Sometimes the pain gets our attention (e.g., sore neck and shoulders) and sometimes it stops us in our tracks, makes us get into bed and slow down. Consider doing a meditation where you ask your body what it wants you to know. This is where you will be tapping into you innate wisdom, letting your body lead you. Sometimes, there are no answers at first, because we don’t know how to “hear” them, to sense them. After awhile, they start to come. It may be a feeling or a flash of a thought.

Also, you asked about getting tests. I do think they can be helpful. Great Smokies Labs have blood, urine and stool tests that can tell you all about what’s happening in your body. Digestion, vitamin & mineral shortages, parasites, Candida, etc. I found it very enlightening.

Finally, there is a lot in the BED, so it can be overwhelming to try to do it all at once. If you do just one thing, that is a step in the right direction. It may be that you pick one grain from BED (quinoa, buckwheat, millet or amaranth), soak it for 8-24 hours before cooking. Try subsituting wheat products or rice with this grain for a day or two. And really pay attention to how you feel. If that feels good, try something else over time. That’s all it takes. Do it at your own pace — and really listen to your body. Your body knows what you need — for food, rest, self-love, etc.

Take good care of yourself!

With love,
Heather

I imagine that eventually, the medical profession will catch up regarding the physiological causes of eating disorders, but until then, it’s important for all of us to be leaders in our own health. The fact that you are continuing to look for answers tells me so much about your strength.

I also understand what you mean about having a physiological problem and then having it affect your mind. I know this happened for me as well. I do have some recommendations, that might be useful.

1. Given that our minds & bodies are connected (by the vagus nerve, the brain in our head and “gut brain” or “second brain” in the Enteric Nervous System) – this means that whatever happens in our bodies affects our brains and vice versa. Any healing we do must happen both in our minds and in our bodies. For your mind, consider any uplifting & inspiriring reading, workshops, coaching, support groups — anything that helps your mind. For me, it was Eckhart Tolle’s work. I also love Wayne Dyer, listening to Hay House Radio (hayhouseradio.com), getting coaching to learn how to use my mind to serve me better and attending seminars at places like Omega Institute (eomega.org).

2. Heal the body – there are two parts to this:
a) A healing diet – The Body Ecology Diet, by Donna Gates worked miracles for me. So much that I went to her Certified Body Ecologist training so that I could help others with the diet. This diet will not only support your food allergies, but it also works to repair your body and replace the vitamins that no supplement can help. If your body can’t absorb vitamins from food, it may not even be able to absorb the vitamins from supplements.

b) Movement & Bodywork – yoga, pilates, Nia — anything that puts you more in touch with yourself and allows a feeling of self-love is wonderful. Bodywork – pick whatever appeals to you – massage, Alexander Techique, Somatics, Thai yoga massage, reflexology, etc. I liked yoga, the Alexander Technique & chiropractic – they helped me understand how to improve my posture and alignment, giving me more body awareness. I even took a belly dancing class so I could learn a very different way of moving my body, along with a celebration of bellies of all sizes.

After what I learned at the Body Ecology Diet training, I am convinced that we can heal ourselves through food — as long as it is supported by our minds & spirits. Each one affects the other.

e-mail me if you want to set up a free coaching session. And watch this weekend for the application I am posting for my free coaching group (weekly, by phone). I will be selecting 6 – 8 people for a free coaching group where we will take a step-by-step mind,body and spirit approach to recovery.

With love,
Heather

Lack of microflora/good bacteria also means that you may have leaky gut, making foods like wheat, milk and corn difficult to digest. So you have a bit of a catch 22 — you want the sugary stuff and processed foods badly, but once they are in your system, you may not feel so well. This could have happened before the bulimia, from years of yo-yo dieting and all the diet fads we all went through — or it can happen afterwards, as a result of bulimia.

On top of that, our colon’s health is responsible for 80% of our immunity…this means that if your digestive system is shot, your immunity is lowered. Food allergies that were once not present, may start to crop up. Some people find they get sick more easily. With all of that going on, the bad bacteria start to eat up the B vitamins in your system, like B3, folate and B12. Deficiencies in these vitamins can cause depression, mood swings and other issues. Now the mental state spirals downward in the vicious cycle.

