Eating of inedible objects (allotriophagy) by cats. What does a pet’s perverted taste preferences mean?

Health

It seems that only pregnant women sometimes suffer from perverted appetite, but recent studies have shown that unexpectedly a large number of Men suffer from a disorder called pica, which causes an appetite for inedible things such as dirt, chalk or sand.

Conducted in Madagascar, where pika is quite common, the research showed that there is a population in the world where the practice of eating inedible things is prevalent among men, scientists say. Why did such a disorder arise among men, since it is usually observed in pregnant women or children?

"I think previous studies have simply ignored men and for the most part studied pregnant women", says the author of the study Christopher Golden, eco-epidemiologist. Traditionally, studies of geophagy (earth consumption) and pica have described the condition as affecting pregnant women or children.

In 2009, Golden and his colleagues studied the behavior of some representatives of 16 villages in Madagascar, which are located in the area of ​​the Makira Nature Reserve. The study participants included both women and men. They were found to occasionally consume 13 inedible substances, including sand, soil, chicken droppings, raw rice, raw cassava root, charcoal, ash, and salt itself.

Approximately 53 percent of villagers surveyed reported eating inedible items. Among adult men, the peak was observed in 63 percent. Contrary to the stereotype, less than one percent of pregnant women reported consuming non-edible items exclusively during pregnancy.

Why eat dirt, chalk or raw rice?

Some people have claimed that they eat such things because of their healing properties, especially for relieving stomach problems, Golden said. Many people believe that pica benefits their body as a whole.

Previously, scientists believed that there were two reasons for the practice of peaking: to fill micronutrient deficiencies in the diet and to cleanse digestive system, get rid of worms.

Micronutrient deficiency can be explained in the case of pregnant women and children; their diet needs more certain substances than other people's diets.

However, scientists cannot confirm that human body really capable of absorbing trace elements from the soil, so pica, according to Golden, is completely useless for health.

Pika is characteristic not only rural population developing countries. For example, many Americans also eat inedible things, says Golden. "My college buddy used to eat chalk,- he said. – This is a fairly common phenomenon, although it is considered a shame, so it is rarely talked about."

Psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic Susan Albers speaks: "Pica is an appetite disorder that receives less attention and research than other eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. However, it is important to study this disorder because it can lead to serious health problems due to... for being together with inedible things harmful toxins may enter the body."

Other researchers believe that it is too early to label pica as a disorder or disease, since it is not clear whether this phenomenon can cause harm to humans. They believe further research is required.

Unexplained cravings to eat inedible items and perverted appetite, in medicine they are called parorexia. According to doctors, this is a violation eating behavior, is determined by strong psychological disorders, disease various organs, and in some cases it is a banal desire to become famous.

Metal

By the age of 57, French resident Michael Lotito managed to eat 18 bicycles, 15 carts, 7 televisions, 6 chandeliers, 2 beds, a Cessna 150 light aircraft (look at the photo, by the way, the weight of an unloaded aircraft is 504 kg, however, this is with all non-metallic “ stuffing") and even one coffin.

Doctors unanimously claim that Michael Lotilo has an extremely powerful stomach. Preparing your unusual dishes, Michael first grinds the metal, and then swallows the metal pieces, washing them down with plenty of water. The amount of metal he has eaten over the years proves that such an unusual delicacy does not cause any allergies in him, which cannot be said about ordinary bananas and hard-boiled eggs, which Michael categorically cannot stand.

Meat from animals killed on the roads

Such a delicacy does not cause the slightest disgust in Arthur Boyt from England. He is 72 years old, and for 35 of those years he has not denied himself the pleasure of eating a roast from a badger, cat, ferret or lizard that has fallen under the wheels of cars. Surprisingly, over all these years Arthur came across only healthy animals, and no sad consequences such a treat did not cause. Arthur is a taxidermist by profession, and he knows how to handle any meat professionally. In addition, he is a master at soaking and processing already spoiled meat, so even if the “catch” is not the freshest, it does not spoil the dinner or reduce the appetite.

Human blood

A 45-year-old woman from Pennsylvania does not suffer from severe hereditary disease porphyria, whose victims actually experience a craving for blood (though in modern conditions they don’t need to drink it – injections of a special medicine are quite enough). It just seems to her that by doing this, she becomes stronger and healthier. The woman claims that she is able to drink a whole gallon of blood, that is, almost 4.5 liters. This is the approximate volume of all the blood in the body of an adult and the maximum possible volume of the stomach of a trained glutton.

Petrol

The Chinese are known for their ability to eat anything. Hunger is not a problem. 71-year-old Cheng Yunyu, for example, is addicted to gasoline and drinks up to 3.5 liters of it per month. It all started when a fellow villager advised him to take a sip of kerosene to cure painful cough. The medicine worked, and then, as often happens with medicines, it became addictive. And now Cheng Yuniu drinks a good glass of gasoline every day.

