"Eating disorders are among the most chronic and life-threatening psychiatric illnesses, with many affected individuals experiencing fatal outcomes. Recovery is often difficult because patients may fear changes to their bodies, struggle to relinquish control over eating and exercise, and live within a culture that reinforces disordered eating behaviors and unrealistic beauty ideals. As a result, harm reduction has increasingly been discussed as a necessary approach for individuals with long-term, chronic eating disorders."
"In searching for innovative adjuncts to traditional care, some researchers have begun exploring complementary and alternative treatments, including acupuncture. Preliminary evidence suggests that acupuncture may induce a relaxation response that reduces anxiety and mitigates eating disorder symptoms. This emerging evidence led me to take a deeper look at how acupuncture might be integrated into care for individuals with persistent eating disorders."
Eating disorders are frequently chronic and life-threatening, with recovery complicated by fears about body change, control over eating and exercise, and cultural pressures that reinforce disordered behaviors and unrealistic beauty ideals. Harm reduction is increasingly considered for long-term cases, prioritizing medical stability and improved quality of life over full recovery in some situations. Complementary and alternative treatments, including acupuncture, have been investigated as adjuncts to traditional care. Preliminary evidence indicates acupuncture may trigger a relaxation and endorphin response that reduces anxiety and mitigates eating-disorder symptoms. Acupuncture should supplement, not replace, medical, nutritional, and psychological treatments.
Read at Psychology Today
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