When food becomes an Addiction

Dr. Reinald Schriiffer, General Practitioner, Wolfratshausen, Germany
Franziska Schriiffer, Systemic Therapist, Wolfratshausen, Germany

Introduction

We are all familiar with alcohol, nicotine, medication and drug addiction and, for many years now, even gaming addiction. To give you an order of magnitude: around a third of Germans are addicted to nicotine/smoking, at least a sixth of the German population are addicted to alcohol and just under a third of young people are addicted to computer games.

Today, experts no longer speak of “addiction” but of “dependence” and emphasize the disease value and the need for treatment. It is not enough to take the “substance” away from the addict. Physical dependence is usually overcome within weeks, psychological dependence often takes years, and is often still underestimated.

The “food addiction” and happiness hormones

Why though does no one talk about “food addiction” or addiction to certain foods? Food manufacturers prefer to talk about “cravings” or “preferences”, as addiction has negative connotations. So, a product is more likely to be “snackable” or “popular”, but definitely not “”addictive”.

According to a meta-analysis of 25 studies with a total of almost 200,000 participants from 2014, up to 20% of overweight people suffer from binge eating or at least exhibit addictive eating behavior. According to a study by the Robert Koch Institute, a good 23% of German adults are considered severely overweight, i.e. nine million men and ten million women with obesity, with a particularly strong increase among 25-34-year-olds(!). A recent analysis of 281 studies from 36 countries published in the British Medical Journal found that 14% of adults and 12% of children are addicted to highly processed foods.

The most common and most addictive foods are characterized by being a) highly processed and b) high in salt, sugar and/or fat. The five most common “addictive” foods are pizza, chocolate, potato chips, biscuits/cookies and ice cream, followed by chips, cheeseburgers and sodas. Cake, cheese, ham & fried chicken and gummy bears are in 9th to 12th place. The five foods least likely to lead
to addictive behavior are cucumbers, carrots, beans, apples and brown rice.

By definition, according to the addiction criteria of the ICD-10 system (/nternational Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems), the increased consumption of food and individual nutrients such as sugar and fat – neither alone or in mixed form – is not even an addiction as in the case of drugs, but rather addictive eating behavior.

We now know that highly processed foods in particular, i.e. foods that are highly seasoned/ flavoured, heavily salted or sugared and usually also very high in fat, trigger certain biochemical processes in the body that are very similar to other addictive behaviours. High-sugar products in particular, for example, lead to fluctuations in blood sugar levels, which in turn trigger cravings.

While we all know how unhealthy too much fat, sugar and salt is, the substances are addictive in that they awaken feelings of happiness in us. American journalist Michael Moss has described how the food industry exploits this fact in his book “The salt-sugar-fat conspiracy”.

Why is it though that we humans seem genetically pre-programmed to prefer chocolate to carrots? In prehistoric times, humans primarily needed high-calorie food in order to survive. Our early ancestors learned that sweet foods were not poisonous and they were rare, which is probably why we still get excited when we eat sugar today.

So, what are the biochemical processes that make us addicted? Well, high-calorie foods (high in sugar and fat) increase dopamine levels much more than low-calorie foods. This dopamine kick means “reward” to us, similar to alcohol, nicotine and heroin. Eating means survival, which should be fun, which is why our “reward center” releases feel-good hormones such as dopamine, which makes us quite simply – gather and hunt (dopamine: synthesis from the amino acids phenylalanine/tyrosine, in the chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla, hypothalamus, substantia nigra and in other parts of the nervous system).

These happiness hormones feel so great that the body wants to experience them more and more, which leads to cravings and even binge eating. Our body’s system for regulating food intake is very complex. The “hunger hormone” ghrelin and the “satiety hormone” leptin also play a major role here. In addition, a total of almost 30 different chemical compounds and messenger substances are involved in regulating our appetite. Amino acids, glucose or fatty acids transmit information about satiety to receptors in the gastrointestinal tract, which in turn are passed on to the brain.

However, as researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Oregon Research Institute discovered using imaging techniques, the reward systems in the brains of overweight people only react weakly to the consumption of food after prolonged calorie bombardment. The consequence of this blunting is, in turn, depressive moods and eating even more to lighten the mood again, at
least for a short time, which makes the vicious circle perfect.

Another very interesting point is that there is a so-called “breakpoint” with sweet foods, where at some point you have had enough. This is however not the case with excessive fat consumption, as the more fat the more fuel for the body, i.e. good for survival. The worst-case scenario, is fat with a little sugar. This is where every natural mechanism in our body to stop fails. The whole thing is fueled by well-stocked supermarkets with mainly industrially produced convenience products not only with fat and sugar, but also with flavors and flavor enhancers, which fuel the “eating without limits”. This in turn easily leads to obesity and many of the chronic diseases known to us.

Intestinal flora and psyche

As we see in practice every day, there are interesting connections between the intestinal flora, our eating behavior and the psyche. For example, in the case of intestinal mycosis, we see a recurring craving for carbohydrate-containing foods (the fungus wants to live, after all), while at the same time psychological abnormalities such as anxiety disorders and panic attacks become more frequent.

On the other hand, lactobacilli – like bifidobacteria – produce important neurotransmitters, including GABA and serotonin, which in turn have a relaxing and anxiety-relieving effect, i.e. there is obviously communication between the gut and brain involving messenger substances such as neurotransmitters, hormones and short-chain fatty acids. This means that the condition of the gut can also influence mental well-being – and vice versa. The so-called vagus nerve, which regulates the activity of almost all internal organs, plays a central role here.

In stool laboratory tests in our practice, we find a relatively large number of patients who have a significant deficit here that also requires treatment.

“Food addiction” and BICOM® bioresonance therapy

What if we could successfully treat physical compulsive eating with bioresonance therapy? What if we could use BICOM?® therapy to tell the body that what it (wrongly) believes to be a (worthwhile) action is actually not good? And in doing this we could recondition they body into marketing different and healthier assessments of BICOM® treated foods or food groups in the future.

The focus here is on two programs:

1. 11310 Allergy: Native allergens, 1st-3rd week and
2. 10325 Pathogenic Ai.

In addition / beforehand, we also use a basic therapy according to the conductance value/test as well as a selection from the following

• 10082 Carbohydrate metabolism,

• 3427 Liver metabolism,

• 452.1 Improve liver excretion capacity,

• 10118 Pancreas disorder,

• 301.8 Spleen/pancreas treatment, chronic

• 10314 Allergy preparation and

• 10312 Allergy treatment, unknown allergen.

Depending on the program, the input cup contains blood and saliva, the “addiction-triggering” food (either freshly brought in by the patient, in a glass tube, or from the existing test kits) or the blood from the two earlobes (10312).

In the yellow (middle) cup the following recommendations have proven effective- according to testing or used as standard: supporting ampules from the 5-element test kit, at least one spleen/pancreas remedy, e.g. metaharonga® from Metafackler, the stress ampule, liver/kidney/ lymph remedies as well as various neurotransmitters and brain areas (e.g. pituitary gland) after testing.

Using the Pilot, we also strengthen the system with substance complexes in Channel 2 such as pancreatic secretion weakness, spleen strengthening, liver support, intestinal flora improvement and, if necessary, TCM mucus accumulation.

Input and output applicators are placed according to the program recommendation. DMI amplification can be used according to testing or before the main program. When running the main program itself select DMI attenuate.

The principle of the therapy is three treatments once a week, and if there is still no sufficient change in behavior after the second or third treatment, then 10312 is added as a fourth treatment.

Support with a chip during the therapy-free interval (after testing, usually in the area of the navel, solar plexus or thymus) or, in sensitive patients, use the oil (1-4x daily, after testing).

Accompanying or, depending on the findings, intestinal cleansing can be undertaken as a preliminary therapy, according to the findings and nutritional advice. In addition, depending on the situation, talk therapy or professional systemic therapy (see below) can be performed.

This approach has also already been successfully applied to other addictions such as alcohol, nicotine and even drug addiction.

What is happening in the body if bioresonance therapy does not work expected?

If bioresonance therapy does not work or does not work sufficiently, it may not yet be addressing the root of the problem or the patient’s gain from the disease may outweigh the benefits of successful therapy.

An addiction can have numerous triggers: A lack of vital substances in the diet, genetic disposition, emotional trauma and conflicts, earth radiation, electrosmog, radioactive contamination and much more. We don’t necessarily have to know all the triggering components. As soon as we help the body to be able to successfully take over self-regulation with our holistic medical therapy approach, it will be better able to cope with exogenous stress.)

This said, achieving a sustainable improvement in health also requires healthy self-awareness. Do | feel what my body needs, or does it have to display drastic symptoms of illness to tell me that | have ignored my basic needs for too long? Many people actually have valid reasons for ignoring basic needs such as eating, drinking, sleeping, moving, resting, feeling emotions such as sadness,
joy and anger in everyday life.

Reasons for ignoring basic needs:

• Lack of time (‘This is not important’)

• Shame (‘That’s not proper!’)

• Guilt (‘This will have consequences!’)

• Pleasure satisfaction (‘’That’s good for me’)

• Avoidance of displeasure (‘It’s too hard’)

• Conditioning (‘I’ve always done it this way!’)

• et

People are often unaware of that beliefs and assumptions of this kind are unconsciously and automatically at work within them. This often leads to wrong conclusions. For example, people drink too little because there is supposedly no time to go to the toilet, or thirst is interpreted as hunger and leads to snacking in between meals. A lack of oxygen can be perceived as tiredness and therefore instead of going out into the fresh air, we head straight to the sofa.

Symptoms of illness that have an apparent benefit can make therapy ineffective. If a patient is firmly convinced that they need half a liter of wine before going to bed or chocolate or potato salad with wiener sausages to get them through the night, even the best therapy won’t help. On the other hand, if the patient says that without sleep | will perish, you’ve lost as a therapist.

This means we need a new conscious decision. What is it good for breaking the addictive pattern?

What would be the directly noticeable gain that corresponds more to our own needs and values than the previous addictive behavior? This can be clarified with simple questions in the patient interview.
What do | really want? This is the master question that sets change in motion. What will become possible that previously seemed impossible? What do | have to do to get there? And when the gain from achieving the overarching goal is finally tangible, then change is possible.

This is where the following hormones support us:

Serotonin is the happiness hormone. It is produced by our diet, especially by the amino acid tryptophan, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B6 and vitamin D. At the same time, sport and exercise in the fresh air also contribute to an increase in serotonin levels. Endorphins are produced in nerve cells and influence hormone circulation, intestinal movements and the feeling of hunger, among other things. The body releases them during physical exertion such as jogging or dancing and in joyful situations. Social contacts that do us good and positive thoughts are real endorphin boosters.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter with a motivating effect that encourages people to be active, pursue their interests and perform at their best. Extremely helpful in the fight against the inner bastard. The good thing about it is that dopamine is not a prerequisite for us to take action, but it fuels the fire to keep at it and keep going.

The cuddle hormone oxytocin is produced in the pituitary gland. Among other things, it has an anxiety-relieving effect, reduces stress and lowers blood pressure, and has a positive influence on our bonding behavior. Here too, by making conscious decisions at a mental level, for example to show understanding and empathy to another person, we can increase our own production of this
happiness hormone.

Although the hormone adrenaline is associated with stressful situations, its positive effect makes us more efficient on the outside and more able to overcome our inner walls and blockages.

It is important to recognize that hormones can become imbalanced due to inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract and trigger deficiency symptoms. At the same time, we can positively influence the effect of our hormones through conscious decisions and imagination.

In addition to the findings and complaints, there are questions surrounding every patient. What is the patient’s personality? What are their life circumstances? What are they willing to do? How motivated are they? What type of diet do they follow? Do they prefer to eat out or cook for themselves?

You can’t force a change in behavior on people if they don’t enjoy it and aren’t convinced of the benefits. Consequently, this means that you have to design the accompanying therapy recommendations in such a way that they suit the patient.