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41 - Alternative treatments for eating disorders

from Part III - Specific treatments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 May 2010

By
Pauline S. Powers ,
Yvonne Bannon  and
Adrienne J. Key
Edited by
Peter Tyrer  and
Kenneth R. Silk
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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Summary

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
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

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  • Alternative treatments for eating disorders
    • By Pauline S. Powers, University of South Florida College ofMedicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine Tampa, FL USA, Yvonne Bannon, University of South Florida College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine Tampa, FL USA, Adrienne J. Key, Department of Psychiatry St. George's Hospital Medical School Tooting London UK
  • Edited by Peter Tyrer, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, Kenneth R. Silk, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • Book: Cambridge Textbook of Effective Treatments in Psychiatry
  • Online publication: 12 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544392.043
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Alternative treatments for eating disorders
    • By Pauline S. Powers, University of South Florida College ofMedicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine Tampa, FL USA, Yvonne Bannon, University of South Florida College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine Tampa, FL USA, Adrienne J. Key, Department of Psychiatry St. George's Hospital Medical School Tooting London UK
  • Edited by Peter Tyrer, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, Kenneth R. Silk, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • Book: Cambridge Textbook of Effective Treatments in Psychiatry
  • Online publication: 12 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544392.043
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Alternative treatments for eating disorders
    • By Pauline S. Powers, University of South Florida College ofMedicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine Tampa, FL USA, Yvonne Bannon, University of South Florida College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine Tampa, FL USA, Adrienne J. Key, Department of Psychiatry St. George's Hospital Medical School Tooting London UK
  • Edited by Peter Tyrer, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, Kenneth R. Silk, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • Book: Cambridge Textbook of Effective Treatments in Psychiatry
  • Online publication: 12 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511544392.043
Available formats
×