Eating When Empty (Awesome!)
Method_One
Posts: 58 Member
Interesting article/interview here about the perception of hunger and how subjective the sensation is. I'm really excited to dig a little deeper into this work. In conjunction with our other techniques I think it could be a powerful tool.
Matt Metzgar is kind of hot on this topic on his blog recently so head over there and do some homework! (http://www.mattmetzgar.com/matt_metzgar/)
http://www.conscioustimesonline.com/2011/03/eating-when-empty/
Eating When Empty
An Interview with Dr. David Lovell Smith on His Dissertation
One morning during his biochemistry class last December, MUM-visiting professor Dr. David Lovell-Smith, MD, PhD stopped lecturing and asked his students to close their eyes, then place their hands on their stomachs. “How many of you feel hungry?” he asked. Many students raised their hands. “What does that feel like? Describe it to me.” A period of silence ensued. Some students said they felt a burning sensation in their stomach or chest, others described an empty, churning sensation in their midsection, and still others were uncertain about what hunger really felt like.
This ambiguity about what constitutes hunger and the role hunger plays in regulating eating habits was the main focus in Dr. Lovell-Smith’s PhD thesis at the University of Auckland in 2009 entitled “A Consideration of Homeostatic Regulation of Eating from the Perspective of Maharishi Vedic Science.”
What Dr Lovell-Smith concluded in his research is that although the sensation of hunger may seem at first to be subjective, hunger does have certain objective criteria/parameters, and the more familiar we are with them, the more properly we can regulate our eating habits for optimal health. Hunger can be characterized by a distinct physical sensation, which Dr. Lovell-Smith refers to as the “Empty Hollow Sensation (EHS).” As he explains in an article summarizing his research, the “EHS is experienced in the epigastrium (the part of the abdominal wall above the belly button) from which it signals the optimal readiness of the digestive system for food intake.” This means that when we are hungry, we will feel a sense of emptiness and hollowness in our stomach which indicates to us that we are ready to eat.
Dr. David Lovell Smith, MD, PhD
What Dr. Lovell-Smith found, however, in over 25 years as a general medical practitioner in New Zealand, was that many of his patients, not only those who were overweight, were confused about hunger. He often found that his patients misread hunger, or perceived hunger when it was not actually present, causing many of them to overeat or eat at the wrong times. If such confusion exists about hunger and thus how to regulate eating, what other factors make us eat? According to Dr. Lovell-Smith, these secondary motivating factors for eating can be both extrinsic as well as intrinsic. Extrinsic factors include prompts such as social pressure, time pressure, food advertising and food availability. For example, many of us have felt that pressure from family to clean our plate even if it means overeating, or to eat when it’s lunchtime even though we are not yet hungry. On the other hand, intrinsic factors for improper eating include thirst, indicators of intestinal dysfunction (pain, burning, colic, gripes), and eating to pacify emotional or mental stress. These secondary eating factors can drive us to eat when we are not actually hungry, thus leading to what Dr. Lovell-Smith refers to as “non-homeostatic,” or imbalanced eating
With so many improper triggers for eating, there must be a simple way to regulate our eating habits. In his research Dr. Lovell-Smith hypothesized that such a system already exists within us, and that it has a lot to do with enjoying our food as well as recognizing hunger properly. Eating can naturally be regulated when the pleasure of eating satisfies and thus diminishes/extinguishes the desire to eat. As we may have experienced, the joy of eating ceases soon after we become full, and food we once found appealing then loses its charm. Another fundamental principle in his thesis is that eating is actually most enjoyable when we are truly hungry, ie when triggered by the Empty Hollow Sensation (EHS). Many have experienced that when we are really hungry even bland food tastes delicious.
Lastly, Dr. Lovell-Smith recommends establishing a habit of eating when the EHS is present before most meals and refers to this approach as the EHS Meal Pattern (EHSMP). This means that we should try to develop the habit of eating only when we truly feel hungry and we feel that empty hollow sensation in our midsection. Lovell-Smith also states that poorly regulated eating can lead to excessive caloric intake which can cause conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. As he experienced great success with his patients who followed the recommended EHSMP, Dr. Lovell-Smith believes that such an approach to eating may not only help people to stay healthy, but may also help to treat some of the most prevalent health problems plaguing Western society today.
We were lucky enough to sit down with Dr. Lovell-Smith and find out more about his research.
Q. What was the general overview of your research paper?
I was looking at how people regulate their eating (or don’t). I hypothesized that many people do not regulate their eating well, because they are confused about what hunger really is.
Q: How did you first get interested in this topic? What motivated you to begin investigating into this particular research topic?
A: I got interested through Maharishi Ayurveda. Apparently some time in the early ‘80s Maharishi was talking to some young pundits about hunger and the need to be hungry before mealtimes along with some other general instructions on how to eat (as opposed to what to eat). He was overheard by a Western doctor who disseminated the idea in the treatment of obesity. I realized that these were very sensible instructions applicable to everyone, not just the overweight. I first started following the guidelines myself and realized I was waking in the morning feeling much more energetic. Then I started advising my patients in how to eat. My first patient suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and was about to be started on gold injections. After a few days of eating only when hungry she was able to turn taps on and off in her house – which she had been unable to do. Within a few weeks she was playing the piano again!
Q: What were the results of you research?
A: My thesis paper was theoretical – the results were a clear concept of physical hunger and its differentiation from the desire to eat (appetite). This clear theoretical framework can now give better direction to future empirical studies.
Q: What implications does your research have for disease prevention?
A: I think there is an exciting connection between digestion and the immune system. A more efficiently functioning digestive system could have major implications for people suffering from autoimmune disorders. Although one cannot generalize at this stage, I have had very encouraging preliminary results with patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and Graves’ disease.
Q: Were there any big surprises you found in doing your research?
A: It was a huge (and delightful) surprise to see the dramatic improvements in some of my patients. See the case studies for measured improvements in their illnesses. I was also surprised to find that many different medical fields are converging on the same idea. Pediatricians such as Mario Ciampolini in Italy have realized that infants’ early hunger sensations are not being reinforced by parents, so that children forget what once they knew. The psychiatrist Hilde Bruch in the 1940s realized that loss of hunger awareness is an important component of anorexia nervosa while the famous physiologist Walter Cannon was well aware that the essential nature of hunger is a physical “pang” – what I have called the EHS (see below).
Q: What is the difference between appetite and hunger?
A: In my view appetite is the desire to eat and hunger is a cluster of actual physical sensations. The most important of these I call the Empty Hollow Sensation (EHS). It is important because it is the body’s way of telling you that it is ready to digest. As Maharishi Ayurveda states, it is not what you eat, it is what you digest. It is also more fun to eat when the EHS is present, so eating according to Maharishi Ayurveda is more blissful!
Q: Do you think that the confusion surrounding hunger is a recent phenomenon, one that has mostly come about within modern, industrialized societies?
A: It’s a very good question. Industrialized societies have made food abundantly available and exciting to the palate so that the desire to eat has become dominant and separated from the hunger sensation, leading to loss of awareness of what hunger really is.
Matt Metzgar is kind of hot on this topic on his blog recently so head over there and do some homework! (http://www.mattmetzgar.com/matt_metzgar/)
http://www.conscioustimesonline.com/2011/03/eating-when-empty/
Eating When Empty
An Interview with Dr. David Lovell Smith on His Dissertation
One morning during his biochemistry class last December, MUM-visiting professor Dr. David Lovell-Smith, MD, PhD stopped lecturing and asked his students to close their eyes, then place their hands on their stomachs. “How many of you feel hungry?” he asked. Many students raised their hands. “What does that feel like? Describe it to me.” A period of silence ensued. Some students said they felt a burning sensation in their stomach or chest, others described an empty, churning sensation in their midsection, and still others were uncertain about what hunger really felt like.
This ambiguity about what constitutes hunger and the role hunger plays in regulating eating habits was the main focus in Dr. Lovell-Smith’s PhD thesis at the University of Auckland in 2009 entitled “A Consideration of Homeostatic Regulation of Eating from the Perspective of Maharishi Vedic Science.”
What Dr Lovell-Smith concluded in his research is that although the sensation of hunger may seem at first to be subjective, hunger does have certain objective criteria/parameters, and the more familiar we are with them, the more properly we can regulate our eating habits for optimal health. Hunger can be characterized by a distinct physical sensation, which Dr. Lovell-Smith refers to as the “Empty Hollow Sensation (EHS).” As he explains in an article summarizing his research, the “EHS is experienced in the epigastrium (the part of the abdominal wall above the belly button) from which it signals the optimal readiness of the digestive system for food intake.” This means that when we are hungry, we will feel a sense of emptiness and hollowness in our stomach which indicates to us that we are ready to eat.
Dr. David Lovell Smith, MD, PhD
What Dr. Lovell-Smith found, however, in over 25 years as a general medical practitioner in New Zealand, was that many of his patients, not only those who were overweight, were confused about hunger. He often found that his patients misread hunger, or perceived hunger when it was not actually present, causing many of them to overeat or eat at the wrong times. If such confusion exists about hunger and thus how to regulate eating, what other factors make us eat? According to Dr. Lovell-Smith, these secondary motivating factors for eating can be both extrinsic as well as intrinsic. Extrinsic factors include prompts such as social pressure, time pressure, food advertising and food availability. For example, many of us have felt that pressure from family to clean our plate even if it means overeating, or to eat when it’s lunchtime even though we are not yet hungry. On the other hand, intrinsic factors for improper eating include thirst, indicators of intestinal dysfunction (pain, burning, colic, gripes), and eating to pacify emotional or mental stress. These secondary eating factors can drive us to eat when we are not actually hungry, thus leading to what Dr. Lovell-Smith refers to as “non-homeostatic,” or imbalanced eating
With so many improper triggers for eating, there must be a simple way to regulate our eating habits. In his research Dr. Lovell-Smith hypothesized that such a system already exists within us, and that it has a lot to do with enjoying our food as well as recognizing hunger properly. Eating can naturally be regulated when the pleasure of eating satisfies and thus diminishes/extinguishes the desire to eat. As we may have experienced, the joy of eating ceases soon after we become full, and food we once found appealing then loses its charm. Another fundamental principle in his thesis is that eating is actually most enjoyable when we are truly hungry, ie when triggered by the Empty Hollow Sensation (EHS). Many have experienced that when we are really hungry even bland food tastes delicious.
Lastly, Dr. Lovell-Smith recommends establishing a habit of eating when the EHS is present before most meals and refers to this approach as the EHS Meal Pattern (EHSMP). This means that we should try to develop the habit of eating only when we truly feel hungry and we feel that empty hollow sensation in our midsection. Lovell-Smith also states that poorly regulated eating can lead to excessive caloric intake which can cause conditions such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. As he experienced great success with his patients who followed the recommended EHSMP, Dr. Lovell-Smith believes that such an approach to eating may not only help people to stay healthy, but may also help to treat some of the most prevalent health problems plaguing Western society today.
We were lucky enough to sit down with Dr. Lovell-Smith and find out more about his research.
Q. What was the general overview of your research paper?
I was looking at how people regulate their eating (or don’t). I hypothesized that many people do not regulate their eating well, because they are confused about what hunger really is.
Q: How did you first get interested in this topic? What motivated you to begin investigating into this particular research topic?
A: I got interested through Maharishi Ayurveda. Apparently some time in the early ‘80s Maharishi was talking to some young pundits about hunger and the need to be hungry before mealtimes along with some other general instructions on how to eat (as opposed to what to eat). He was overheard by a Western doctor who disseminated the idea in the treatment of obesity. I realized that these were very sensible instructions applicable to everyone, not just the overweight. I first started following the guidelines myself and realized I was waking in the morning feeling much more energetic. Then I started advising my patients in how to eat. My first patient suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and was about to be started on gold injections. After a few days of eating only when hungry she was able to turn taps on and off in her house – which she had been unable to do. Within a few weeks she was playing the piano again!
Q: What were the results of you research?
A: My thesis paper was theoretical – the results were a clear concept of physical hunger and its differentiation from the desire to eat (appetite). This clear theoretical framework can now give better direction to future empirical studies.
Q: What implications does your research have for disease prevention?
A: I think there is an exciting connection between digestion and the immune system. A more efficiently functioning digestive system could have major implications for people suffering from autoimmune disorders. Although one cannot generalize at this stage, I have had very encouraging preliminary results with patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and Graves’ disease.
Q: Were there any big surprises you found in doing your research?
A: It was a huge (and delightful) surprise to see the dramatic improvements in some of my patients. See the case studies for measured improvements in their illnesses. I was also surprised to find that many different medical fields are converging on the same idea. Pediatricians such as Mario Ciampolini in Italy have realized that infants’ early hunger sensations are not being reinforced by parents, so that children forget what once they knew. The psychiatrist Hilde Bruch in the 1940s realized that loss of hunger awareness is an important component of anorexia nervosa while the famous physiologist Walter Cannon was well aware that the essential nature of hunger is a physical “pang” – what I have called the EHS (see below).
Q: What is the difference between appetite and hunger?
A: In my view appetite is the desire to eat and hunger is a cluster of actual physical sensations. The most important of these I call the Empty Hollow Sensation (EHS). It is important because it is the body’s way of telling you that it is ready to digest. As Maharishi Ayurveda states, it is not what you eat, it is what you digest. It is also more fun to eat when the EHS is present, so eating according to Maharishi Ayurveda is more blissful!
Q: Do you think that the confusion surrounding hunger is a recent phenomenon, one that has mostly come about within modern, industrialized societies?
A: It’s a very good question. Industrialized societies have made food abundantly available and exciting to the palate so that the desire to eat has become dominant and separated from the hunger sensation, leading to loss of awareness of what hunger really is.
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