Did you know that around 30 million people in America have suffered from an eating disorder at some point in their life? While eating disorders are typically associated with young women and teenage girls, they actually affect people at a variety of ages, including men. The most common types of eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder or compulsive eating.
Treating eating disorders
Eating disorders are complex conditions, often with deep psychological roots. This makes them particularly difficult to treat. Since people with eating disorders often hide their disordered eating habits, they can also be difficult to diagnose, particularly since people experiencing them can be a healthy weight as well as either under or overweight.
Severe cases may also require hospitalization and inpatient treatment, particularly when it comes to anorexia. Hospitalized anorexia patients can be made to gain weight through an IV or feeding tube, but this will not treat the root of their condition, meaning they will most likely return to their old behaviors once discharged. This is why eating disorders usually also require psychological treatment, such as counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy.
How can CBD help manage eating disorders?
It’s important that you seek the help that you need when suffering from an eating disorder, but there are also certain things you can try to supplement this professional treatment, such as CBD.
CBD for anxiety reduction
Anxiety is at the heart of many people’s eating disorders. Anxiety about their body image, fitting into society, and a variety of other personal factors. Those with anorexia, for example, are often too anxious to eat because they are afraid of the consequences that they perceive from eating and gaining weight.
CBD oil and other CBD products can help to reduce and manage symptoms of anxiety, which may be linked to their disorder. Where patients may usually take anti-anxiety medication, CBD can offer a more natural alternative without the side effects. Certain anti-anxiety medications may even produce side effects that are particularly undesirable for treating eating disorders, such as an upset stomach or loss of appetite.
CBD for increased or regulated appetite
Once someone has begun to overcome the psychological barriers that make them want to stop eating or purging after eating, they may still be facing physical barriers such as a lack of appetite. CBD can help to increase appetite, although not in the same way as marijuana, encouraging anorexic patients to eat. It can also help to calm an upset stomach and relieve nausea, removing more barriers to eating sufficiently.
Find out how CBD oil and other products can benefit you. Browse the range of high-quality, full-spectrum CBD products available in our online store.