Geophagia: Is It Abnormal or Adaptive?

Environment also plays a key factor in pica disorder. In other countries eating odd item is the norm because it is necessary for them to survive. In many subsaharan African countries, because of malnutrition many people are desperate for food and will turn to inedible sources such as dirt and clay in order to stay alive. This is a sad way of life, but it is also harmful to the human body because our bodies were not meant to digest such harsh things like dirt and clay. Many people in Africa end up perishing from clogged digestive tracks, they cannot pass it and it

Eating disorder is the abnormal eating behavior that would negatively impact one’s health, emotions and ability to function in important areas of life. Eating disorders include several categories: binge eating disorder, which means people eat large amount in a short period, anorexia nervosa which people eat very little, bulimia nervosa which people eat a lot and then try to rid themselves of food, pica which people eat non-food items, rumination disorder means people regurgitate food, avoidant food intake means that people have a lack of interest in food, and other specified eating disorders (ANAD). There is believed to be no single cause for eating disorders, as all the biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors contribute to this illness. Studies have shown that specific chromosomes may be associated with bulimia and anorexia (NY times). Eating disorders may also be caused by imbalance of serotonin and dopamine which explain why people who have anorexia

Eating disorders are in no way, to be considered “no big deal”. It affects the lives of many poor unsuspecting human beings and in some cases, fatally takes lives. This topic presents many things that most people don’t know. Such as the fact that bulimia nervosa has similar symptoms to using the drug heroin! Rotten teeth, pale and dry skin, and even failing organs are usually signs that someone may have bulimia. There are always key signs and factors to recognizing an eating disorder. Eating disorders are serious. We all should be aware of the affect it has on an individual, and if anyone knows or sees a person struggling with an eating disorder, outreaching and a simple hand in the right direction can save a life. Eating disorders get in the mind of an individual, then ruin the body, then finally ruin the mind.

Despite being the weirdest eating disorder it is very common in little kids. Pica makes others want to eat non-food substance things such as paper, glue, dirt, clay, etc… Pica can be very dangerous and cause lead poisoning and iron-deficiency. The following information will inform people about what pica is, signs of it, why people eat non-food substances,and finally the treatment.

Pica is a disorder in which you have an appetite or weird craving for things that have no nutritional value. There is no age limit for the disease; anyone can have Pica at any point in time. Pica can be associated with mental and stress related disorders. Stress factors such as family issues, pregnancy,

Many individuals ponder how remarkable it is that humans have lasted this long in a world full of war and through chaotic times. One element that has helped humanity is the use of medicine and healthcare systems. Medicine and healing have been around for many centuries, and has made countless advances in the system and cures to diseases within many civilizations. Instead of discussing the change of medicine over all time and around the world, we will narrow the ways in which a civilization heals their sick into a smaller time period and this period was the era of the Ancient and Medieval Worlds. In the Ancient and Medieval Worlds, medicine and health were very important to help the ill and infirm, and many medical techniques were developed

Egyptians were considered some of the best doctors in ancient times, starting from the Stone Age and onward. Written documents and cave carvings found from this time period suggests that they were highly advanced for their time, particularly in the impressive knowledge of human anatomy. For example, the Edwin Smith papyrus lay out a myriad of surgical treatments for a certain type of injury, giving many historians insight on how Egyptians operated in the field. (Lawrence 444) The Edwin Smith papyrus was divided into sections: title, examination, diagnosis, and treatment, a clear sign of the vast amounts of understanding in medicine. (Schlager 94) It is said that medicine became a main focus in the civilization due to the fear of illness and

      Another disorder alluded to in the story is pica. Pica is generally defined as "a pathological craving for normal food constituents or for substances not commonly regarded as food" (Danford 303). It is said to be the most frequently observed eating dysfunction of mentally handicapped persons, particularly long-term schizophrenics or those with marked personality disorders (Decker 551 - 552). While no specific reference to the heroine actually eating non-foods exists in the story, references to missing

Pica disorder is defined as the persistent ingestion of substances that are non-nutritive. The name for this harmful disorder comes from a latin word meaning “magpie,” which implies that the people with this disorder will eat anything, even when there is no nutritional value. This disorder is qualified as an eating disorder as well as a mental health disorder, making it very interesting to research in medical laboratories. Often occurring in young kids, pica disorder can lead to devastating results including death. This disorder has doubled in hospital stays from 1999-2009, which makes it a disorder to watch out for in the hospital because of the little knowledge people know about this disease (Brynie 2011).

Pica is the persistent eating of substances with no nutritional value such as wood, hair, ice, dried paint flakes, plastics or wires. (Cynthia R. Ellis, MD April 2016) Pica is most common in people with developmental disabilities like autism, people with intellectual disabilities and in children between the ages of 2 and 3. It can also affect women during pregnancy. (Mary L. Gavin, MD April

People tend to have cravings every once in a while. Those that have been pregnant before may have a better understanding of this. Sometimes, these cravings can be a sign of something wrong internally. Did you know that craving items that are not food is a disorder? Many do not. The name of this craving disorder is called Pica.(Lackey, Carolyn J, 2013) Pica got its name from the Latin language. In Latin, Pica means magpie. Magpie is a bird that eats literally everything. Pica is a pattern of eating nonfood items.(Barkoukis, 2008). This pattern must go on for more than a month for it to become a disorder. In a month’s span, one could ingest many different items of non food. (Just think about how much you will eat on just a daily basis, and imagine the amount of nonfood items people eat!) Some of these nonfood items those with this disorder may consume are: dirt, animal feces, cigarette butts, matches, clay, paint, ice, sand, and even hairballs. (Barkoukis, 2008).

Pica; a disorder in which an individual craves or ingests items that have no nutritional content and are non edible substances. You often hear of people who decide to try to eat paper to see how it tastes, or who try dirt to see what the consistency is, this is not considered pica disorder. Pica is only labeled once these actions have occurred for over a month and generally at an age or in a mental state where it is considered developmentally inappropriate. Pica is almost always not started at random, it is

Non-historical definitions of adaptations are more useful for modern interpretations of adaptations. Gould and Vrba’s hypothesis finally addressed the origin of the adapation and claimed “an adaptation was a trait whose “historical genesis” was due to the same selective pressure as that which currently maintains the trait.” An adaptation which no longer had a selective pressure was named an

Rumination Syndrome is an eating disorder that makes people feel the need to regurgitate their food repeatedly. This disorder is sometimes voluntary but most commonly is involuntary which means, it is not by choice. How to diagnose rumination is the person does not respond to standard treatment for gastroesophageal reflux, does not occur during sleep, does not show symptoms of inflammatory, anatomic, metabolic, or neoplastic sickness, does not show wrenching or nausea, and also starts regurgitation within a given amount of time. Rumination is most frequently found in infants, but in rare occasions is found in adults. This has been associated with neglect, high stress families, and lack of stimulation as an infant. The description of the disorder is that the person eating usually will eat food, but one to two hours later they will start to regurgitate so called “cud” and chew it repeatedly then swallow or spit out

This article gives a basic definition of bulimia, which states that it is the act of binge eating and then purging in a n effort to prevent weight gain. It also says that the physiological thinking behind this disorder has yet to be discovered. Over al the article and its context seem to be reliable it often refers to research and experiments that have been