Scorpios

Actually, Scorpios don’t quite fit into this selection. IN wildlife Scorpions are eaten not only by hedgehogs, lizards, birds and mongooses, but also by baboons. This means that if you just cook the scorpion correctly, it will be quite suitable for human food. Today, scorpion dishes are served not only in remote Asian villages, but also in elite restaurants in Europe and America. They say that you can get used to this delicacy very quickly, and fried scorpions taste like chips, and they even seem to have medicinal properties.

Sofa cushion filler

31-year-old Florida resident Adele Edwards has been known to eat pillow stuffing for over 20 years. The “trigger” for this unusual disorder was the divorce of her parents, which she had to go through at the age of 10. Trying to somehow calm down and distract herself, the girl first chewed the pillows, and then it came to actually eating the stuffing. Over the years eating disorder did not weaken, and today Adele says that the best sedative for her is a piece of stuffing rolled out in the mud. And Adele resorts to such a dangerous “antidepressant” so often that in a year she manages to eat the contents of 7 sofas and 3 pillows.

Ashes after cremation

Casey, 66, was suddenly widowed when her husband died of an asthma attack. Casey never wanted to part with him, and as a result, she began to carry a piece of his ashes with her everywhere. One day, by some accident, some of the ashes spilled onto her hand. The woman could not find the strength to simply shake it off, and licked everything that got on her skin. So an absurd accident gave rise to a serious disorder. Today Casey claims that she has already eaten almost a whole pound (about 450 grams) of ashes. This is approximately an eighth of the contents of the burial urn.

Soap

Multi-colored, pleasant-smelling, foaming soap quite often misleads children. Perhaps there are many among us who, in childhood, could not escape the temptation to taste a fragrant, glossy piece or sip on rainbow foam. The vast majority of children almost immediately understand that soap tastes much worse than it looks, and the consequences of such a treat are generally no good. But there are also those who like the taste of soap so much that they cannot get rid of the bad habit throughout their lives. For example, Tempest Henderson loves soap so much that she eats 5 bars every week. And no therapy can yet help her give up this highly toxic “delicacy.”

Urine

Urine drinking is such a common feature that it has even found acceptance as a method alternative medicine. They drink it, they wash themselves with it, they wash everything that can be washed with it. Traditional medicine recognizes only the external use of urine, and only in extreme cases. For example, a burn or injury to field conditions at complete absence disinfectants. But this remedy can only be used if the “donor” is perfectly healthy, otherwise additional infection will be guaranteed. Not a single survival instructor recommends drinking urine even when extremely thirsty - it contains too many salts and toxic substances. But all these highly scientific arguments do not at all cool the ardor of lovers of urine therapy.

Breast milk

Of course breast milk created by nature itself perfect nutrition, without which healthy body cannot form at all. Since it is often sorely lacking even for babies, adults never allow themselves to encroach on this delicacy and are content with cow, goat, sheep, horse, etc.

But London resident Tim Brown still uses breast milk for food. This precious product generously provides him with own daughter, while there is a possibility. The fact is that Tim has intestinal cancer, and having learned about the theory that his condition could be alleviated by breast milk, the family decided to try this remedy.

Allotriophagia (from the Greek words allotrios - alien, phagein - to eat) is a mental disorder in which the patient eats inedible objects.

Often the desire to eat inedible substances is found in mentally ill people.

The danger of the disorder is that patients can cause irreparable harm to themselves by swallowing sharp objects such as needles, glass, nails, paper clips or harmful chemicals.

Also, similar deviations can occur in disorders nervous system or during pregnancy in women.

Manifestations

The name “allotriophagy” can be borne by 2 manifestations.

1. Eating of objects not intended for human consumption by people with dementia and other mental illnesses. Often with schizophrenia, patients have a strong uncontrollable desire to swallow an inedible substance. A similar disorder occurs in ordinary people who are completely healthy mentally and physically, but this is only isolated cases. During pregnancy, women sometimes have a desire to eat something inedible, chalk, for example, or lime.
2. In another case, allotriophagy manifests itself due to a perversion of the child’s appetite. In this case, mental retardation, schizophrenia or any other mental disorders are not observed. Data from various sources indicate that in the form of independent disorder the disease occurs with a frequency of 10-32 per 100 children.

Symptoms most often appear in preschoolers age period from 1 to 6 years. The older the child becomes, the less frequently the disorder appears. Children with this disorder may eat dirt, stones, or paint, consuming these items in addition to or instead of normal food.

Substances are often consumed in large quantities, which poses a great danger to the body. A child over 18 months old in his usual environment and with normal development can distinguish edible from inedible substances. A child is capable of identifying an inedible object already at the age of 2 – 2.2 years.

Allotriophagy causes significant damage human health not only as an independent disease. By consuming substances unsuitable for food, patients provoke secondary disorders.

Swallowing substances containing chemicals carries a huge risk of toxins entering the body and causing intestinal obstruction. All these disorders entail more than serious consequences. IN as a last resort Treatment with surgery may be required.

