Similarly, any signs of binge eating, self-induced vomiting, inappropriate use of diuretics and laxatives, absent or decreased menstruation, or obsessive overachieving behavior deserves a careful look. You should also watch for erosion of tooth enamel, excessive cavities, and gum infections. While it s always right for a parent to be concerned, don t let the media scare you. And please don t let your concerns prevent you from encouraging your daughter to participate in any sport she s interested in. Medical doctors, journalists, and others the public considers credible have a tremendous social responsibility to provide a balanced perspective on disease, illness, and injury.
History demonstrates that they have often failed to do so.
Their warnings kept some women away from this recreational sport. In the 1920s, following the first running of the women s 800 meters in the Olympic Games, a journalist erroneously reported that all 11 runners had collapsed. Doctors followed with cautions about women s lack of aerobic capabilities due to their smaller hearts, lungs, and circulatory systems, and the event was dropped from the Olympic program until the 1950s. Throughout the 1930s, doctors warned that high stress sports would negatively impact a female s reproductive system. In all these instances, the media and the medical profession were either wrong, exaggerated the prevalence of the problem, or failed to emphasize that the benefits of sport far outweighed the negative impacts.