Healing From Eating Disorders With the Multi-Angled Approach

The iconic American inventor Thomas Edison famously said, “If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.” This is also true of how one can heal from an eating disorder. Many people with eating disorders and/or disordered eating don’t think they can recover. Also, many people with eating disorders have tried to recover but were unsuccessful. The key is to keep trying and find the form of recovery that works best for the individual. In many cases, this is the multi-angled approach.

Better Understanding Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating

Millions of people struggle with eating disorders or disordered eating every day. This is true both in the U.S. and around the world. According to the peer-reviewed thesis Eating Disorders, by Doctors Balasundaram and Santhanam, “One in eight youngsters may have at least one eating disorder by twenty years of age. Approximately 5 million Americans are affected by eating disorders every year. Although eating disorders can affect people of all ages and both genders, they are often reported in adolescents and young women.”

Many people also struggle with eating disorders in silence. This may be because they are in denial of their problem or they are ashamed of the stigma that is often associated with eating disorders. However, it is important to understand that there is nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to eating disorders or disordered eating because, like other issues of addiction and mental illness, eating disorders are diseases.

Many people feel like eating disorders are some type of “choice” made by the individual. This is simply untrue. The reality is that eating disorders manifest in the mind and cause an individual to lose control of healthy eating and lifestyle habits. Eating disorders are also chronic diseases, which means that without some type of professional intervention, they will almost always negatively progress. There are also many types of eating disorders.

Types of Eating Disorders

It is important to understand that eating disorders and disordered eating are not a monolith. There are many types of eating disorders.

Some of the most common eating disorders are bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, other specified feeding and eating disorders, pica, and rumination disorder. There are also types of disordered eating and exercise addiction that many professionals also place in this category.

Understanding Bulimia Nervosa

Many people have heard of bulimia nervosa but are unsure exactly of what it is. Getting a better understanding of what this eating disorder is can significantly help one get themselves or a loved one the help that they need.

Bulimia nervosa has some very distinct characteristics. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), “Bulimia nervosa is characterized by binge eating (eating large amounts of food in a short time, along with the sense of a loss of control) followed by a type of behavior that compensates for the binge, such as purging (e.g., vomiting, excessive use of laxatives, or diuretics), fasting, and/or excessive exercise. Unlike anorexia nervosa, people with bulimia can fall within the normal range for their weight. But like people with anorexia, they often fear gaining weight, want desperately to lose weight, and are intensely unhappy with their body size and shape.” Binge eating disorder is also a very common eating disorder.

Understanding Binge Eating Disorder

Binge eating disorder is much more than simply “overeating.” According to the peer-reviewed journal Disease Primers, “Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by regular binge-eating episodes during which individuals ingest comparably large amounts of food and experience loss of control over their eating behavior…. BED is commonly associated with obesity and with somatic and mental health comorbidities. People with BED experience considerable burden and impairments in quality of life, at the same time, BED often goes undetected and untreated.”

Binge eating disorder can also be completely debilitating to one’s everyday way of life. According to the peer-reviewed thesis Binge Eating Disorder, by Doctors Mars, Iqbal, and Rehman, “Binge eating disorder is associated with significant distress and impairment in daily life, and its severity ranges from mild, defined as 1 to 3 episodes per week, to extreme with >14 episodes per week. Management involves assessing binge frequency, triggers, and associated emotions and implementing effective treatments, including cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy. Pharmacotherapy and behavioral weight loss strategies may also be beneficial in some patients.” Anorexia nervosa can also be similarly debilitating.

Understanding Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is also one of the most common eating disorders. According to the peer-reviewed thesis Anorexia Nervosa, by Doctors Moore and Bokor, “Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder defined by restriction of energy intake relative to requirements, leading to a significantly low body weight. Patients will have an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image with the inability to recognize the seriousness of their significantly low body weight.” Also, “[The] lifetime prevalence is 0.3% to 1% (European studies have demonstrated a prevalence of 2% to 4%), irrespective of culture, ethnicity, and race.”

