Integrative Medical Approach Expedites Eating Disorder Treatment

OverviewNearly 30 million Americans – 20 million women and 10 million men – have eating disorders. Whether it’s anorexia, bulimia or overeating, eating disorders can have severe social and health consequences if left unchecked. Many people with eating disorders try and fail to resolve the problem with a variety of medical and behavioral treatments. At Mirasol Recovery Centers, we use an integrative medical approach to treat eating disorders. The integrative approach seeks to treat medical and psychological causes of eating disorders and uses a wide variety of treatments, including alternative methods like acupuncture, chiropractic and neurofeedback, among others.

What Are Eating Disorders?Eating disorders are abnormal eating habits

that result in an insufficient or excessive intake of food. The imbalance is so severe that it impacts the patient’s social relationships and health. Eating disorders are a lasting problem, and impact the quality of life of the patient. Because of self-esteem issues common in puberty, young people are particularly susceptible to eating disorders. About 1 or 2 of every 100 students will struggle with an eating disorder.

Why An Integrative

Medical Approach?

An integrative medical approach attacks the problem on multiple fronts, helping to deal with both the medical and psychological aspects of eating disorders. Including alternative treatments like acupuncture and neurofeedback give doctors more tools to use to help patients develop a healthier relationship with food.

Traditional Approaches: Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy,

MedicationTraditional approaches to treating eating disorders are an important part of integrative therapy. Combined, these approaches have a greater chance of success as they leave no underlying issue unaddressed. Cognitive and behavioral therapies can help patients create a more healthy relationship with eating. Medical therapies can help address any physical problems and help the transition to healthier eating habits be less stressful and unpleasant. In addition to traditional approaches, there are also a number of alternative approaches that can help.

Alternative Approaches: Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback reconditions and retrains brainwaves and can be used to influence behavior. With EEG neurofeedback, patients can be trained to have more positive responses to healthy eating habits and to eschew negative reactions. The use of neurofeedback can help reduce the need for more intensive interventions like medication.

Alternative Approaches: Acupuncture

Acupuncture can help treat eating disorders by reducing the severity of digestive problems and food allergies. It can also help relieve stress that may contribute to the eating disorder and inhibit recovery. Mirasol Recovery Centers has been using acupuncture to treat eating disorders for 11 years and has found it to be an effective alternative treatment.

Alternative Approaches: EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing aids patients in helping to eliminate negative associations caused by past experiences. In EMDR therapy, eye movement, tactile stimulation and bilateral stimulation is used to help activate opposite sides of the patient's brain’ helping to resolve past emotional experiences that may contribute to eating disorders.

Alternative Approaches: Functional MedicineFunctional medicine helps to address the nutritional deficiencies of patients and underlying health issues and imbalances that may contribute to eating disorders, such as:• Oxidative stress• Nutritional imbalances• Intestinal dysfunction• Impaired detoxification• Immune/inflammatory imbalances• Endocrine imbalances

About Mirasol Recovery CentersMirasol Recovery Centers are a Tucson, AZ based treatment center of adults and young people struggling with eating disorders. Mirasol combines psychiatric and medical care to help patients deal with eating disorders and lead happier, healthier lives. Our treatment also includes alternative medical treatments such as acupuncture and chiropractic solutions. For more information visit http://www.mirasol.net.