Many people are overweight because they eat excessively as an emotional crutch for something missing in their life. There are countless stories of people when dealing with the stress of daily life turning to food as a way to comfort them. They do this as opposed to turning to other individuals or inwards to a solid self-image to assuage their anxieties.

For example, a woman that I know who went through a divorce three years ago put on a tremendous amount of weight after the divorce and she openly admits that she turns to food as a way to comfort herself. Food never judges you nor does it reject you. It is always there as a way to satiate a need that has to be filled somehow. However, emotional eating is an unhealthy way of dealing with the problems of life.

Being overweight or obese because of emotional eating is a much more difficult problem to conquer than simply being overweight because you are eating the wrong types of food. Emotional eating needs to be dealt with by a professional who can uncover the emotional triggers that cause you to eat in this manner. Without an understanding of the underlying emotional issues an emotional eater will find losing weight a difficult process.

Many people deal with the stress of life in healthy ways such as exercise and socializing with friends who are capable of rationally talking them through their problems. Other healthy ways of dealing with stress are seeing a counselor, confiding with a pastor or religious leader, or even joining a self-help group to openly discuss emotional problems that are causing you distress.

If you know that you are one of the people who eat when under stress you need to get a handle on your emotional issues first before you can solve the issue of weight loss. People who eat emotionally are the least likely to adhere to a solid plan of diet and exercise. They are likely to jump ship on their program as soon as something stressful enters their life. Since stress is such an inherent part of current life this means that these individuals will likely fail at weight loss until they can pinpoint the reason why they eat excessively.



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Being thin is considered "beautiful" in most societies, which is unfortunate and part of the reason so many women become anorexic. Of course, anorexia can affect both women and men, but mostly women are affected. The media is partially responsible as well simply because only super thin women appear in advertisements. As a result, women frequently feel like they must look as thin as the women in advertisements who have frequently been airbrushed to appear "perfect."

The problem is that being super thin is not what the body was meant to be. Most women cannot possibly become this thin due to their genetics and biology. The problem is that women desire to have one shape while their body is a different shape. This can create serious psychological problems and other problems like anorexia. Certain industries such as acting, modeling, gymnastics, wrestling, figure skating, running, and others put serious stress on individuals to be thing and strong. It's no wonder so many individuals become anorexic as a result.

There are psychological issues that may play a role in anorexia as well. That includes poor body image, low self esteem, depression, perfectionism, physical abuse, need for control, ineffectiveness, avoidance of conflict, sexual abuse, rigid thought patterns, and the like.

The family environment may also play a role in anorexia. For example, families who are extremely rigid, overprotective, or don't allow individuals to have their own space are more likely to suffer from anorexia. In these instances young girls, or even young boys, may become anorexic in order to have control in some area of their life and exert their independence. Similarly, families where physical or sexual abuse occur or families who openly criticize a child's shape or weight may find the child exerts their self control through anorexia.

There appears to be a genetic role in anorexia as well. In fact, individuals whose relatives have been anorexic are eight times more likely to develop this disorder. There is no exact genetic factor that plays into the disorder; however it appears that there is one.

Anorexia causes are very varied and each person affected has very personal reasons. That's why there is no one way to protect women, or even men, from becoming anorexic. The best thing to do is to be supportive and everyone, no matter their weight. When someone exercises too much or diets too much they should not be commended on this behavior but rather talked to about why they feel they must be a certain size. Psychological reasons frequently come into play with anorexia and they are important to address.




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Anorexia has many emotional and physical side effects, and as devastating as these are, the good news is that this condition is treatable. When anorexics have a team to support them and help them through the process then they will get better, it's just a matter of time. Anorexics can use an recovery eating plan to help them learn how to eat properly again, they can recover their health, and develop new attitudes about their bodies and food that are healthy and normal.

Anorexia is an illness that not only affects the body, it also affects the mind. Individual's behaviors and attitudes are affected by this condition and it is difficult to recover without the help of a team of health professionals including dieticians, medical doctors, and mental health professionals. Individuals with anorexia also need the support of their family and friends to help them recover. This is very important and friends and family members should take this role very seriously.

There are components of treating anorexia and a simple anorexia recovery diet plan is not all that is needed. Also, patients will need to regain a healthy weight and have their psychological issues addressed. They will also need to learn to eliminate thoughts and behaviors that lead to starving, purging, and exercising to extremes. This is important in order to prevent a relapse.

