Eating Disorders - Basics

Eating disorders are characterized by extreme eating habits, intense concern over body image and weight, and extreme binging or reduction in food intake. Often, eating disorders coexist with psychiatric problems such as depression or anxiety, and can lead to physical symptoms as a result of unhealthy, dangerous eating habits. The two main types of eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.

Individuals with Anorexia Nervosa are plagued by a distorted body image and subsequent obsession with losing weight that leads to compulsive, unhealthy behaviors and emaciation. These include carefully portioning foods, repeatedly weighing oneself, misusing laxatives or diuretics, excessive exercise, unhealthy dieting, self-induced vomiting, and others. Bulimia nervosa is characterized by repeated periods of binge-eating, or overeating, that individuals temper with periods of extreme dieting, exercise, or purging (self-induced vomiting or excessive use of laxatives). This is often accompanied by a feeling of being out of control. Unlike individuals with anorexia, bulimics often maintain a normal body weight and show no outward signs of an eating disorder. Some people have a third eating disorder, called Binge-Eating Disorder, that closely resembles bulimia without the purging stage.

Below you will find alternative and natural treatment options including those from a Chinese Medicine perspective for eating disorders.