Alternative Medicines That Treat Bulimia

Bulimia is an eating disorder that is characterized by periods of bingeing and purging to avoid gaining weight. Purging can be done with self-induced vomiting or by exercising to the point of exhaustion. The condition becomes life threatening if it is not treated effectively. Alternative medicine may be able to help with bulimia along with traditional approaches to mental illness.

Multiple Approaches

• Your treatment for bulimia can have multiple levels. Psychological counseling along with dietary changes are both needed to treat a complex disorder like an eating disorder. Start with your primary care doctor to discuss all of your options for the treatment of bulimia nervosa.

  Mental health providers are needed to work on the psychological problem of bulimia, but the disorder also causes health issues. Deteriorating health and malnutrition is likely to occur with an eating disorder.

Supplementation

• Vitamin supplements are used to treat bulimia and other eating disorders. The illness causes severe deficiencies in vitamins and minerals, which eventually lead to other health concerns. A multivitamin will ensure that you are getting what you need during your bulimia treatment.

  Osteoporosis or thinning of the bones is a common occurrence in eating disorder patients and calcium supplementation is usually prescribed. Discuss vitamin K2 with your nutritionist to prevent bone loss as well. You will have to obtain this supplement from your doctor because it is not available over-the-counter.

  Visit with a nutritionist to explore all of the options available for treating bulimia.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• Psychological therapy is a major part of the treatment of bulimia. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a long process that will get at the root of irrational thoughts. This type of psychotherapy treats poor body image and body dissatisfaction. The body image that anorexic or bulimic patients have is not usually rooted in reality. Cognitive behavioral therapy may be able to help recognize these issues and develop a more realistic image of yourself.

  Gaining weight and recovery from an eating disorder does not mean that a patient has a positive body image. The struggle to avoid falling into poor eating patterns again exists as long as you continue to view your body in a negative way. Even if eating habits improve and the cycle of bingeing and purging stop, you should continue cognitive behavior therapy to work on this negative image.

  The process can be long and difficult with this type of psychological therapy. You will begin your treatment with an assessment of how your negative body image began. Your cognitive behavioral therapist may also ask you to keep a journal of your experiences and events surrounding your dissatisfaction with your body image.