Eating disorder seminar set for Dec. 2 in Corning

The importance of communication between the brain and gut and its impact on our health will be explored on Dec. 2 at the 18th Annual Erin Leah Robarge Memorial Eating Disorder Seminar in Corning.

The seminar, “The Brain - Gut Connections: The Revolution in Eating Disorder Treatment,” is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 2 at Radisson Hotel Corning. The seminar is open to eating disorder professionals, patients, their families and the public.

Dr. Laura Hill

“Research is increasingly focused on the relationship between neurobiology and eating disorders,” said Carolyn Hodges Chaffee, MSRDN, CEDRD, owner and director of Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service and one of the seminar’s co-sponsors. “Neurobiology that can help clinical practice best support people with eating disorders will be explored. Research has shown that changing gut bacteria using diet affects brain function, and can provide information to help develop new strategies to prevent or treat digestive, mental, and neurological disorders.

“The workshop will look at how a better

understanding of this connection will revolutionize the treatment of eating disorders and other mental health disorders.”

There are two keynote speakers:

The morning speaker is clinical psychologist Dr. Laura Hill, Ph.D., FAED, the chief executive and clinical officer with the Center for Balanced Living in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Hill, a past keynote speaker, returns to talk about the latest research in the brains of patients with bulimia and anorexia. “Dr. Hill has been instrumental in developing the first neurologically based treatment for anorexia nervosa with Dr. Walter Hill,” Chaffee said.

April Winslow

The afternoon keynote speaker is April Winslow, MSRDN, CEDRD, a psychiatric registered dietitian and the founder of Choose To Change Nutritional Services in San Jose, Calif. Winslow will talk about the communication between the brain and gut and how understanding this can help lead to the development of new strategies to treat digestive, mental and neurological disorders. "We know that gut function plays a very important role in revolutionizing the treatment of eating disorders." Carolyn said.

Early registration is $100 by Nov. 25. After Nov. 25, it is $125. There are discounts for businesses, students, and families. Call (607) 732-5646 for more information.

The seminar was established in memory of Erin Leah Robarge, who died in 2000 after a long struggle with an eating disorder. She was 23 years old. The other co-sponsors are ClearPath Healing Arts Center in Corning and Ophelia’s Place in Liverpool, N.Y.

Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service is home to the Nutrition Clinic and Sol Stone Center. The Nutrition Clinic is an outpatient clinic committed to helping eating disorder patients make permanent, healthy lifestyle changes. The Sol Stone Center is a nationally recognized partial hospitalization program that specializes in treating people who have been unresponsive to outpatient care and/or people discharged from inpatient or residential settings.

Body image documentary showing in Big Flats, Ithaca, Vestal and Binghamton

A documentary about body image activist Taryn Brumfitt’s fight to encourage women to be more accepting of their bodies will be shown on different nights in the coming weeks in Big Flats, Vestal, Binghamton, and Ithaca.

Tickets for “Embrace: Your Body, The Movement, Global Change” are $12.70 each except in Ithaca, where tickets are $13.20 each. The 90-minute movie is not rated.

The movie schedule and links for tickets by location:

Ithaca: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Regal Cinemas’ Ithaca Mall Stadium 14 theater on Catherwood Road (https://gathr.us/screening/17984).

Big Flats: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Regal Cinemas’ Arnot Mall 10 theater on Chambers Road (https://gathr.us/screening/17974).

Vestal: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 at the AMC Vestal Towne Square 9 theater on Vestal Parkway (https://gathr.us/screening/18066).

Binghamton: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 23 at the Regal Cinemas’ Binghamton Stadium 12 theater on Front Street  (https://gathr.us/screening/17915).

Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service of Elmira, home of the Nutrition

Taryn Brumfitt

Clinic and Sol Stone Center, is sponsoring the Big Flats and Vestal showings. There are also Nutrition Clinic offices in Vestal and Ithaca.

"It's one of the best films I've seen on body image,” said Carolyn Hodges Chaffee, MS, RDN, CEDRD, the owner and director of Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service. “You leave the movie feeling very positive about all shapes and sizes. There have been several films on body image, but this is one of the first that actually accomplishes a positive feeling toward all."

Brumfitt founded the Body Image Movement after before-and-after photos of her on Facebook sparked controversy. The before photo showed Brumfitt at a bodybuilding competition in 2012, and a second photo showed her sitting naked later that year after she had gained weight.

She told Cosmopolitan magazine: “I loved how I looked in the second shot — I saw a sexy, confident woman. I thought it would be good to share the photos with my friends – to make the point that you can feel good about the ways in which your body changes.”

The photos have had more than 3.6 million views and about 20,000 people shared it, she told Cosmopolitan. Since then, Brumfitt said she has been trying to help redefine and rewrite the ideals of beauty.

“Our job is to harness and facilitate positive body image activism by encouraging women to be more accepting of who they are, to use positive language regarding their bodies and others, and to prioritize health before beauty,” she wrote on her website (bodyimagemovement.com). 

Body image movie coming to Big Flats on Nov. 7

A documentary about body image activist Taryn Brumfitt’s fight to encourage women to be more accepting of their bodies will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at Regal Cinemas’ Arnot Mall 10 movie theater in Big Flats.

Taryn Brumfitt

Tickets for “Embrace: Your Body, The Movement, Global Change” are $11 and can be purchased online at https://gathr.us/screening/17974. The 90-minute movie is not rated. A minimum of 60 tickets need to be sold for the movie to be shown.

"It's one of the best films I've seen on body image,” said Carolyn Hodges Chaffee, MS, RDN, CEDRD, the owner and director of Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service in Elmira, the sponsor of the Nov. 7 showing of the movie. “You leave the movie feeling very positive about all shapes and sizes. There have been several films on body image, but this is one of the first that actually accomplishes a positive feeling toward all."

Brumfitt founded the Body Image Movement after a before-and-after photo in 2013 on Facebook of Brumfitt sparked controversy. The before photo showed Brumfitt at a bodybuilding competition in 2012, and a second photo showed her sitting naked later that year after she had gained weight.

She told Cosmopolitan magazine: “I loved how I looked in the second shot — I saw a sexy, confident woman. I thought it would be good to share the photos with my friends – to make the point that you can feel good about the ways in which your body changes.” The photo has had more than 3.6 million views and about 20,000 people shared it, she told Cosmopolitan. Since then, Brumfitt has been on a worldwide quest to redefine and rewrite the ideals of beauty, she said.

“Our job is to harness and facilitate positive body image activism by encouraging women to be more accepting of who they are, to use positive language regarding their bodies and others, and to prioritize health before beauty,” she wrote on her website (bodyimagemovement.com). “Our goal is to reach as many women as possible around the world and speak to them about how we can learn to fully embrace and love our bodies.”

Upstate New York Eating Disorder Service is home to the Nutrition Clinic and Sol Stone Center. 

The Nutrition Clinic is an outpatient clinic committed to helping eating disorder patients make permanent, healthy lifestyle changes.

The Sol Stone Center is a nationally recognized partial hospitalization program that specializes in treating people who have been unresponsive to outpatient care and/or people discharged from inpatient or residential settings.