No Place Like Home.

Hey guys!
Hope all has been well since my last blog! I know it has been a while, I have been all over the place- finishing my first year of grad school, traveling to Turkey, and Miss Florida Orientation. I finally have had a little over a week to truly get my life back together and am now gearing up for Miss Florida and a few trips home!

Turkey was INCREDIBLE! Quite honestly, I never expected to like it so much. I just thought of it as the only option to travel abroad in graduate school. Once I got there, however, I realized I had far underestimated this beautiful, hospitable country.

Istanbul was this gorgeous, metropolitan, European city on the European side of Turkey (the country is in both Europe and Asia technically). Although it was a fast-paced city, it certainly didn't have a pushy feel (unless of course someone was trying to sell you Turkish delight, pashmina scarves, or any other of the million goodies we saw over and over again!).

The people there work to live, not live to work, and that was extremely refreshing to be around. My favorite part of the country was the call to prayer. Five times a day, people would stop whatever they were doing, take off their shoes, face Mecca, and pray to Allah. Loudspeakers all throughout the city would sound together in a foreign tongue. Although I had no idea what was being said, you could feel the profoundness of what this meant to the Turks and their lives. There is something slightly unnerving yet moving about hearing this methodically throughout your day. A constant reminder of a higher power and a bigger purpose is something we are not accustomed to, but maybe we should be aiming to.

 There was one day when we were touring Topkapi Palace, the home of the former sultan, which also happened to be the same day that what seemed to be most of the school children in the city were visiting also. There were three of us girls walking along together when all these kids started pointing and whispering. Then, one came up and asked me if I would take a picture with her. Of course, I said yes feeling like a movie star! The other kids took this as a green light to circle around us and bombard us with picture requests and notebooks for autographs! I think I know what it's like to be followed by paparazzi now. :) I swear these kids had never seen an American before in their lives! So awesome to know that we made their day, and that they had a positive view of the US.

My favorite city in Turkey was Cappadocia. It was a lot like the western United States in that it was breathtaking with its valleys, mountains, and red rocks. We even got to visit the Goreme Open Air Museum which was essentially mountains which were hand carved out into churches, homes, and entire civilizations. It was incredible to see how much detail they put into it with the simple tools they had access to. There were ornate church ceilings, pews, and even kitchen tables with benches in these caves. These essentially underground cities were from when the Romans were trying to chase the Christians out of the area hundreds of years ago.

We then headed to Konya which is one of the most conservative cities in Turkey. This is where I flew out to go home early for orientation. The Konya airport is one room, and as I walked in, I've never seen so many curious eyes turn to meet mine and stay there an uncomfortable length of time. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I didn't wear a headscarf or the fact that I looked so different from them with green eyes and blonde hair. It was understandable at first, but after an hour of sitting there and being stared at, I was so ready to get home where I could blend in as one of many Americans. I'd never been so ready to board a plain in my life!

When I got home, though, I had to be ready to go again because a day later, I was heading off to Miss Florida orientation! All day Friday, I was running errands and workin' my little tushy off to get everything ready to go. Although I was exhausted, I was so happy to see Juan and Don the next morning. They were so sweet to meet me at my apartment and do my hair and makeup before the big day! I missed everyone so much!

The weekend was full of meetings, pajama parties, paperwork, and a lot of inspiration. Hearing how the job of Miss Florida and Miss Florida's Outstanding Teen had given Jackie and MK the opportunity to reach out and make an impact on thousands of people gave me chills. The way they were able to articulate what the job gave back to them in return was so beyond their years. I have the upmost respect for the both of them.

Now, I am back to the grind of classes, mock interviews, dancing almost daily, working for eating disorders awareness and prevention, and seeing the people I love! I am traveling back to Indiana four times this summer for showers/wedding stuff and am SO excited to see my family and friends!

Wish me luck on the toughest part of state preparation- the month before!

Love and laughter,
Brittany

Most Common Myths on Eating Disorders!

 Myth #1: Eating disorders are not an illness

Eating disorders are complex medical/psychiatric illnesses. Eating disorders are classified as mental illnesses in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-IV), are considered to often have a biologic basis, and co-occur with other mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Myth #2: Eating disorders are uncommon

They are common. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and subclinical, but very concerning eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors affect many young people in the United States and worldwide. Among U.S. females in their teens and 20s, the prevalence of clinical and dangerous, but not full-blown anorexia may be as high as 15%. Anorexia nervosa ranks as the third-most-common, chronic illness among adolescent U.S. females. Even though it is the rarest, and most severe of eating disorders, it affects approximately 1-in-200 young girls. Recent studies suggest that up to 7% of U.S. females have had bulimia at some time in their lives. At any given time an estimated 5% of the U.S. population has undiagnosed bulimia. Current findings suggest that binge eating disorder affects 0.7% to 4% of the general population.

