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cuinhollywood · 01-22-2011, 06:34 PM

I crave wall paint and fabric softener. When i see or smell them. i really just wanna drink it so bad! paint reminds me of a milk shake and fabric softener looks like milk and it looks really good lol im not pregnant (im only 16) my mom says its lack of some vitamin. what vitamin could that be? what does fabric softener and paint have in common?

p.s. i drink plenty of milk, i dont think im lacking in the dairy area

janewhite1 · 01-23-2011, 08:09 AM

The proper medical name for an urge to eat inedible things is pica. It is believed that it is usually due to mineral deficiency. In a young woman, the most common mineral deficiency is anemia, lack of IRON.

A very rapid blood test can check your iron level. Might be worth considering. Or, you could just try an iron supplement. Don't take more than recommended, however, as excess iron can be toxic.

sjb · 01-28-2011, 03:30 PM

Hi another thing that may cause abnormal cravings is possibly a low zinc level. The hair can be cut and sent to a special lab by a naturopath specialist to see how the zinc levels are in the body. Hope this may also help.

slenderella · 01-28-2011, 04:35 PM

I chewed on ice cubes for many years, thinking it was just a bad habit and I loved ice cubes. Turns out it was a form of pica, and it was my iron level that was very low. Once my level was normalized the urge to chew ice went away totally.

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