Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that act as chemical messengers in the body. Imbalances in neurotransmitters can cause a number of seemingly unrelated disorders, including depression, insomnia, fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease and migraine headaches. They are also responsible for many types of compulsive behaviors such as trichotillomania, binge eating and addictions.
Many people binge on food. While there is yet to be determined a clinical definition of binge eating, it usually involves eating a very large quantity of a certain food in a short period of time along with a feeling of loss of control over eating. In other words, people that binge eat feel that they (1) cannot stop eating, (2) cannot control what they are eating and (3) cannot control how much they are eating. This often leads to tremendous feelings of guilt, depression, anxiety, self-loathing, dejection and despondency.
The good news is that the root cause of binging behavior can be corrected in most cases. But before we get into the solution, we need to determine the exact problem. Part 2 in this three part series will do just that.