Wednesday, August 28, 2002
Did you eat paint chips as a kid?
Boy you learn something new everyday don't you? I went to nutrition for the first time yesterday, and about halfway through the class, something awoke me from my nap. As a matter of fact it downright disturbed me, Mom thinks I've lost it, I keep mentioning it. It's one of those things that is just downright BIZZARE (if you have this affliction, let me apologize beforehand).
Have you ever heard of an eating disorder called PICA? It involves eating unusual things such as paper, soap, dirt, clay, paint chips, plaster, chalk, cornstarch, laundry starch, baking soda, coffee grounds, cigarette ashes, burnt match heads, cigarette butts, and rust. Glue, hair, buttons, paper, sand, toothpaste, soap, oyster shells, and broken crockery or wood (among many other things). Apparently it's a craving of some sort. WTF!!!! I'm sorry I just can't relate to this, I have NEVER eaten any of these things, much less craved the damn things. Some think it's caused be a nutrient deficiency. Well let me just say that I am sure I'm probably deficient in some sort of nutrient, but I damn sure don't eat dirt or paint chips. My teacher actually told us a story about a seminar they taught in West Texas near El Paso. She said that when they mentioned this disorder that such a large number of the ladies were familiar with it that they asked them to share with the room. They ended up taping all of the info and documenting it for study. The ladies claimed that when there had been a period of drought that after the first rain, everyone would go outside and scoop up the dirt in pans and eat it. I'm sorry but this just FREAKS me out a bit. I though it was interesting though and I just thought I'd share it and enlighten some of you.
♥Oh, so vintage... 7:32 PM
