Archive for the 'Eating Disorders' Category

I’d like to start with a little bit of information about Dr. Edward Bach who believed that the ills of the heart and the spirit must be the focus of a healer's attention. This is truly a perfect tool for an eating disorders. The bodily ills are symptoms of our fears, our cares, and our anxieties that can open the path to the invasion of illness. This philosophy along with herbal medicine prescribes plants for melancholy or mental indecision. But Bach went further in making a connection between what you feel and that of your actual physical illness. Thus he produced the unconventional Bach Flower Remedies.

Bach developed and specialized in a branch of herbal medicine where he used flowers. He noted that the flowers were high in vitality, as they contained the essence of life or seed of the plant. These qualities were what he wished to experiment with to relieve mental distress. Bach knew that flowers were only part of the puzzle. He knew that the positive give-and-take interaction and the encouragement that a doctor or psychotherapist can give completed this process.
Bach observed certain principles that worked in nature and believed there was no need to complicate the issue with further mental pursuits. Bach gathered hundreds of successful case histories. With that said, I'd like to share a personal family story that illustrates my success using the Bach Flower Remedies.

I know, from my 18 years of clinical case studies in my private practice, that by solving the mental attitudes you can stop a disease from becoming a physical one, or reverse one. For example an intervention early in teens can turn the tragic effects of eating disorders around .Today, as compared to the 1930’s when Bach compassionately wanted to relieve those suffering in the Great Depression ; we are beginning to understand disease at an energy level rather than a pathological one.
It's interesting my daughter is now 30 years old. She is a recovered anorexic and perfectionist. I was talking to her the other day and she is now a CPA working in a busy high-powered office. One boss is particularly strict and intimidating. So we are talking, and I asked her, “What kind of techniques or tools do you use to handle the stress of working under a boss like that?”

She said, “Most time I don't take it personally. I may called him a (----- ) in my head but I'm very nice to him face to face.” In other words, she uses the technique of sending them flowers in her imagination after she cancels the silent names she calls him. She added further, “Really mom, I find that I love my job and its challenges if I take the Bach Flower Remedies. They help so much so that I don’t take my boss personally.”

Then I asked her which ones do you do use? And she answered, “The one that I love most is Larch.”
I asked her what is Larch for, because I noticed in my own life I was not using the Bach Flower Remedies like I had in years past and I had forgotten about Larch . Yet I do have rescue remedy always on hand. My daughter’s favorite, Larch helps boast self-confidence and overcomes the feeling of not being strong enough to succeed. (Plus this is a great flower remedy for overcoming the lack of self confidence with any eating disorder.) My daughter has found that when she feels self-confidence her need to be perfect takes a quiet repose in the back of her mind and then she can more effectively use her command words ‘let it go’.

“Oh,” I said, “that is amazing you are still using the Bach Flower Remedies and the tool of command words that I taught you by using these remedies throughout your growing up times. Good for you.”

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Since the adolescence is the age where bones are sprout and grow rapidly, well nourished food must be given to the adolescent to facilitate normal growth & development. The nutritional intake must be monitored regularly and modified depending upon the growing needs. Teenagers tend to develop eating disorders which affect their nutritional health. The eating behavior must be corrected as early as possible as it can lead to the development of complex illnesses. Eating disorder is the third common chronic illness, especially in adolescent females and the number has been increasing rapidly from the past thirty years.

There are two subcategories of eating disorders, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is the restrictive form, where the intake of food is limited severely. In bulimia nervosa is the eating disorder where the adolescent binges on food and then tries to minimize the effects by forcibly vomiting, fasting, and catharsis or over exercising. When handling adolescence eating disorders, they must be handled differently from adult eating disorders. Adolescents face problems such as growth retardation, suppressed height, abnormal weight, pubertal delay, menstrual periods absence, and menses unpredictability. When the adolescent is growing there will be critical tissue components loss like loss of body fat, muscle mass and bone mineral.

Nutritional imbalance is also caused which reflect abnormalities in the levels of vitamins, mineral and other trace elements. The problem is that these abnormalities cannot be recognized clinically. But since protein and calories are essential to the growth of the adolescent, it is important to trace their abnormalities. Because of the problems, healthy adulthood is not a possible thing. Because of all these reasons, it is important to diagnose adolescence eating disorders as early as possible. Eating disorders give rise to peak bone mass impaired acquisition in case of adolescents. When they turn into adults, this problem aggravates to osteoporosis. Even internal organs get affected due to eating disorders. All this can be prevented by early intervention so as to limit, prevent and ameliorate medical complications, which can turn become life threatening.

