Types of eating disorders
For the past two weeks, we have been studying eating disorders. Eating disorders can be related to overeating, under-eating, or purging. Most of the time they go undetected. And, if left untreated for long, it can have an adverse impact on health. Here are some common types of eating disorders along with a self-healing technique, SuJok, that can help one manage them.
Anorexia nervosa: Individuals suffering from this problem either want to maintain low weight, or eat too much. Individuals suffering from Anorexia nervosa have fear of gaining weight. The person feels that he/she is overweight even if he/she has normal weight.
Binge eating: A person with this disorder eats a lot despite feeling full. Over-eating is accompanied by guilt as they realise their mistake. Binge-eating can happen to anyone, irrespective of age or gender. This is a more common type of eating disorder than others.
Bulimia nervosa: One suffering from bulimia nervosa forcefully throws up food after eating as they feel guilty. An individual suffering from this even uses laxative to dispel food from the system out of fear of gaining weight. Even if the person is of normal weight, he/she sees themselves overweight.
Treatments for eating disorders
The treatment depends on the severity and type of eating disorder. However, symptoms associated with it like stress, depression, and anxiety are be treated.
Psychological treatment: Mental health professionals and doctors can help in this. Behavioral Therapy for psycho-emotional problems and some other treatments can help address familial and social problems. It takes time to bring awareness, acceptance, and successful application of treatment.
Role of yoga therapy: Various stretching asanas, meditation, chanting of Om, deep breathing, Vipritkarni Mudra, Sulabh Supta Vajrasana, Shavasana, Anuloma Viloma, Kapalbhati, etc., can help. It is important to seek expert before starting these.
Sujok therapy: Treatment for eating disorders often depend on controlling the symptoms. Here, since the digestive system and the brain is involved, using meridian and correspondent points to stimulate organs (as show in pic) like stomach, liver, large and small intestine, and brain can help. Advanced Sujok therapy includes physical, mental, and psycho-emotional treatment which can help in managing eating disorders.