If you have anorexia and want help them visit your doctor first. A complete physical exam will be conducted including an assessment of mental state, eating patterns, symptoms, and overall physical health. Doctors will also make sure there are no other health problems that could be causing the weight loss. Once a diagnosis has been reached the doctor will work with you to create an anorexic diet eating plan as well as refer you to other doctors that will help you through the process.

Medical treatment for anorexic individuals starts with stabilizing and serious health problems that might exist first. Some individuals will need to be hospitalized for a time in order to stabilize them and prevent them from continuing to starve themselves or even commit suicide. Many anorexics that are dangerously thin will be hospitalized until they gain enough weight to support their body's functions. When no immediate medical problems exist then the individual may be treated as an outpatient.



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Many people suffering from insomnia are dealing with anxiety problems as well. Insomnia is basically the inability to fall asleep or to stay asleep despite having the opportunity to sleep. Insomnia is a resulting symptom of psychiatric disorders like anxiety rather than a diagnosis within itself. There are three stages of insomnia. For example, early insomnia is characterized by an individual trying to fall asleep yet being unable to. Middle insomnia results in individuals waking up multiple times during the night. Late insomnia happens when individuals wake up earlier than planned. AN example of this is when you set your alarm for 8 am and wake up at 5 am, unable to return to sleep.

Anxiety is frequently the cause of early insomnia. There are many causes of anxiety and they vary from individual to individual. For some people anxiety may be caused by loss of a job or a fight with a loved one. The problem with this type of anxiety is that our minds can't let go of the thoughts and go to sleep and rest. For some reason we continue thinking about a particular topic even though doing so won't help or solve the problem neither will it make us feel better. Nevertheless, we continue returning to the thought that causes us anxiety.

Those who experience middle or late insomnia may be able to go to sleep okay but wake up to a flood of thoughts that are filled with anxiety. Many people also have a physiologic response include a heart rate increase and overall a sense of anxiousness.

Some people suffer from this type of insomnia for a period of time while the anxiety causing factor is in their life. However, they eventually resolve the anxiety and get over it. Then, there are other individuals who find they suffer from this type of anxiety for long periods of time and if this is the case then there may be an underlying problem such as depression. If you believe you could be suffering from depression or a mental health problem then you need to seek out care as soon as possible to help you reach a diagnose and receive the treatment you need for your anxiety and insomnia.



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There's always a reason for overeating or people wouldn't do it. The emotional side has been blamed much more often than it deserves. Many diet literature often claim that people commonly overeat because of stress and emotional concerns. This is not true. So if you have labeled yourself an emotional jellyfish, don't lose heart. There are more concrete, normal reasons.

These normal reasons are right in your body, not your mind. They are physical and make good sense once you become aware of them. People who are fat often have emotional problems, but that is because they are human. The problems didn't make them overeat and get fat, their bodies did. Oh, and they helped their poor self along by starving trying in the traditional route to lose weight, but their bodies did the overwhelming bulk of the work.

The body's normal, adaptive response to stress is to avoid food. To understand this fact, here's an illustration. Suppose a vicious dog suddenly darts out of the bushes, right into the path of a lanky young mailman. How will his stomach react? It will become queasy. When a threat presents itself to the normal, thin body, the body automatically prepares itself to flee or fight. The digestive tract shuts down, allowing the blood to circulate where it's needed most - in the muscles for action or in the brain for clear, fast thinking. Decisions have to be made instantly and the body must be prepared to act according to those decisions. Indeed, there's no time to digest lunch!

What about those who are fat and tend to overeat? They often have the opposite reaction when something stressful happens. Why?

Fat people are hungry people. They almost always suffer from an exaggerated, unsatisfied hunger because of their chronic efforts to disregard their appetites. Constantly hungry, overweight people don't suppress their hunger when under stress because of their exaggerated need for food. Their need is physical, not emotional.

When a body has been forced to tolerate hunger, stress plus the availability of food produce a paradoxical effect. Instead of representing an additional stress to the already stress-challenged body, food becomes a stress relief to the hungry fat person. Given a choice, the body will naturally relieve as many stresses possible, eliminating those stresses over which it has some control. A lot of stress that the body encounters cannot be relieved, like, say the three-minute speech which is not actually due for several days. The body must cope with the anxiety of anticipation, and until the speech is given, the anxiety translates to stress.

