European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 19, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday february 19, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 17 consuming non food items the suffering of people with pica1 byway Teyoung United press International t he teacher s problem was  of writing with the stuff she was eating it five or six Sticks each  is one of the possible millions of people who has what is called Pica the craving and consuming of non food items. It is a lot More common than most people realize because no one talks about it said or. Gerald w. Peas a new York physician who successfully broke the teacher of her Chalk habit. In some Tow Socle economic populations it s As High As 40 or 60  Chalk Clay laundry starch ice cubes plaster dirt tinfoil and paper Are just a sampling of some of the things consumed by people with Pica and sufferers usually crave a single substance. Some Pica sufferers crave their own hair eating it by the handfuls until it wads in their stomachs and requires surgery. Most Picas Are not fatal but they can cause Vitamin deficiencies ulcers stomach upsets and psychological problems according to doctors who have studied the disorder. Plea to common among children who usually outgrow the condition by their fifth or sixth year. Laws within the last 20 years designed to limit the amount of Lead in House paint were a direct result of children who eat paint chips said Darla Danford a researcher at the National Academy of sciences in Washington . There have been a lot of studies about children and Pica but very few on adults and fewer still on adult men Danford said. We know it s prevalent because every time we look for it specifically in a population we find significant numbers doctors Are not sure if Picas Are caused by Vitamin and Mineral deficiencies or if they Are a Learned social habit. Santord said whole neighbourhoods in some Southern states Are known to eat Clay out of specific Clay pits and will even ship care packages of the Clay to relatives and friends who have moved on. Poor Black women pick up the habit of eating laundry starch from Mother to daughter according to Deas he says he knows one starch company is aware its product is bought primarily for human consumption rather than As an additive to laundry. This starch is Chunky it sort of cracks said Deas who specializes in Pica. It tastes Bland and Chalky but i be had patients eat a Pound to two pounds a Day. Laundry starch is primarily a Black concern he said. Black people Are familiar with the old tales that starch whitened baby s skin. The habit just stayed  most people with Pica suffer from Iron or Zinc deficiencies but doctors Are not sure if the deficiency triggers the craving or if the craving creates the deficiency. Many of the common substances such As Clay and laundry starch consumed by people with Pica prevent Iron and other minerals and vitamins from being absorbed by the body. Still Many doctors believe people with Pica had a Vitamin or Mineral deficiency in the first place. Their craving for non food items was then reinforced socially by those around them. Historical studies show slaves in the West indies and America were notorious for their Picas eating dirt to supplement their meager diets until they died. Common practice was not to improve the diets but to muzzle the offenders. It was suicide the Only Way they could said Deas. Picas Are also common in institutions and among pregnant women said Danford. Institutionalized people with the condition often resort to eating their hair. Because other substances Are removed from them. Many pregnant women crave As Well  for food rather than non food items. We All know the joke about the pregnant woman wanting ice Cream and pickles said Danford. Well that s a form of a Pica  Danford mid along Ico cubes is a common form of Pica experienced by non pregnant Middle class women. She said people with this Pica can Chew up to five Gallons of ice a Day ruining their Teeth if not their appetite. Often the substance craved in Pica has no real taste to it she said. They seem to be More interested in the feel the texture. That s Why it is common in Little children. They re in that Oral  How to ease the pain of arthritis Erma Bombeck la my husband would have to do is to look at me and say. My god Ermal with your Girth you should be an 85-foot  it would Hurt. I d cry a Little. Go to my room. Maybe slam a door or two. Get a divorce but  it would motivate me to lose a few pounds. But does he do that no he just shrugs and lays one of his cute lines on me like. Eat whatever you want. You re an  did you catch the sarcasm what i want to eat is Hershey pa., and Cocoa Beach Fla. I know where he s coming from. He figures if he can keep me in elastic waistbands i la have deep seated feelings of gratitude that he stays married to me. So every Chance he gets he throws in a comment to break Down my self esteem and my discipline. Lucky for me when i diet i Don t have the usual by Mary Gabriel United press International Ore than 40 million people in America suffer from arthritis ranging in severity from an aching Finger to total disability but Many can relieve their pain with the help of remedies from grandma s attic. These simple treatments will not cure arthritis sufferers of their disorders but May help them get through the Day. People with chronic pain look for a magic cure but it can be managed with easy remedies in almost All cases said Karen Krug spokeswoman for the Maryland chapter of the arthritis foundation. Though the remedies Are simple they Are not quack cures Krug said warning that people should be suspicious of vaccines and  today this quackery ranges from wearing Copper bracelets to complicated electrical procedures she said. All it really takes to help ease the pain that makes opening a a or bending Over to pick up a paper impossible is heat and learning to use those joints that Are not affected. During cold Winter months Many people like to warm up by taking a hot Shower or sleeping under an electric Blanket. For people with arthritis heat treatments such As these can help aching joints feel better Krug said. Arthritis affects people from infancy Onward and is classified into More than 100 categories including the  considered a part of growing old crippling rheumatoid arthritis and Lupus which can affect Many organs. Krug mid Tow a conditions flair up at different times of the Day and year and can be effected by climate. Some people Are More comfortable in the Winter than in the summer it s not a consistent Type of thing. Eskimos have a lower incidence of arthritis than any other people she said. The arthritis foundation suggests some remedies for those people suffering during these Winter months of erratic weather hot Baths or showers using water temperatures of 100 degrees fahrenheit. Warm moist towels wrapped around joints. Hot water bottles and electric heating pads. Paraffin Baths to be used under the supervision of a physician or therapist. But if a joint is hot to the touch Krug said applying extreme cold will ease the pain and maintain mobility. Exercise is also a recommendation of the foundation and Many doctors who treat arthritis. The foundation estimates there Are at least 40 million victims of arthritis in the United states half of whom require medical care. At least 250,000 victims Are children. Estimated costs include More than $1.5 billion a year in medical care and More than $4.7 billion annually in lost wages. Irritability and paranoia that goes with it. I can handle his insensitivity. Like the other Day at lunch i was nibbling on whole wheat pita bread stuffed with Toma toes and bean sprouts when my husband said can i get you something while i m up the oldest trick in the world. And you think you know what you be married. He was t being polite. He was waiting for me to say How about two folding chairs in front of the refrigerator i know you can t dissect every line they use but when a husband looks at his wife who is on a diet and says need anything while i m out we re talking insensitive. I could Tell you stories about my husband s callous Ness while i m dieting that would curl your hair. Once he tasted a dessert i had made in the blonder that brought together skim milk Goat cheese and liver Maraschino Cherry optional. He touched his Tongue to it and said. This does t taste too  is that supposed to make me feel Good if my husband really loved me he would never have waited until i got into bed the other night and then asked did you lock the Back door i know it sounds innocent enough but he knew i d get out of bed walk the length of the House and not have the strength to get Back without eating two cold Chicken wings in the refrigerator. There was no doubt in my mind he had been waiting All Day to Lay that line on me. As i returned to bed he said How Long have you been eating Carrot Sticks and drinking Blue milk this time Twenty four hours i snapped. Why Are you dieting you look All right to  see what i mean a would t say that unless he was seeing someone else. C us lot a wlm Tymn syndic it