Adolescents who practice unhealthy weight control practices and are obsessive about figure, weight, food or exercise should be treated clinically. Not only should the symptoms be checked, but their duration, intensity and frequency should also be checked. Although most of the physical complications caused due to eating disorders get solved with the help of nutritional rehabilitation some of the conditions become irreversible and the long term consequences of this are very dangerous. It is best if the eating disorders are recognized in the early stages as it won’t result in irreparable damage. The medical monitoring should be pursued till the adolescent returns back to appropriate psychological and medical health.

Eating disorders not only result in physical abnormalities, but also psychological abnormalities. Adolescents with eating disorders take onto social isolation, low self esteem, affective disorders, low self concept, substance abuse, anxiety, and depression. Usually adolescents switch to unhealthy eating habits because of depression and lack of knowledge about affective techniques to lose weight. So the patients who are being treated for eating disorders must also be treated for psychiatric illness, if they have any. Even if the habits doesn’t fit the strict criteria, adolescents who limit food intake, binge, vomit or purge accompanied with or without harsh weight loss, should be monitored because of the involvement of risk of even death. Early treatment will have an improved outcome. But the level of intervention in adolescents should be less when compared to adults.

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As a role model for active eating disorders brain and genes change, Sherry is magnificent. Sherry an active bulimic with thoughts of tantrum rage like “screw you” and “I’m going to let go and do for me.” Her purging behavior was eliciting feelings of doubt, shame, guilt and the undoing was loss of self control along with fear of loss. Her life got to a point in her forties of going down the drain so to speak. This prompted or madly drove her, at forty-four, to begin focused psychotherapy with brain exercises specifically from an eating disorders specialist. She worked once a week in session, while doing her daily workbook/playbook brain exercises and techniques using her full attention.
After only six sessions Sherry noticed considerable positive changes and the bulimic deterioration that brought her to therapy began to reverse. It is no wonder that Sherry is a lifelong self-educator and that she engages her mind in something like classes or seminars, because she gives it her full attention. This was the exact ingredient to became successful at changing her brain
In the book reference, according to psychiatrist Norman Doidge one needs to give what one is learning full attention to create change in the brain. That’s counter to what multi-taskers or book readers who quickly devour the information in a book do. In his book, “The Brain that Changes Itself,” Doidge powerfully points to the discovery that thoughts can change the structure and the function of one’s brain. This applies to old age as well. What a breakthrough and it’s being called the most important in neuroscience in four hundred years. Examples show eighty –year- olds renewing their memory functions to the level of a person twenty years younger. Doidge calls this a great example of adult plasticity or malleable brain that can and does rewire itself when it is damaged.
The question to ask is how can you apply this concept of changing your brain to be free of eating disorders, brain patterns, negative behavior triggers or any eating issue? It is documented by Doidge that brain exercises in some situations are more effective than medications. Furthermore talk therapy as in psychotherapy is known to work in changing the brain as much as any medications do for depression and anxiety. Those mental conditions are certainly a challenge for those suffering from any eating disorder or disordered eating.
To help let’s look at another application of focused attention that changes the brain. In using specific workbooks, playbooks, brain exercises/techniques, and the commitment to continue, a trained eating disorders therapist can help facilitate those positive brain changes. Psychotherapy supports the individual in processing and letting go of negative feelings and negative thinking so that one can continue to be committed to using their focused attention. Sustained effort needs to be encouraged by supportive safe others such as one’s therapist, accountability partner in learning, a sponsor, or support group etc.
Would you ask yourself to begin an exercise program of running ten miles from the start? Or would you be more successful if you started a walking program to build stamina and slowly increased it incrementally to running a one half mile then to one mile and so on. Then you would find you are growing by following this plan of action.
The idea of a flexible brain and its possibilities has been slow to make it’s ways in the traditional belief system about the brain. If the past belief has been that the brain is like the heart and is only mechanistic, then if one function and location is damaged, this rules out change. This past belief has been called neurological nihilism. In other words this past belief said, “You’re stuck with mental limitations for life.”
Science got it wrong. That is neural science. The truth today is the brain has plasticity and you can use that knowledge to change your brain in many ways.
What might be the plan that can help eating disorders & brain change? We learn that our thoughts can switch our genes on and off, altering our brain anatomy. We then learn to use our imagination as a tool to “make it so” with this new brain model.

Books that begin with an initial eating disorders quiz can help you to find your weak areas. These weak areas are then given specific tools and exercises for strengthening. You can find a workbook, playbook, journal, study guide and step-by-step approach that will give you the means to change your brain. There are so many ways to heal that no matter what your old beliefs are, many of new brain exercises can help you.

The many myths regarding weight loss need to be put to rest that continue to tease society into complacency and victim-hood. After confronting those past “weight loss’ myths, you can look for authentic clear cut actions that support personal empowerment plus the actual changes in the brain. Could this lead to healing on every level? Is this truly the breakthrough action formula for proven brain change for all ages? Yes.

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