Hence, emotional and physical stress does not typically cause overeating. Stress normally causes people to avoid eating, and most naturally thin people experience this. Obese people experience the opposite effect. They tend to over eat when they are under stressful situations because food translates to a stress reliever to their bodies. Instead of the usual additive stress effect that it has on the hunger-satisfied thin person, food offers irresistible relief to the over hungry.


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When I was about fourteen years old I thought I was fat. I weighed only 125 pounds at the time. I was a cheer leader, and was popular in my small school. It was the nineteen seventies and looks were becoming a very big issue. Twiggy, and the fashion designers were promoting skinny as the new norm. All of my cheer leader friends had caught on, and the competition to be skinny had begun.

Since sluggish bowel problems ran in our family, we had a lot of laxatives in our medicine cabinet. The addiction began when I would take the laxative occasionally for irregularity. Unlearned about the human anatomy at age fourteen, I began to think that if I took more laxatives I could lose weight. I began to add to the amount of laxatives I was taking gradually, to see if they would help me lose weight. They were very powerful, and I had the results I was looking for very quickly.

I stole laxatives from my grandmother also, and as the years went by I was well on my way to laxative addiction.

By the time I was sixteen, I began eating about one thousand calories a day and exercising vigorously. I was also taking five to six ex-lax tablets a day. I had no idea what kinds of affect this was having on my body. As I look back now, I am sure I was dehydrated most of the time. I probably had anorexia and a form of bulimia back then. These medical terms were not heard of much where I was from.

As I got older, it took more laxatives each day to get the full effect that I was looking for. I really wanted to eat and then get rid of the food with laxatives.

I thought if I ate fewer calories and exercised more and was very thin, I would be more popular.

In this area of my life my parents were totally out of touch. They never asked any questions, and I never offered any information. Constipation was the norm in our family, so it was a known fact that I took laxatives. I believe my parents just thought I looked thin from exercising alot and eating very little.

With all of this exercise and practically starving myself, I weighed about 110 pounds by the time I was sixteen. For my frame that was very skinny. Now I became totally obsessed with exercise and weight loss. Eating only eight hundred calories a day at times. My parents were some what proud that I was thin. Weight problems ran in our family, my mother and her family members were always on a diet of some sort. Honestly I think that is why they just didn't even dream what I was doing to myself.

It wasn't until I graduated from high school and got married that I realized there was something terribly wrong with my taking so many laxatives. I had quit exercising and was eating normally for a change. I began seeing a doctor regularly and I had decided to try to stop taking laxatives. When I told the doctor just how many laxatives that I had been taking per day, he gave me the lecture of a life time! I will never forget it. He told me that I would be lucky to live until I was age fifty. Also that if I did not stop using laxatives, that I would be a good candidate for colon cancer as I grew older. Now, that put the fear of God into me! He began to try to help me to get off the laxatives, and to retrain my bowels.

That was in the mid nineteen seventies. After that doctor" lecture, I began trying every stool softener, fiber, cereal, juices and everything else any doctor would recommend to take. But,I was hopelessly addicted to laxatives. Nothing else would work.

Over the years I have been treated by many various doctors for my bowels. I've had tests upon tests ran on my colon. I have also been given countless medications, of which, have made me feel very ill, most just have not worked.

Now, in 2009 the doctors have finally concluded that my bowels have no motility left to move the stool through the colon. I currently have chronic and life threatening bowel problems. I am facing permanent disability from these chronic bowel problems. I may have to eventually have a total colectomy (entire removal of the large intestine). I also have acquired pelvic floor dysfunction from the pressure on my pelvic floor caused from the years of laxative abuse. The harsh bowel movements over the years have caused this condition.

Laxative addiction can have harmful affects on other organs also, such as the kidneys. Mine have become sluggish from abuse of laxatives. Liver and spleen problems also, besides other problems as well.

Now, I am at the point now of never being able to stop taking the very laxatives that are destroying my colon and other organs. The gastroenterologist that I see has decided that I must stay on laxatives for now. Eventually I will most likely need to have my entire colon completely removed, thus, the colectomy.

Laxative addiction causes the muscles in the colon to quit functioning eventually. There is no cure for this. It causes chronic blockages and severe pain. The colon becomes enlarged and inflamed. I always look like I am about eight months pregnant now, no matter what I eat or drink. This is due to the enlarged colon. It is always a chore to have bowel movements also.



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It is important to start by emphasising that there are many factors involved in the development of eating disorders. When a child develops an eating disorder, it is not because their parents have 'done something wrong'. Experts believe some people may have a genetic predisposition which places them at an increased risk of developing an eating disorder. Stressful life events and family difficulties are often factors, along with low self-esteem and some personality factors. Although dieting is also a risk factor, most dieters do not develop an eating disorder, so other factors must be involved. Equally, there is continuing debate about the role of socio-cultural factors such as media pressure to conform to an unrealistic body shape.

However, there are some steps which a family can take to reduce the risk and ensure that if there are problems, they are identified early.

There first thing is simply to eat together as a family, as often as you can. This can be difficult to manage with the pressures and schedules of our everyday lives. Eating disorders typically develop at a time when teenagers are becoming more independent and this independence often includes their eating habits. Teenagers may eat with friends more often and snack on their own at times which suit them. It is only by ensuring that you do eat together as a family on a regular basis that you will be able to identify any changes and problems.

Eating disorders often start to develop during puberty, which can be a very traumatic for the young person. They will be looking for positive role models in the people around them. If you share family meals with your children, enjoying a wide range of food, you will help them to maintain a positive relationship with food. While many of us watch what we eat to guard against middle-aged weight gain, try not to allow these concerns to dominate mealtimes.

Allowing children to always choose their own meals can encourage restrictive and faddy diets. It is best if you plan meals that all the family will eat rather than make separate meals for each member, perhaps with a choice of vegetables.

Dietitians always advise, there is no such thing as 'bad food' - the key is how much you eat and how often. You can enjoy 'treats' providing your diet contains a range of healthy foods. Banning certain foods is not helpful - it could result in your child craving the banned food and they may develop an emotional relationship with that food.

It is also important to end with a note of context about the prevalence of eating disorders. Anorexia nervosa is fairly rare, especially compared with obesity, affecting around 0.2 to 0.8% of young women. Anorexia typically develops between the ages of 15 and 19 and high risk groups include dancers, models and athletes.

Bulimia nervosa is more common than anorexia nervosa and often begins slightly later in life, affecting between 0.5% and 2% of the general population.



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Stress is one of the main causes of overeating. It immediately turns on that needy part of us that requires immediate comfort, the kind of comfort that only food can provide. Needless to say, unless you learn to deal with stress eating, any hope you have of losing weight or even maintain your current one are doomed to fail.

So, the question is how you can overcome stress eating?

The answer is that since you can't remove stress from your life entirely, unless you plan on moving away to a deserted island, you need to find ways in which you can control it and reduce its effect on your life.

Here are a few tips to help you deal with stress eating in a better way:

1. Get support - I don't mean professional help, but the kind of support that only another person can provide. I realize it may be difficult to share your overeating problems with another person but it can be the best way for you to remove stress from your life in a healthy way.

2. Learn some relaxation techniques like Yoga, deep breathing exercises, and meditation. Taking even a few moments each day to totally relax can have a dramatic effect on how often stress drives you to overeat.

3. Exercise more - Working out is one of the best ways to alleviate stress naturally. Working out makes you feel good and often leads to long hours of relaxation. Also, if you're struggling to lose weight, exercising can provide a great way to accelerate the fat burning process.

I recommend doing all these 3 tips and to begin working hard to reduce stress in your life.




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Bulimia Nervosa, most commonly known as bulimia, is an eating disorder in which an individual engages in recurrent binge eating followed by feelings of depression, guilt, and self-condemnation. An individual who suffer from this type of eating disorder usually purge to compensate for the excessive eating and try to prevent weight gain. Purging can take the form of vomiting, inadequate use of laxatives, enemas or excessive physical exercise. This disease is mainly found in women aged from 16 to 40, but it most commonly starts around the age of 19. However, at times it develops in men and children as well.

In last few years, the ratio of people suffering from Bulimia Nervosa has increased proportionately. In fact, according to recent studies, it is even predicted that the number of people suffering from Bulimia eating disorder is two to three times as much as the number of people currently living with AIDS. Apart from this, it has also been found that Bulimia also affects different organs. The longer an individual suffer from Bulimia the more organs get affected and damaged. The organs that generally suffer are kidney, heart, digestive system, bones, endocrine glands and even brain. Certainly, these are only some alarming indications that clearly point towards the seriousness of Bulimia Nervosa. Thus the simple and best way to prevent from dangerous effects is to treat this eating disorder sooner rather than later.

