It is a fact that our body contains fatty acid and its correlatives but is it normal to consume it in the form of a “Soap”?
Sounds weird?! Right! But that is the sort of information we will be sharing with you all in this article.
Soap or complimentary products is a mean of cleansing and disinfecting the body of germs, externally. It is of extensive use in our daily lives, hence, it would be difficult for us to proceed with our activities without this commodity. But, using it in other ways or specifically for the purpose of eating is not only awkward by sound but by action as well. Although, some people are addicted to this habit on a routine basis.
You all must have seen or at least heard about some people who are fond of performing this activity. One might think if such people actually run out of food or how can a normal person find it yummy!
Well, these are common reactions of our society due to which such individuals avoid expressing their habits by the fear of being ridiculed.
Below, we have tried to state in detail about the love of people for Soaps!
Is it a Disorder?
We are not actually declaring you all as a Sick person but yes it actually is an aberrant characteristic which comes under this category. “Pica” is the name of this peculiar condition, in which a person is fond of ingesting nonnutritive substances. This practice usually continues for a month before it prolongs as a threatening disorder. It highly depends on the type of material the person is obsessed about, some might be toxic and lethal while others cause no harm to a human body.
Why do people have Pica?
We can call it an unfamiliar habit but scientifically there is a cause behind every abnormal proceeding of a living body. Although, no proper reason has been determined as yet researches report that it might be due to any nutritional deficiency. It can be the expression of our body about some crucial content that is absent from our diet and needs to be taken as well as stress and environmental conditions. Furthermore, social and cultural norms can also lead to such traditions which later become a part of the lifestyle for specific communities and gets carried by generations.
Clinical manifestations of this disorder?
Like every disease, this one has some medical manifestation as well which can be observed in the affected individual. The most common ones are of the digestive system, which gets damaged by the harmful constituents of soap and leads to constipation, ulceration and even intestinal obstructions. The pathway to our GIT ( Gastrointestinal tract) is the mouth where the teeth are also under threat of severe tooth abrasion, and surface tooth loss.
Complications that require attention
Not every disease is deadly but some conditions require our immediate concern or can even cost a life. In Pica, severe toxicity can have an adverse effect over the nervous, circulatory, endocrine, digestive, cardiovascular and renal systems. Mild constipation by soap intake can even lead to hazardous hemorrhage and ultimately death. Also, there can be zinc and iron deficiency syndrome, particularly in the children of growing ages.
Can eating soap cause death?
Pica is generally not always life-threatening one, although an uncontrolled Pica can become a lethal disease. It is directly dependent on the kind of substance being consumed, in this case which is a soap – fatty acids and salts. The ingredients of soap are usually non-toxic and thus do not cause poisoning directly, due to which we can say that eating it would not cause death immediately.
How can we diagnose it?
Scientists have also come up with solutions which are helpful in finding out about this disorder in a particular population. However, there is no sequential process of diagnosis but we can surely assess the consequences of this condition with the help of screening of blood lead concentrations. According to the researches that had been carried out, children aged 1-2 living in abodes built around 1950 are more susceptible to it. Also, the places in which such aged children are found to have elevated blood levels can be affected with this. In order to detect the ingested substances, radiography and endoscopy techniques are involved.
How can it be cured?
Mostly, children are the victim of this condition, it is least common in adults and adolescents. There is no proper cure discovered as yet for Pica, although there are ways to lessen down the symptoms or prevent the clinical manifestations from worsening. The most common treatment is via the medication, drugs can help to enhance dopaminergic functioning. For coping up with stress, psychological treatment is very useful which is highly recommended.
Also, awareness about a disease is as important as its cure, so we all must play our role in spreading knowledge of this.
Management and Prevention
As they say, “Prevention is better than cure”, there are a number of ways used to manage this problem particularly in kids. The basic step is to develop the sense of edible and non-edible things, a child must know about self-protection from early days. For this purpose, sensory reinforcement techniques can also be used. Professional help is always an option that must be considered, experts like Psychologist or Nutritionist should be concerned during early symptoms.
Conclusion
Only if we concentrate more on finding the root cause rather speculating it, we can create a healthier world. Although, this habit might not appear to be a serious one and one can not predict its severity either. But prolong ignorance can take it to stages of pure and urgent concern.
It is cool to be unique as long as the uniqueness does not start to cause you any harm. All those soap-lovers and non-soap-lovers out there should keep an eye on themselves as well as around. As a little attention from us can actually benefit a lot of people in this world!