Myth #3: Eating disorders are a choice

People do not choose to have eating disorders. They develop over time and require appropriate treatment to address the complex medical/psychiatric symptoms and underlying issues.

Myth #4: Eating disorders occur only in females

Eating disorders do occur in males. Few solid statistics are available on the prevalence of eating disorders in males, but the disorders are believed to be more common than currently reflected in statistics because of under-diagnosis. An estimated one-fourth of anorexia diagnoses in children are in males. The National Collegiate Athletic Association carried out studies on the incidence of eating-disordered behavior among athletes in the 1990s, and reported that of those athletes who reported having an eating disorder, 7% were male. For binge eating disorder, preliminary research suggests equal prevalence among males and females.

Incidence in males may be underreported because females are more likely to seek help, and health practitioners are more likely to consider an eating disorder diagnosis in females.

Differences in symptoms exist between males and females: females are more likely to focus on weight loss; males are more likely to focus on muscle mass. Although issues such as altering diet to increase muscle mass, over-exercise, or steroid misuse are not yet criteria for eating disorders, a growing body of research indicates that these factors are associated with many, but not all, males with eating disorders.

Myth #5: Men who suffer from eating disorders tend to be gay

Although gay men are at increased risk for eating disorders compared to other men; straight men get eating disorders too.

Myth #6: Anorexia nervosa is the only serious eating disorder

All eating disorders can have damaging physical and psychological consequences. Although excess weight loss is a feature of anorexia nervosa, effects of other eating disorders can also be serious or life threatening. A person with bulimia can be at high risk for death because of purging and its impact on the heart and electrolyte imbalances. Laxative use and excessive exercise can increase risk of death in individuals who are actively bulimic.

Myth #7: Dieting is normal adolescent behavior

While fad dieting or body image concerns have become “normal” features of adolescent life in Western cultures, dieting or frequent/ extreme dieting can be a risk factor for developing an eating disorder. It is especially a risk factor for young people with family histories of eating disorders and depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. A focus on health, well-being, and healthy body image and acceptance is preferable. Any dieting should be monitored. Ironically, dieting has also been found to predict exces­sive weight gain and obesity in adolescents.

Myth #8: Eating disorders are about appearance and beauty

Eating disorders are a mental illness and have little to do with food, eating, appearance, or beauty. This is indicated by the continuation of the illness long after a person has reached his or her initial ‘target’ weight. Eating disorders are usually related to emotional issues such as control and low self-esteem and often exist as part of a dual diagnosis of major depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Myth #9: Only people of high socioeconomic status get eating disorders

People in all socioeconomic levels have eating disorders. The disorders have been identified across all socioeconomic groups, age groups, both sexes, and in many countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America.

Myth #10: Recovery from eating disorders is rare

Recovery can take months or years, but many people eventually recover after treatment. Recovery rates vary widely among indi­viduals and the different eating disorders. Early intervention with appropriate care can improve the outcome regardless of the eating disorder. Although anorexia nervosa is associated with the highest death rate of all psychiatric disorders, research suggests that about half of people with anorexia nervosa recover, about 20% continue to experience issues with food, and about 20% die in the long term due to medical or psychological complications.

Myth #11: Eating disorders are an attempt to seek attention

The causes of eating disorders are complex and typically include socioeconomic, environmental, cultural, and biologic factors. People who experience eating disorders often go to great lengths to conceal it due to feelings of shame or a desire to persist in behavior perceived to afford the sufferer control in life. Eating disorders are often symptomatic of deeper psychological issues such as low self-esteem and the desire to feel in control. The behaviors associated with eating disorders may sometimes be interpreted as “attention seeking;” however, they indicate that the affected person has very serious struggles and needs help.

Myth #12: Purging will help lose weight

Purging does not result in ridding the body of ingested food. Half of what is consumed during a binge typically remains in the body after self-induced vomiting. Laxatives result in weight loss through fluids/water and the effect is temporary. For these reasons, many people with bulimia are average or above-average weight.

Myth #13: You’re not sick until you’re emaciated

Only a small percentage of people with eating disorders reach the state of emaciation often portrayed in the media. The common belief that a person is only truly ill if he or she becomes abnormally thin compounds the affected individuals’ perceptions of body image and of not being good at being “sick enough.” This can interfere with seeking treatment and can trigger intensification of self-destructive eating disorder behaviors.

Myth #14: Kids under age 15 are too young to have eating disorders

Although it is true that the average age at onset for anorexia nervosa is 17 years and bulimia nervosa is usually diagnosed in mid-to-late teens or early 20s, eating disorders have been diagnosed in children as young as seven or eight years of age.

Myth #15: Achieving normal weight means the anorexia is cured

Weight recovery is essential to enabling a person with anorexia to participate meaningfully in further treatment, such as psychological therapy. Recovering to normal weight does not in and of itself signify a cure, because eating disorders are complex medical/psychiatric illnesses.

*All information obtained from ANAD.org and NationalEatingDisorders.org.