Alternative treatments for eating disorders

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511544392.043

41 - Alternative treatments for eating disorders

from Part III - Specific treatments

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 May 2010

Pauline S. Powers ,

Yvonne Bannon and

Adrienne J. Key

Edited by

Peter Tyrer and

Kenneth R. Silk

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Pauline S. Powers: Affiliation:
University of South Florida College ofMedicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine Tampa, FL USA
Yvonne Bannon: Affiliation:
University of South Florida College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine Tampa, FL USA
Adrienne J. Key: Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry St. George's Hospital Medical School Tooting London UK
Peter Tyrer: Affiliation:
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London
Kenneth R. Silk: Affiliation:
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

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Editor's note

This chapter is another illustration for the need for proponents of evidence-based medicine to get over its main message to the wider public. The ability of highly determined and intelligent people to thwart the aims of conventional therapy is very well illustrated in this account. At the same time, there are some useful hints that some of the approaches may be worth investigating further.

Complementary–alternative treatments

Introduction

Both the lay public and identified specialists/practitioners have practised alternative medicine strategies for the treatment of numerous maladies for centuries. Alternative medicinal compounds, a variety of physical treatments, other ‘mind’ based approaches and spiritual/faith healing are all examples. If we use the definition that an alternative or complementary treatment is one that has not been scientifically validated by randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (but see Chapter 7 to show that this is changing), most treatments in use today for eating disorders would be considered complementary or alternative treatments, including weight restoration programmes and individual psychotherapy for adult anorexia nervosa patients. Another paradox of this definition is that some treatments that have been found to be at least marginally effective in randomized controlled trials, have, nonetheless, not found general acceptance. Examples would include cyproheptadine in hospitalized anorexia nervosa patients (Goldberg et al., 1979) and naltrexone in the outpatient treatment of anorexia or bulimia nervosa (Marrazzi et al., 1995) (see Chapter 37).

Type: Chapter
Information: Cambridge Textbook of Effective Treatments in Psychiatry , pp. 642 - 646

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544392.043 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2008

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