Many professionals have differing views on what causes anorexia nervosa. According to the British Medical Journal (BMJ), “Anorexia has no single cause. It seems that a genetic predisposition is necessary but not sufficient for the development of the disorder. Twin and family studies, brain scans of affected and unaffected family members, and a current multicentre gene analysis support observations that anorexia is found in families with obsessive, perfectionist, and competitive traits, and possibly also autistic spectrum traits.” There are also some less common eating disorders like avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, other specified feeding and eating disorders, pica, and rumination disorder.

Understanding Less Common Eating Disorders

Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder is currently being discussed as a newer diagnosis. According to the peer-reviewed journal Current Psychiatry Reports, “DSM-5 defined Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) as a failure to meet nutritional needs leading to low weight, nutritional deficiency, dependence on supplemental feedings, and/or psychosocial impairment…. [I]ndividuals with sensory sensitivity may avoid eating specific foods – often meats, vegetables, and/or fruits – due to aversions to specific tastes, textures, or smells. Others with ARFID may restrict the amount they eat due to lack of interest in eating or low appetite.” Pica is also a less common eating disorder.

Now, pica is generally seen in children, but it can cross over into adulthood. According to the Journal of International Society of Preventive & Community Dentistry, “The act or habit of eating things that are not food is called pica in medical and psychological textbooks. For children, who learn about the world by putting things into their mouths, pica is really fairly common. Unfortunately, some children do not have breakfast at home and they eat paper and other items just because they are hungry and need to survive.”

Overexercise or “exercise addiction,” is also often associated with eating disorders and disordered eating. According to the peer-reviewed journal, Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, “Exercise addiction (EA) is a dysfunctional behavior characterized by exaggerated training, loss of control over exercise behavior, and negative life consequences that could be physical, psychological or social, or a combination of the three. Research interest in EA is continuously growing…. However, despite its known dysfunctional characteristics, EA is still not recognized as a distinct category of psychiatric morbidity in the clinical reference manual, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.”

The Signs and Symptoms of Eating Disorders

While there are many different types of eating disorders and disordered eating, many of them share universal characteristics. Of course, these signs and symptoms are going to depend on the individual, but the following are some of the more common characteristics:

• Experiencing physical ailments such as headaches, body aches, and gastrointestinal problems
• Feeling anxious, nervous, or overly “stressed out”
• Having feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and helplessness
• Not being able to stop once starting eating
• Eating to the point of feeling ill
• Having trouble with sleep cycles, including sleeping too much and not sleeping enough (hypersomnia and insomnia)
• Losing interest in activities once enjoyed
• Isolating away from family and close friends
• Experiencing trouble at work or school
• Loss of appetite and a lack of care regarding physical appearance and wellbeing
• Exhibiting excessive mood swings
• Causing harm to oneself or others
• Having suicidal ideations

Now, many people can minimize eating disorders or disordered eating, or falsely categorize them as that previously mentioned “choice.” However, as one can see, these signs and symptoms are significant and can be deadly. This is why reaching out for professional help as soon as possible is vital. Doing so could mean the difference between short-term side effects and long-term consequences.

Understanding the Multi-Angled Approach: Healing at the Cellular Level

The multi-angled approach is not too complicated. A key is to utilize as many means, methods, and modalities that are available to help one heal at the cellular level. But, what does it mean to heal at the cellular level?

Healing at the cellular level is all about healing the entirety of the capital “S” Self. It means healing physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Yet, many recovery centers overlook this essential multi-angled approach. 

The reality is that the recovery realm is now a multi-billion-dollar industry. While this can be positive in that it may make treatment more available to more people, it can also have negative prospects. The primary one is that there are more “bad actor” recovery centers looking to cash in on the pain of others. These are recovery centers that are putting their financial bottom line over the needs of their clients. Also, these are the same recovery centers that avoid individualized and comprehensive care.

