Presenters: Megan Taylor, ND & Sara Hopkins, ND, LAc

Original Date: June 9, 2018

Disordered eating behaviors can have a profound impact on digestive physiology, resulting in changes to motility, anatomy, digestive secretions, immunologic status, and microbial balance. These changes often lead individuals with eating disorders to develop any number of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID), with some studies estimating a 98% prevalence of FGID in patients with an eating disorder (Boyd, et al. 2005). And to make matter more complex, the symptoms of the eating disorder itself can often be indistinguishable from the symptoms of these gastrointestinal disorders, making it difficult for clinicians to identify appropriate treatment strategies. This overlap can present challenges in the setting of a functional GI practice, and poses some difficult questions. How do we appropriately screen for and recognize patients who have eating disorders? How do we ensure that our interventions do not cause harm to these patients? Do we consider dietary modification or other cornerstones of digestive health treatments in this patient population? This presentation will explore these questions, as well as provide useful tools for clinical evaluation, management, and appropriate referrals for patients with disordered eating behavior and diagnosable eating disorders.

1.5 General CEUs approved by OBNM