Complementary and alternative medical treatments for anorexia nervosa: case report and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE

To report the case of a 38-year-old woman with anorexia nervosa (AN) who chose to use an alternative (Zen) therapy instead of conventional treatment and to review the literature on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for AN.

METHOD

Case report and review of the literature using PubMed.

RESULTS

A 38-year old South East Asian woman with a 5-year history of AN restrictive subtype was admitted to the eating disorders unit. During her admission, she received medical, psychological, nutritional, occupational, recreational and nursing therapy. In addition, she studied a manual on Zen therapy recommended and supervised by staff on the ward. On discharge, she chose to use Zen therapy as her sole treatment and declined further conventional treatment. A PubMed search of CAM treatment and AN yielded 18 articles, most of which were case reports.

DISCUSSION

The use of CAM is reported with increased frequency for a variety of medical problems. In addition, acceptability of certain types of CAM may vary according to ethnicity or culture. Randomized controlled trials of CAM for the treatment of AN are needed to determine effectiveness.