Take control: heal your relationship with food: holistic beauty expert and health advocate Kat James offers new strategies for vibrant living

Chances are, you or someone close to you struggles with food cravings, weight issues or even a full-fledged eating disorder. While well over half the country is overweight or obese, an estimated 7 million females and 1 million males suffer from some kind of eating disorder, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. The good news is that there are practical ways to overcome these challenges.

Success Stories?

Whether it's you or a loved one who deals with such food and body-image issues, pervasive billboards and Hollywood ideals often contribute to feelings of physical inadequacy. Mothers and teachers can unwittingly project their own body-image values on girls from a tender age without saying a word. A father's view of what makes an ideal woman can also have a devastating impact on a daughter's self-worth. Even our inner circle of friends can influence us if they pay attention only to superficial physical attributes.

But body images fostered by the entertainment industry aren't exactly grounded in reality. After working behind the scenes on ad campaigns for some of the top-selling weight-loss products and magazines, I learned that many of the success stories and celebrities you see promoting diets and diet products continue to face constant struggles with food, even as they pose in their new size 6 jeans. Some women, who never had addictions to food in the first place, can drop tons of weight gained during pregnancy or periods of inactivity. Others rely on constant will-power and strict workouts, battling cravings one day at a time. In reality, few women have truly conquered food obsession. Why? Because they don't receive guidance from conventional medicine regarding biochemical issues.

Chemistry Counts

Food and body-image struggles often arise from changes in the body, and it is normal, if not instinctive, to react aggressively when you see such changes reflected in the mirror. For example, you might start out with a healthy body image, then--as a result of a hormonal change or neurochemical imbalance--begin to pile on weight and become obsessed with dieting. Or, you could start out with an emotional need for food, but then develop blood sugar swings from eating foods that are so addictive that even psychological breakthroughs no longer have a chance to interrupt the cycle of binging, as was the case with me. I discovered, after reading books I found in a health food store, that there were matters of chemistry that not only kept me addicted to food, but also kept me fat and, therefore, obsessed with my weight. If I'd only known how factors such as thyroid imbalances, serotonin or DHEA deficiencies, too much estrogen, sleep disturbances, elevated cortisol and compromised human growth hormone release can contribute to weight gain, I might not have been so obsessed with my weight all those years. A naturopathic or complementary physician can help you look into these issues, but here are a few general ideas about the types of biochemical problems that can lead to eating disorders.

Low serotonin. Low levels of the "feel-good" brain chemical serotonin can cause anxiety and depression as well as carb cravings and overeating. Many conventional doctors automatically treat this deficiency with antidepressant drugs. But while it is important to work with your doctor if you're depressed, keep in mind that supplements such as St. John's wort have been shown to effectively raise serotonin levels, and are options to consider if you aren't taking antidepressants. Other options to help reduce anxiety and avoid overeating are exercise and the herbal blend Relora, which may also control cortisol.

Underactive thyroid. If you're cold all the time, have brittle hair or dry skin and have a difficult time keeping your weight down, you may want to take a home basal temperature test to check your thyroid. The Broda O. Barnes, MD, Research Foundation Inc., a not-for-profit organization, established the Barnes Basal Temperature self-test, which is considered the most reliable indicator of thyroid function by complementary and alternative health care practitioners. If your temperature reading is in the below-normal range and you experience other symptoms, practitioners may suggest thyroid replacement hormone.

Estrogen dominance. If you are pear-shaped, a woman with heavy menstrual periods, have fibroids and/or are over 35, excess estrogen may be causing your body to retain extra weight. Talk with your health care practitioner about plant estrogens, progesterone therapy or hormone-modifying herbs such as dong quai and chaste tree berry.

Insulin resistance. High-glycemic foods, which quickly raise blood sugar levels and cause the pancreas to release too much insulin, can make cells less responsive to insulin and the body more prone to store fat. Of course, other factors, such as stress, contribute to insulin resistance. But avoiding high-carb foods and sugary beverages and sweets--and replacing them with low-carb or Splenda-, xylitol- and maltitol-sweetened versions--can transform not only your body but also your relationship with food. Exercise, green tea and other supplements can also help insulin work better.