Evidence and potential mechanisms for mindfulness practices and energy psychology for obesity...

Obesity is a growing epidemic. Chronic stress produces endocrine and immune factors that are contributors to obesity's etiology. These biochemicals also can affect appetite and eating behaviors that can lead to binge-eating disorder. The inadequacies of standard care and the problem of patient noncompliance have inspired a search for alternative treatments. Proposals in the literature have called for combination therapies involving behavioral or new biological therapies. This manuscript suggests that mind-body interventions would be ideal for such combinations. Two mind-body modalities, energy psychology and mindfulness meditation, are reviewed for their potential in treating weight loss, stress, and behavior modification related to binge-eating disorder. Whereas mindfulness meditation and practices show more compelling evidence, energy psychology, in the infancy stages of elucidation, exhibits initially promising outcomes but requires further evidence-based trials.

Explore (NY). 2012 Sep;8(5):271-6. Sojcher R, Gould Fogerite S, Perlman A. Institute for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, School of Health-Related Professions, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ.