The Pathway by Laurel Mellin

Regan Books; (January 21, 2003)

Hello everyone,
You know me, as I have been an active part of this group in our early
years and even met many of you in Madison over the summer.
I have been able to practice CR with success only to be undermined by
unexplainable needs to eat to excess causing my weight to rapidly increase.
Trying to avoid the craving to go to excess, I've tried everything from
hypnotism to counseling. Finally, in despair, I went to overeater's anonymous
in early 1999. For the first several years, I had very good success while
achieving a BMI around 20. Yet, during the last year (with huge business dealings
occurring over multimillion dollar personal acquisitions) the drive to excess
reappeared. OA techniques were ineffective. Yet I knew that some of their
techniques worked a majority of the time, but I couldn't quiet put my finger on
why.
Then, while strolling through Barnes & Noble two months ago, I came
across a book called the "Pathway" written by Laurel Mellin M.A., R.D. (a clinical
professor of family and medicine at UC San Francisco School of Medicine)
Highly skeptic of any claims, I took a look at it to see if anything
resonated with truth from my own personal experience. In a matter of just several
pages, I was awestruck over the number of references regarding compulsive
eating that I knew as true from years of experience.
Knowing that this might need a further look, I bought the book and made
a preliminary yet still skeptical reading. What I found is that Mellin's work,
based on past studies, has further developed the understanding surrounding
the core issues that Overeater's anonymous only danced around. She has included
all the techniques from a cognitive and behavior point of view to promote
effective change.
When I had a drive to go to excess, I tested a "cycle" , I found the
internal drive to go to excess was severely diminished. I actually had
instantaneous measurable results. In addition, her organization appears to be first
class.
I will post a second part to this post with an article written in Health
Magazine. They named it one of the top 10 Medical discoveries of 2000.

Talk more later,
Mike Bell