Eating Disorders

See also “Overeating” and “Obesity”

NOTE: The Ayurvedic recommendations in this and related sections can help you deal with eating disorders, but to fully heal them you may also require psychiatric counseling.

KINDS OF EATING DISORDERS

BULIMIA AND BINGE EATING. Almost everyone does some extra munching now and then. But if you often continue eating even though you are full, you might be a victim of binge eating disorder or bulimia.

Individuals with bulimia eat to excess and then induce vomiting to avoid gaining weight, while those with binge eating disorder overeat but don’t induce vomiting. Binge eating may lead to obesity, and bulimia may lead to metabolic disorders.

OVEREATING. Overeating of all kinds is most often the result of psychological and emotional factors, such as low self-esteem, anxiety, grief, and sadness. To compensate for those emotions, people go on eating.

ANOREXIA. Anorexia nervosa is a serious problem, usually among young women who have a fear of being fat and purposefully starve themselves. The root cause of anorexia is often depression.

SUGGESTED REMEDIES

Here are some brief suggestions to help you deal effectively with these eating disorders. For more complete treatments, please see “Overeating” and “Obesity.”

FOLLOW A LOW-FAT DIET. Avoid fatty fried food, cheese, yogurt, excess carbohydrates, ice cream. These kapha-inducing substances lead to weight gain and possibly to obesity.

EAT HOT SPICY FOOD. When cooking, add garam masala, chili pepper, cayenne pepper, curry pepper, turmeric, cumin, and the like to your food. These spices will burn the ama that causes overeating.

EAT TWO OR THREE MEALS A DAY. That’s all. Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but skip between-meal snacking. While eating, play some soft, gentle music such as classical Indian music; choose a gentle, loving raga. Don’t listen to jazz or rock; that loud music will overstimulate the system and cause you to eat more.

LICORICE. Whenever you desire to munch, eat licorice candy, which is a mild diuretic that acts to reduce kapha. Or eat a handful of raisins.

HERBAL TEA. To help heal the emotional factor in all eating disorders, drink herbal tea. Excellent choices are chamomile, comfrey, brahmi, or jatamamsi. These are good individually, but a tea made from all of these mixed together in equal amounts is especially effective to reduce stress and balance the emotions. Use ½ to 1 teaspoon of herbs steeped in boiling water for 10 minutes.

NOTE: If there is depression, jatamamsi or brahmi tea will help, but it may also be necessary to see a psychiatrist or other mental health professional.

OIL MASSAGE. Rub some bhringaraj oil on the soles of the feet and on the scalp at night. That will help you relax and sleep. Lightly massaging with a little of the oil in the morning will also help you deal with the stress.

YOGA POSTURES. Good yoga asanas for eating disorders include the Bow, Boat, Peacock, and Rooster poses. The Lion pose is also quite effective for reducing stress (see appendix 4).

BREATHING AND MEDITATION. Ujjayi pranayama and So-Hum meditation will also be helpful (see chapters 6 and 7).