Causes

Despite the fact that allotriophagy in childhood has no specific reasons, there are several etiological factors disorders:

• pathological relationships between the child and his relatives;
• lack of vitamins, amino acids and other elements necessary for the child in the body;
• specific cultural traditions and customs that shape ideas about what is edible and inedible, promote the eating of soil, wood, glue, etc.

There are known cases of eating garbage, toilet paper, animal food and other unusual, and often dangerous, items for humans.

These types of disorders occur due to the underdevelopment of some organs in children - psychosocial dwarfism.

An equally common cause of allotriophagy is deficiency useful microelements in nutrition.

Nutritional deficiency

1. Eating dirt. Both adults and children sometimes have an irresistible desire to taste dirt. This occurs due to iron deficiency when the body receives too little nutrients. This deficiency is called “anemia” and can lead to strange eating habits, and even a desire to taste dirt or clay. For a person of any age, eating dirt is extremely dangerous, as it can lead to lead poisoning and other equally serious problems with health. This is treated by increasing iron levels to normal levels.
2. Desire to bite ice. Lack of iron in the bodies of adults and children often causes a strong craving for eating ice. Increasing iron levels to normal can solve the problem. Treating iron deficiency is important because ice can cause significant damage to teeth.
3. Desire to chew wood. The consequences of poor nutrition can be expressed in the need to chew wood, matches or mothballs. The reason for this is again a lack of iron. A symptom of this deficiency can also be a desire to eat charcoal. Treatment here is not just important, it is vital, because wood can cause mechanical damage oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, intestines.
4. Eating soap. The craving of children and adults to eat soap is affected by a lack of zinc. But reduced level iron also causes the need to eat soap. The use of this substance is fraught with the appearance of ulcers in the throat and mouth.

Treatment

There is currently no medicine to eliminate allotriophagy. specific treatment with the help of medications. The patient should work with a professional nutritionist to address nutritional deficiencies. Increasing nutrient levels occurs through dietary treatments.

These methods are mostly psychotherapeutic. Several such methods can be listed:

• family therapy;
• positive reinforcement;
• aversive therapy;
• modeling;
• limitation from psychosocial stress.

Positive stimulation is also very common. Scientists have proven that in some cases, allotriophagy manifests itself less frequently, or even ceases to manifest itself, with an increase in the variety of play material necessary for the child.

Eating inedible things, clay is a nuisance.

Hail is joy.

The stylus is the road.

The putty is a surprise.

Pencil, arsenic, sealing wax - gossip.

Leather, tin - good luck.

Koru - joy, knowledge of truth.

Paint, tow, plaster, corks, lead - a nuisance.

Soap, chalk, dust, soot, saltpeter, snot, ice, snow - joy.

Copper - sadness.

Manure is an obstacle.

Hemp, rope, ashes - a gift.

Sand, candle - loss.

Flame is wealth.

Resin is news.

Straw is a disease.

Glass is an obstacle in business.

Seru news.

Tobacco - wedding.

Coals are profit.

Phosphorus, silk - well-being.

Husk is a nuisance.

Wool is sadness.

Amber is a surprise.

Alum is a disease.

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Dream Interpretation - Household Items

Our lives are filled with so many things that it is almost impossible to consider the meaning of each of them.

The most everyday objects found their description in the dream dictionary.

Pica (from Latin Pica - “magpie”) is the desire to eat inedible objects. Eating inedible objects can be due to various reasons. In psychiatry, this is considered an eating disorder. Moreover, eating inedible objects during pica can be varied. People eat earth, stones, chalk, eat their own hair, pieces of epidermis from the head, earwax, paper, some people eat feces (coprophagia).

Causes and symptoms of pica

Pica is an eating disorder and is included in the same group as diseases such as bulimia and anorexia nervosa. Typically, eating inedible objects occurs in early childhood(desire to try everything by tooth). In adults, pica may be considered a symptom of severe mental disorder, For example schizophrenia or mental retardation. With a prolonged pattern of consumption of inedible things in children, one might think about autism. It is worth distinguishing true pica from the behavior of people with delusional and overvalued ideas, confident that eating inedible objects will improve their well-being (for example, urine therapy).

However, the survey revealed that some groups of people who consume inedible items as food suffer from a deficiency of certain microelements and minerals in organism. For example, with anemia and iron deficiency or during pregnancy. IN in this case pica does not play any role from a diagnostic point of view mental illness. Although it brings quite a bit of discomfort in the life of such a person.

Often, to relieve hunger, patients anorexia nervosa suffer from pica. Satisfying your hunger by eating inedible items.

Quite common symptoms of pica are constipation and bloating.

How is pica treated?

Treatment for pica depends on the causes of its occurrence. In cases of mineral deficiency, special preparations containing required amount trace elements and minerals in combination with a special diet.

If the cause of pica is of a mental nature, then treatment should be carried out with the help of special drugs under the supervision of a psychiatrist.