or 12 for girls and 13 or 14 for boys. By age 15, girls and boys are pretty much equal in physical and mental maturity. Thank goodness!

I WON'T GET MUGGED WALKING DOWN THE AISLE

DR. WALLACE: I will be getting married in a few months. One of my friends had a wedding shower for me. All the females there were stunned when I announced that no one will "give me away" because I'm not a possession. Neither my father nor any other male will escort me down the aisle.

First of all, I don't need an escort because I won't be mugged walking down the aisle, nor will I get lost. Why doesn't the groom's mother "give away" her son? This is my wedding and I'll do it my way! What do you think about that? Why must the girl be given away? — Ellie, Jackson, Miss.

ELLIE: A big part of marriage is tradition, and that's why brides want to be escorted down the aisle by their father or another male family member.

It's your wedding and you are free to dispense with any tradition that causes you discomfort. But make sure that Dad understands that it isn't personal!

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@thegreatestgift.com. 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.