So I’m watching television with my teenage daughter and there’s this person eating the couch cushion. So I assume this is Jackass or something and I don’t say anything until I see another person wearing a bunny suit while bowling and Easter is like months away. March Madness? And if that weren’t enough, another woman takes a handful of baby powder, but instead of covering a baby’s bottom, she eats the powder. And apparently has been doing so daily for the last two years. And everyone thinks Charlie Sheen has problems.
They are all suffering from pica, an eating disorder marked by unusual cravings and eating non-food items like dirt, metal or chalk. (Not sure about the one in the bunny suit. Just a strange addiction) Hey, I`ve told plenty of people in my day to eat dirt but have yet to come across anyone stupid enough to actually do so.
The Learning Channel, TLC, broadcasts a program titled ``Strange Addictions``. It features people with cravings from eating anything from toilet paper, household cleaner, glass and even soap. As a rotten kid I remember having had my mouth washed out with soap several times but I never swallowed. Paste yes, but never soap.
Pica is usually seen in children. Some 10 to 32 percent of kids aged 1-6 will attempt to eat stuff that isn`t actually food. I`m talking cat litter, dust bunnies, banana peels, shoes, socks, in other words, anything that can be found on the floor. Few studies exist surrounding the existence of the condition in adults however it has been found in pregnant woman. Pregnancy is a natural time for cravings to manifest themselves. Pickles and ice cream we can live with. Shards of glass making their way through your intestinal tract could potentially pose problems. OUCH!
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