Wednesday, 23 March 2011

  • Top 10 Bizarre Eating Disorders

     

    You go to your in law's house for dinner for the first time and you're expecting a nice pasta dish or something of the sort. Instead, on your plate is a stack of paper with wood bits sprinkled on top. Your wine glass next to your plate is filled with tiny shards of glass. Your significant other turns to you and says, "I forgot to tell you that my family has hyalophagia and xylophagia. I Hope you don't mind, Bon Appétit!"  

    You slowly back away...and then run!

    The truth is that there are people out there who really love the taste of wood and glass to the point where they are making themselves sick. Compared to other extreme eating disorders, eating paper and glass doesn't sound so bad. Here is a list of the top 10 bizarre eating disorders. 

    10. Anorexia                                                  
    Okay so anorexia may not be that bizarre but it is one of the most common eating disorders and it is characterized by the unrealistic fear of weight gain, self-starvation, and having a distorted body image. Did you know that some anorexics drink orange juice and lace it with cotton? They do this so that they feel a false sense of fulfillment for their hunger.

    9. Geophagy                                     
    Geophagy consists of eating earthy substances such as clay, soil, and mud, and is usually thought to augment a mineral-deficient diet. This eating disorder is controversial because some believe that it is indeed harmful because of the parasite eggs that can be passed in animal feces found in dirt. Others believe that there may be an adaptive benefit since humans and animals have engaged in geophagy for thousands of years.

    8. Xylophagia

    Kesha

    Xylophagia is the consumption of wood. People who have this usually consume things like pencils and tree bark or any other item that is made up of wood. The most popular form of xylophagia is the consumption of paper (click here to see Kesha's addiction to toilet paper on TLC's My Strange Addiction).

    7. Trichophagia                                     
    I am guilty of being the girl that twirls her hair around her finger when she is bored. There are also some people that pull out their hair for various reasons only known to them. Take it one step further and you have Trichophagia, which is the compulsive eating of hair. People who have this usually eat their own hair, although sometimes people may even eat the hair of others. The hair eventually collects in the gastrointestinal tract and can cause indigestion and stomach pain. In extreme cases, surgery is required to remove the large hairball that has accumulated inside the body.

    6. Hyalophagia

    Hyalophagia is when a person eats glass. Yes, glass. Sharp, hard, and crispy, how tasty! But seriously, this eating disorder is very dangerous because it has the possibility of cutting open the throat, stomach, and intestines as it passes through the body. 

    5. Urophagia
    Urophagia is the consumption of urine (your own or others). Urine was used in several ancient cultures for various health, healing, and cosmetic purposes and some of these practices are even used today. There is a practice known as urine therapy, a form of alternative medicine, that is used in Western culture. Another reason why a person may consume urine is for survival reasons if there is nothing else available. A third reason is due to sexual activity or masturbation. Some individuals incorporate urophagia into BDSM (Bondage Domination Submission And Masochism) activities. I do not see anything sexy about drinking urine, but hey, that’s just me!

    4. Anthropophagy 

    Anthropophagy means cannibalism. In the past, various groups in Europe, the Amazon Basin, and Fiji have been documented to have practiced cannibalism.
     
    3. Autosarcophagy 

    Autosarcophagy is self-cannibalism. Apparently some people enjoy how they taste. Literally. Some may do this for body modification such as eating their own skin. Autovampirism, or drinking one’s blood, also falls under autosarcophagy. "Who would want to eat themselves?" you may be wondering. Well, just ask Danish artist Marco Evaristti. On January 13, 2007, he hosted a dinner party for some friends and served  agnolotti pasta as the main dish. On top of the pasta was a meatball made out of the artist’s own fat that was removed by liposuction earlier in the year.   

    2. Coprophagia
    Coprophagia is the consumption of feces and although it is common among animals, it is very uncommon among humans. People who consume their own or another person’s feces risk contracting diseases such as hepatitis. 

    1. Necrophagia                                        
    Necrophagia is the act of a human eating dead human flesh (did you really think I was going to put a picture of this!?). As if this is not sick enough, there are some people that feel that human flesh is not tasty enough, so they let it partly decompose before digging in. 

    What do you think of these extreme eating disorders?

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  • Lindsey
    • From: Lindsey
    • Name: Lindsey
    • About Me: I recently graduated Baruch College with a major in journalism. I love cheese and chocolate...together =) I have two boxers and I hate feet. I am also very random. Oh and check out my blog =) http://himandher-again.blogspot.com
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