Do you feel the need to exercise excessively after a meal? Do you try to induce puking after eating? Do you put too much importance into a slim figure? Do you find yourself fat despite having a low BMI? BMI is a Body Mass Index. This is an appropriate weight with regards to age, height, and gender. You may be suffering from an eating disorder or more aptly, anorexia nervosa.
This is a psychological eating disorder that may turn fatal if left unattended. It is characterized by an extremely low BMI, fear of weight gain and distorted body image. There are two forms of anorexia.
The first being binge/purge type. In this case, the patient overeats then goes to extreme measures to punish themselves for putting the forbidden in the mouth. This is done by too much exercise, vomiting and even chronic use of laxatives. The second type is restrictive, this is all about self-starvation and allowing fewer calories than appropriate. This leads to an almost malnourished state due to under provision of nutrients.
One of the biggest factors leading to development of anorexia is environmental. This is all about media and peer pressure. It is about bending to society’s expectations only to have the brain go too far in that adherence. It can also be brought on by trauma.
The mind has strange ways of trying to cope with the stress of adjusting after a traumatic event. Developing an eating disorder could be one of them, anorexia could also be brought on by biological factors like hormonal imbalance.
CBD Efficacy Against Anorexia
30 women were tested using a Positron Emission Tomography scan. The aim was to find out if there was any relation between an eating disorder and the endocannabinoid system. It was important to uncover this because then the ECS could be used as a therapeutic avenue.
It was found that a section of neurotransmitters were unusually inactive in anorexic women. This was compared to tests from women of the same age but without the condition. It was concluded that the endocannabinoid system had a role in the development of anorexia. It is therefore prudent to say that cannabinoids can be effective therapeutic agents.
This alternative would be devoid of harsh side effects and would therefore be better suited than the run of the mill therapies.
Better Utilization of Food
When food is ingested, it is broken down into elements, which are then processed by insulin. The insulin turns these elements into fat. However, when CBD is in the field insulin is only produced in small quantities.
This leaves the glucose manufactured available for use as energy. The result is a better way to expend of the food. You will enjoy a toned body within no time due to the energy you have to work out and lack of body fat.
Enjoy Food More
The insula is a part of the brain responsible for food pleasure and obsession. This part will be the basis for determination of repetition or cessation. If this part is not properly regulated, one will develop eating disorders like anorexia because they do not look at food as the pleasurable item that it is. Food is deemed an enemy. This part integrates taste with the emotional response to food. Cannabinoid receptors are instrumental in restoring proper function of the insula.
If you enjoy food more, you will eat more with less guilt. You will also allow yourself a healthy amount of calories. You will be less likely to develop a desire to expend the food immediately after ingesting.
Depression and Anxiety
Developing an eating disorder is very much a mental issue. The problem develops from the brain before it manifests itself in physical symptoms. It would be prudent to address the physiology as a way to combat. The University of Maryland conducted a study that found that 20% of anorexics have attempted suicide.
Depression has one feeling hopeless and in dire need of solid ground to step on. Controlling the weight ends up becoming the one thing that you have a handle on. That gets out of hand very fast as it soon becomes obsessive and unhealthy.
Depression can also be brought on by social pressure. You struggle so much to be like other people who seem better in your eyes. You develop self-loathing and a strong desire to change yourself.
By increasing anandamide, serotonin and GABA action, CBD lets you experience a temporary period of clear headedness and bliss. A period during which you are able to take stock of your actions as an anorexic, a period during which you can intelligently resolve to try to do better at controlling your eating disorder. That period can also be when you gain a clear picture of your situation and realize that you need help from a professional. That moment of bliss allows you room to seek that help.
The same moment of bliss will be instrumental in helping you realize that there could be toxic forces in your life. If the anorexia is brought on by social pressure then you will be better equipped to weed out the chaff and leave a clean slate of good and supportive people.
Through the same processes, CBD allows you to get a handle on anxiety. An anorexic person has a diminished sense of self worth. They feel they are not good enough. It provides you with a sense of well being and calm. A sense that you are just fine as you are.
After CBD has helped you glide through the first social engagement, the following engagements get easier as you gradually realize that no one has a problem with your body but you.
Address the Side Effects
Depriving the body of nutrients and inducing vomiting or using laxatives unnecessarily will be harsh. It will cause injury to the physiology. Injury that you must start to recover from once the hard part is done. Such effects could be low blood sugar for example.
Luckily, the sugar processes are regulated through the endocannabinoid system. CBD can therefore be used to restore this if it does not bounce back on its own.
Another dangerous one is bone mass. With low bone mass, you are prone to fractures and breaks. You need to have strong enough bones to hold your height and weight. If you deprive the body of food, the bones will suffer and thin out with time. CBD helps prevent bone resorption and contributes to healthy bone formation.
Kidney and liver damage are also prevalent. These are involved in the digestive and excretion process. By denying the body the necessary fuel, you force the system to work at full capacity with half the push. The strain affects capability of the organs over time.
However, if caught before escalation the problem can be reversed and function restored. The endocannabinoid system can return this system back to normal after things have normalized but CBD would be a good way to ensure the process has been started.
Many things in the body are reliant on the foods we eat. This includes hair. If the body is not getting a supply of nutrients, hair will start to thin out and skin will pale. Thick and a healthy complexion come with good nutrition. Not feeding your body enough calories or forcing the food out before it has been absorbed is taking away from the agents that promote these aesthetic parts.
Start With Inhalation
Asking an anorexic person to deliver medication into their system through edibles is just plain stupid. Therefore, an anorexic person should begin their CBD regimen with inhalation. This could be vaping or dabbing. This would deliver a high bioavailability fast. It will also pave the way for orals when there is a better handle on the condition. The second product to try could be a sublingual one like a tincture or oil. This way, you have an alternative when the inhaled product is unavailable say at work or away from home at a conservative location.
