There Is Treatment
A recent New York Times article on anorexia among older women made a statement that should alarm us all: that “there is no treatment” for anorexia. While it may reflect the limitations of conventional psychiatry, I must be clear—this is not true. There is treatment. But it requires us to expand our lens.
For over 30 years, I’ve treated eating disorders not as disorders of willpower or vanity, but as complex biological illnesses. Anorexia is not a caloric disorder—it’s a nutritional deficiency syndrome. And that distinction is everything.
Mainstream psychiatry has long treated eating disorders as psychological phenomena, often bypassing the glaring biological fact that patients are profoundly malnourished. Anorexia nervosa remains the psychiatric illness with the highest mortality rate, and the current model—focused on food exposure and talk therapy—continues to yield relapse rates approaching 50%.
And yet, we call it “treatment.”
Nutritional Deficiencies and Anorexia Nervosa
What we don’t often do is test for zinc deficiency, investigate amino acid depletion, assess essential fatty acid levels, or address the biological impact of long-term self-starvation on neurotransmitter function and brain health. We don’t ask why food restriction feels emotionally stabilizing to patients. And we rarely talk about the brain’s response to micronutrient deficits as the origin—not just the side effect—of eating disorder behaviors.
Functional psychiatry offers a different path—one that honors both the mind and the body. In my book Answers to Anorexia and through the work we do at Psychiatry Redefined, we outline a comprehensive, science-backed model that includes:
- Root-cause nutrient testing and correction (e.g., zinc, magnesium, amino acids, essential fatty acids)
- Targeted supplementation protocols based on decades of research and clinical evidence
- Integration with psychotherapy and lifestyle support, enhancing its effectiveness
- Understanding anorexia as a “metabo-psychiatric disorder,” as now supported by genetic and metabolic research
This is not a fringe theory. It is the missing piece of the puzzle, long ignored due to outdated paradigms and a lack of nutritional education in psychiatric training. As I often say, “psychotherapy cannot reach a starving brain.” We must first nourish, then nurture.
A New Path Forward for Anorexia Treatment
To those suffering—regardless of age—there is hope. Functional and integrative approaches don’t just manage symptoms; they offer the possibility of full, sustained recovery. At Psychiatry Redefined, we teach clinicians around the world how to bring this model into their practice—because people deserve more than symptom management. They deserve healing.
It’s time to evolve the eating disorder treatment conversation beyond calories and control. Let’s talk about the brain. Let’s talk about nutrients. Let’s talk about treatment that works.