Different ways to cure Bulimia Nervosa

There are many ways to treat Bulimia. However, looking at the present scenario psychological therapy and nutritional counselling are two most popular ways that are gaining worldwide acceptance. Psychotherapy has really turned out to be effective and long lasting treatment for an eating disorder like Bulimia Nervosa. During this type of treatment, the therapist not only addresses the eating disorder itself but help the sufferer by underlying reasons for why the individual is behaving in this manner. This behaviour is usually caused by psychological, interpersonal, and cultural influences and forces.

Nutritional Therapy is yet another way to treat Bulimia Nervosa. In this type of therapy, dieticians and other health care providers offer information about a healthy diet. At times, they even help in designing a proper eating plan to achieve a healthy weight and healthy-eating habits. Depending upon the chart prepared, the person's progress is monitored such as weekly weighing. Though this type of treatment takes time for curing eating disorder but has gained considerable importance.

The next way of treatment is Group Therapy. As the name suggest, in this type of therapy a sufferer is supposed to get ongoing support and help from other sufferers and a group leader. But this way cannot be very helpful every time. At times, it can truly become harmful to many sufferers. The reason is that in group, patients frequently get worse or connect in more symptoms just to get extra attention from each other or the therapist.

Apart from all this, outpatient therapy is yet another type of therapy where a sufferer is allowed to go home after each session. Today there are many people who are responding to this type of therapy very well. This type of therapy gives them a feeling of security being in a home environment. Though, this type of treatment program largely demands a family care. In this type of treatment, it is important that the family cautiously watch and taka care of the sufferer while he or she is at home and ensure there are no bingeing and purging.

Certainly, with so many types of treatment options and therapies available, an individual can easily cure Bulimia Nervosa. Though for some, the condition become lifelong battle. As a result, it is important for an individual suffering from this type of eating disorder get instant treatment.




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Heartburn happens to a great many of us and more often than we'd like to admit. Finding the elusive cure is paramount when the pain strikes and often it is the natural heartburn cures that are the longest lasting remedies for heartburn no more.

That chocolate bar we used to indulge in has lost its appeal knowing we will have to deal with the consequences afterward. Popcorn and soda pop at the movie theatre are slowly moving toward the "don't" list as well. As we get older, we are finding more and more things we can't enjoy and few ways to naturally assist with symptom relief. With that in mind, below you'll find several options to aid in controlling heartburn naturally. We don't have to let it have control.

Other than the obvious advantages of avoiding foods known to cause heartburn, you'll be happy to know there are other ways to help these symptoms. First of all, you'll want to keep a heartburn diary. Keep track of everything you ingest during the day and the times of each. Watch for your heartburn symptoms and you'll have a closer idea as to what is actually causing the problem. If food doesn't seem to be the main trigger, look at the stress factors in your life. Planning your only daughter's wedding alone? Not making the mortgage payment on time? Getting passed over for a promotion at work over and over again? These too can be triggers of increased acid production in your stomach. Decrease your stress and chances are your stomach will thank you.

If your stress level is fine, you can try 2 or 3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in 8 oz. of water before meals. This is said to raise the pH levels in your stomach, thus reducing the bad acid that causes heartburn symptoms. You might also try different organic herbal teas like chamomile, peppermint, ginger or marshmallow. Organic herbal teas have been said to aid in digestion and heartburn relief.

Baking soda is another way to neutralize the effects of acid in your stomach. A simple teaspoon mixed in a glass of water can ease your pain. Be careful though, as the fizzy concoction may also make you burp and allow the passage of acid into the esophagus causing more pain.

You'll also want to sleep with your head at about a 30 degree angle of the bed. You can do this by using a wedge pillow or placing something under the legs at the head of your bed to elevate it. Lying flat causes the stomach to put unnecessary pressure on the esophageal sphincter, the opening from the esophagus to the stomach, thus creating a passageway for food and acid to go back up instead of staying down. Elevating your head several inches will help fix this problem. Don't forget to eat your last meal 2 to 3 hours prior to sleeping as well. You'll want to fully digest as much as you can before lying down, leaving less stomach content and acid production to disrupt your sleep.

You can visit your local health food store for more suggestions on avoiding and treating heartburn and if it persists or happens more than twice a week, a visit to your primary care providers' office is recommended. Further testing may be required to make sure there are no underlying problems that need to be addressed.There are many natural heartburn cures on the market for you to try, as well as the inexpensive treatments you may find already in your own home suggested here.

There are also excellent natural programs such as 'Heartburn No More.' There is no reason for you to suffer any longer.




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