The Multi-Angled Approach: The Importance of Individualized and Comprehensive Care

Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we know that overarching, “one-note” recovery plans rarely work. They don’t treat the individual and often only focus on the diagnosis that is on a chart. This misses critical personal moments and details that are needed to heal at the cellular level.

At Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we focus on personalized and comprehensive recovery care from the very start. This includes a comprehensive intake process that focuses on one’s background, biology and genetics, family and work dynamics, and goals for the future. We also come up with a multi-angled approach that is going to address all of our client’s individual needs. This includes getting to the root/core causes of one’s eating disorder and/or disordered eating.

The Multi-Angled Approach: Getting to the Root/Core Causes of Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating

Many people don’t realize that eating disorders are not surface level. They are often related to underlying issues. In other words, eating disorders are less about the food and more about how one feels about engaging with food.

Getting to the underlying root/core causes is crucial for healing at the cellular level. Also, many people are unaware that they are even struggling with underlying issues until they begin to treat their eating disorder and/or disordered eating. Often these underlying issues are related to trauma or post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), which are often best treated with various psychotherapies.

The Multi-Angled Approach: Understanding Psychotherapies

Psychotherapy is an ideal way to treat eating disorders because it can help an individual see the way that they have been using food and eating behaviors as coping mechanisms. Two of the most effective psychotherapies are cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

CBT treats a spectrum of addiction and mental illness issues (including eating disorders and disordered eating). According to the peer-reviewed thesis Cognitive Behavior Therapy, by Doctors Chand, Kuckel, and Huecker, “[CBT] has been extensively researched and found to be effective in a large number of outcome studies for some psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse, and personality disorders. It also has been demonstrated to be effective as an adjunctive treatment to medication for serious mental disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.” Experiential therapies are also highly effective for treating eating disorders.

The Multi-Angled Approach: Understanding Experiential Therapies

Much as its name implies, experiential therapy is more about positive experiences than it is about deep discussion (though that can be a vital part). There are also many experiential therapies, including horticulture and surf therapy.

Surf therapy offers a myriad of benefits for recovering at the cellular level. According to the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Psychology, “One environmental context that has received less attention is water-based physical activity, with researchers suggesting that swimming and other water-based activities (e.g., kayaking, surfing) may provide superior benefits for the promotion of human well-being due to greater affordances. These activities have heightened the psychological benefits (e.g., reduced anxiety, depression, and perceived stress, increased positive affect, and increased quality of life) associated with exercise and nature among US war veterans. Further, there is increasing evidence suggesting that participation in action and adventure sports, such as surfing, is meaningful and life-enhancing.”

The benefits of horticulture therapy are equally vast and varied. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “People’s interactions with plants, through goal-orientated horticultural activities in the form of active gardening, as well as the passive appreciation of nature, could be therapeutic to people with mental disorders in many ways. First, horticulture could have emotional benefits, such as reducing stress, reducing psychiatric symptoms, stabilizing mood, and increasing the sense of tranquility, spirituality, and enjoyment. Second, it could help people to reduce fatigue and restore attention and cognitive ability.” 

There are also many other types of recovery methods, including holistic healing modalities like yoga and meditation. The key is to find what works and stick to it.

Healing at the Cellular Level With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab

Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we believe in long-term success over short-term “fixes.” This is why we always employ the multi-angled approach for all of our clients, including those recovering from eating disorders and disordered eating.

Recovery is waiting. The key is to go out there and get it.

Many people don’t know the importance of comprehensive care for those struggling with eating disorders and disordered eating. It is also important to understand the “multi-angled” approach and how it is significantly more effective than a single-modality approach. It utilizes multiple means, methods, and modalities to help one heal from eating disorders at the cellular level. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or both, we can help get you on the positive path toward long-term recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this process alone. For more information about the multi-angled approach, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab today at (808) 775-0200.