Eating disorders have one of the highest mortality rates of any illness —about 10 to 20 percent. furthermore, there is a .5 percent prevalence nationwide, a statistic that is much greater in the case of both college students and athletes. These circumstances added to the meaning and significance of “Before and After Image,” a discussion panel on eating disorders sponsored by the Student Health Center and Personal Counseling Center.

the panel provided students with information about eating disorders from a variety of professionals in the medical, psychological, and nutrition fields. They gave significant details of symptoms and trends to audience members to look for if they suspect that one of their friends have a eating problem.

Suzanne Bornschein, M.D., medical director at the Student Health Center, spoke about how disorder eating is like any other illness — there is a spectrum of mild and severe circumstances.

in addition, there are different kinds of disorder eating that involve restricting diet as well as binging and purging. it is not only females who suffer from this illness. About 10 percent of those who have an eating disorder are male. it is common in wrestlers who have to make their routine weight requirement.

“Just because you do not fit into a certain criteria does not mean you do not have an eating disorder,” said Bornschein. “You do not have to fit a category in order to be suffering and to be hurt.”

the panel went further than to merely explain the physical symptoms of disorder eating, many of which are common knowledge to the general public. They discussed how people with anorexia nervosa are usually in denial of the seriousness of their actions.

“They have ignored hunger long enough that they lose all understanding of their body,” said Bornschein.

“It becomes a personal competition with themselves, an obsessive-compulsive behavior.”

she also pointed out that people with eating disorders are often motivated, driven individuals who do well in school. They are often the people who would never be suspected of crying out inside.

“It is extremely hard work to do all of these things and to live a normal lifestyle,” said Bornschein. “It takes a lot of drive, which causes a lot of individuals to have anxiety as well.”

Michelle Smith, a dietician in Providence, also reflected on her experience working with people who practice disordered eating.

“It is hard to identify individuals suffering from bulemia because they actually eat,” said Smith. “You can look for signs of them going to the bathroom regularly within 30 minutes or one hour after eating. often they will be strict all day, and binge at night.”

Symptoms also include pushing food around on their plate, cooking for other people, or talking about food and never actually consuming.

the speakers urged students to talk to professionals at the Student Health Center or Personal Counseling Center if they are concerned about their own eating habits or those of a friend.

Troy, Mo. (KSDK) — An impetigo outbreak at Troy Buchanan High School strikes six students and one is in the hospital. His mother says he contracted the contagious skin condition from mats at wrestling practice.

It started out as a small splotch on his neck, but two days later it spread.

“It is life changing,” said Jenifer Duggins.

Duggins said it’s the schools fault her 17-year-old son contracted a form of herpes as well as impetigo.

His throat is filled with dozens of sores, and his right eye, is covered with infection- blurring his vision.

“I want the school to wake up and take care of the kids the way they should be taken care of,” said Duggins.

Instead, Duggins says the mats carried a problem. she suspects they weren’t cleaned often. Now six students have come down with similar symptoms, and all of them are on the wrestling team.

“I want the coaches to pay attention,” said Duggins.

The school says its not possible for anyone to catch anything here, especially since these mats are disinfected daily.

“We also mandate that the wrestlers shower after practice with a cleanser, which is a germicide,” said Community Relations Specialist, April Bryant.

Bryant said skin-to-skin contact didn’t help the situation, but insists the school was doing its part before this happened and will continue to do so.

“We’ve implemented a pandemic cleaning procedure that we have in our crisis plan, just to be on the safe side,” said Bryant.

Duggins’s son won’t return to the mat. Doctors said there’s no guarantee his vision will return either.

Duggins said the prognosis for her son isn’t clear right now. the school said the students who were infected will not be allowed to return to the mat until they are cleared by a doctor.

KSDK