Achieved Weight Gain and Return to Work After Intervention With Traditional Japanese Acupuncture for Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder: A Case Report

Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is newly established as a category of eating disorder (ED). Acupuncture is one treatment option for ED. However, no cases of acupuncture treatment of ARFID have been reported. A 28-year-old female presented with reduced food intake and weight, abdominal bloating, abnormal sense of taste, and tongue pain. Her body weight (BW) had been around 50 kg until four years previously. Three years before, her symptoms occurred, and her BW decreased to 36.5 kg after experiencing excessive mental stress at her workplace. She was diagnosed with ARFID by a psychosomatic physician and tended to refuse her prescribed antipsychotic drugs. She was treated weekly with the Hokushin-kai style, a traditional Japanese acupuncture, and the moxibustion method. After one month, the patient felt somewhat better and returned to work once a week for the first time in two years. Four months later, her BW started to increase. After 10 months, her BW had increased to 48 kg. Her acupuncture treatment continues. This case suggests acupuncture as an optional treatment for ARFID. Further studies, such as a combination of medications and acupuncture, would be desirable.