You enter into a dilemma with conventional treatment, because most doctors are not trained on how the digestive system works. Nutritionists/Dietitians are not trained in this either, however, I have found that they seem more interested in learning about it. You might consider contacting the nutritionist prior to treatment — or once you get there. Bring the BED book with you and see if the nutritionist can support you in implementing some of the principles. Maybe the ones that are easiest to implement while in treatment.

Also, how long are you in treatment? One way to look at it is, say you are there for a month – three months. Get the therapy and break the binge-purge cycle while there. Just being there means you will break the cycle for a period of time, hopefully setting up new coping skills and behaviors. When you return home, plan to get the foods you need for the BED. It might be easier to stick to it when you’ve already broken the BEHAVIOR of b/p. Then the foods can support you into rebuilding a healthy inner ecosystem.

It might just be a perspective thing — you KNOW the body ecology diet works best for you, yet you are not really following it right now anyway. Maybe treatment is an opportunity for you to work on the mind-spirit aspect of healing, while giving your body a rest from the exhaustion of b/p. Then you have renewed energy to return home and build up your healthy microflora, your minerals, your B vitamins, etc. What do you think?

I honestly don’t think there is a way to separate the mind-body aspect of ED. Trust & accept yourself — and your body. Start there, regardless of what’s going on in your life currently. From that place of trust, you can heal. Allow the treatment to feed your mind and rest your body, then come back and feed your body in a way that heals you. It’s all just steps in a process — and it sounds to me like you are moving in the right direction.

Let me know when you return and perhaps we can discuss a plan for getting started successfully on BED? I support you in this process and send you my love & positive energy for your recovery!

With love,
Heather

Thanks for some excellent food for thought! I started writing a comment here, but it got so lengthy that I ended up making a post on my own blog out of it. If you’d like, you can read it on nourishyoursoul.blogspot.com.

with love,
Emily

First, I just wanted to say I love reading your blog. You’re so insightful and knowledgeable.

Second, I am struggling with the exact same thoughts and feelings on the subject. I am so confused about what to do.

I will give you a brief overview of my situation and hope you can maybe give me some advice.

I am 28 yrs old. I have been struggling with eating disorders for about 12 yrs. I started out restricting and yo-yo dieting for years. I have now been a bulimic for six years. I binge and purge between 2 and three times a day. I am so confused about it all. I binge for so many reasons I can’t even differentiate it sometimes. I do know though that a lot of times it is because the food I eat doesn’t agree with me. Wheat, sugar and milk products are the triggers. They make me feel horrible. Physically and emotionally. And yet I love them and can’t seem to resist them.
I know I am addicted to sugar. And I just plain love bread and muffins.
I have tried the body ecology diet and after three or four days I bomb. I want to stick with it so bad. I don’t know why I can’t? I feel so great when I do.

My problem is so different now then when i first started the bulimia. I admit at first it was all about weight. But now it seems to be more. Besides for the obvious reasons…Coping mechanism, habit, boredom. It is like my body will only accept the food on the body ecology diet. And I know this in my heart. But my psychologist says it is in my head. Or that it will go away when my body gets used to having food in it. Well I can’t make it through the month or whatever it takes. I feel so horrible and can barely function.

I am sorry This is so long… My original question is this.. in over a week I’m going to go to an eating disorder clinic.. They have told me I will have to eat what is on the menu. Wheat, sugar etc. I don’t know how I can get well eating that stuff. My digestion is screwed. But I do need the therapy part I guess.. Although when I am avoiding that stuff I feel great, I know I do have an eating disorder. But I don’t feel so obsessed about weight like I used to. I have gained a bit of weight and feel ok. But the feeling of those certain foods in my stomach is more than I can bear. I just don’t know if it is me talking or the eating disorder anymore. I am so sick of living with it. I am really ready to get well. No matter what it takes.

What do you think I should do?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Tessa