Eating Disorders: Alternative Methods for Control

People dealing with eating disorders are at an all time high. According to the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, seven million women and one million men have an eating disorder. These are staggering numbers. The two most common types are bulimia (binging on large quantities of food and then purging it shortly after), and anorexia (extreme dieting or fasting). Both are extremely dangerous, and 20% of the people with an eating disorder die prematurely of complications from the disorder ₁. Eating disorders are considered a mental illness, thereby making treatment possible through alternative methods. There are many contributing factors to the causes of eating disorders, but all seem to stem from emotional distress ₂. I have personal experience with anorexia, and through alternative methods, I have managed to overcome it. It does not matter how or why an eating disorder comes into play, the most important element in overcoming it is learning to take control of it. The human mind is a powerful thing. So many of us carry baggage from past hurts and traumas that manifest themselves into physical problems. From my own experience, however, I have discovered that by taking control of my thoughts, I can improve my health both psychologically and physically. I needed help in my road to recovery, and because of my situation I could not be treated medicinally. I used a blend of yoga, vitamins, positive reinforcement, herbs, a combination of different foods, and meditation.

My situation was a bit different from most because it was not brought about by my opinion of how I look. My eating disorder was caused by an ulcer that I could not receive treatment for. I was prescribed different medications, but discovered that I was allergic to all the acid inhibitors and antibiotics that were necessary to cure my ulcer. The combination of being sick every time I ate, and the side effects of my allergic reactions to the medicines left me with a deep fear of eating. Food became my enemy. Because I would go days without eating, when I did eat it would exacerbate my nausea and stomach pain. This became a vicious circle that lasted for three years. I went from weighing 150 pounds to 105 in a matter of months. I lost interest in the things that usually brought me joy. I had very little energy, so outings with my family became very infrequent. As avid hikers, this was a big deal. I could not stay on top of my housework. My hair began to fall out. My world became very dark, and life lost its luster. The final blow was a constant barrage of panic attacks that filled me with so much fear that I was even afraid to leave the house to buy groceries. It was when I discovered that this train wreck that had become my life was going to kill me, that I started taking steps to healing.

The first step I took was getting involved in something that would help me overcome my fears. I started going back to church. I had quit attending when I first became sick, and I needed the positive reinforcement. I began attending a class specifically designed for people dealing with major issues in their lives like depression and addiction. From this class I gained the encouragement and strength to keep going even on the very hard days. The people in my group combined with close friends and family helped give me a foundation for my healing. My class gave me something to look forward to. It was a place that I could express how I felt without feeling condemned or laughed at. Most everyone understood at least to a degree what I was going through, and by sharing our highs and our lows I found a new hope.

Very shortly after I started back to church I began reading about different vitamins and herbs that could help my situation. I spent a lot of time on Bill Sardis' website, Knowledge of Health. The website listed several natural remedies for many problems, including mine. It was from there that I discovered the benefits of oil of oregano, cabbage, proper nutrition, vitamin c, and multi vitamins. Oil of oregano works as a natural antibiotic that bacteria cannot build an immunity to. Cabbage and cabbage juice, consumed daily (I drank approximately 1 liter a day), cures ulcers. It cured mine. Vitamin C works to help your body fight infections, germs, etc. I began taking approximately 2000 milligrams a day. I began taking a multi vitamin geared for my specific needs that gave me energy, and helped me to stay focused mentally.

I began using incense and essential oils on a daily basis, and still do. My favorites are Lavender, Sage, Dragon's Blood, Jasmine, and Sandalwood. Lavender and sage help soothe my nerves when I am overly anxious or tense. Dragon's blood gives me an over-all healthy feeling. Jasmine, oddly, has an ability to make me feel beautiful. Something about its exotic fragrance pulls my thoughts into the light. Sandalwood seems to help me think more clearly; helps my focus, and is calming. I read somewhere that the more of the five senses that are touched, the more a person is impacted emotionally. I believe this. These fragrances have become an essential part of my day. They played a role in helping me to find my inner strength, so now I associate them with that.

I used yoga and meditation together. Yoga causes the body to take deep, slow breaths. Breathing like this helps the body to relax, and helps to focus the mind. Yoga also works out some muscles that are seldom used, helping oxygen to be moved to more areas of the body. This also helps in relaxation and focus. Introducing yoga into my life gave me more energy and really enhanced my ability to think clearly. I have o.c.d. (obsessive compulsive disorder) tendencies, and yoga really helped me to take control of that.

Of all the methods I've listed, I would have to say that meditation was the most powerful source to regaining control in my thinking. I learned through meditation that I am in charge of my thoughts. Thoughts turn into action, thereby helping me to overcome almost every obstacle in my path, emotionally speaking. By focusing on the positive when I meditate, it helps me to maintain that focus through the rest of the day. It has helped me to overcome my fears, my depression, and even my panic attacks. I haven't had a panic attack in over a year now.

Meditation is purposefully tuning everything out and allowing your mind to sit quietly or to concentrate on a word or a phrase that stimulates the brain. At least, that is how I've done it. I tend to meditate on scripture, but I have also focused my attention on positive attributes in myself, or on a thought that helps me relax (such as the word "tranquility"). Combined with the breathing techniques in yoga, I've learned to overcome anxiety, fear, the feeling of being overwhelmed, and replace them with self control, strength and joy.

As I learned to overcome my thoughts, I began to eat healthier. Remember that I began all of this by going days without eating. I began to introduce meals into my life slowly. I started with breakfast. I would eat something light and healthy like yogurt, oatmeal, or Grape Nuts. All of those help with digestion and digestive health. Eating breakfast made me hungrier throughout the day, so introducing lunch and dinner back into my day was easy. Again, I ate foods that were healthy but were also easy to digest. I did not eat a lot of meat. Since meat is one of the hardest things for the human body to process, I kept any meat portions I ate very small. In fact, I still don't eat much meat. I did eat, however, a lot of fruit, vegetables, rice, and soup. Because my body had lost so many nutrients during the years of my illness, I began taking a multi-vitamin also. My body was in starvation mode, and now that a constant source of food was being re-introduced to my system, my energy levels increased. My metabolism went way up, making me even hungrier throughout the day, so I began snacking between meals on things like granola bars and more fruit. I would also allow myself to indulge on a piece of chocolate here and there. The interesting part in all of this is that when I began taking back control of my life I was a size 6. Because of the exercise I was getting, and my metabolism going up, I actually went down to a size 4. Before when I looked gaunt and "sickly" I now glowed with health.

Overcoming my eating disorder was not easy. It took discipline and self control, but I began with baby steps. Little by little I began to learn to control my rationale on life and my actions. When I finally got to the point where I could safely say that I was healed, I felt better than and looked better than I ever have before. I do believe that each one of us has only one life, and the best thing to do with it is to live it as fully as possible.

1 South Carolina Department of Mental Health website -- http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm
2 Health and Age website -- http://www.healthandage.com/html/res/com/ConsConditions/AnorexiaNervosacc.html