Eating Dirt

Geophagy is the act of eating earth - clay or chalk like substances. This is different than the disorder Pica. Geophagy is not considered a disorder, just something people do.

There seems to be 2 reasons people eat clay or dirt, if they do not have a mental disorder like Pica. One reason is that clay in your system can leach out dangerous toxins in food. The other is that some people just crave it!

You can actually buy dirt for eating, see http://whitedirt.samsbiz.com/. Yum!

Eating clay is prevalent in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and the Southern United States. According to a 1986 article in the New York Times:

To this day, many rural Southern blacks dig clays with the desired sour taste from local pits, often from subsoil in roadbanks, Dr. Vermeer said. ''In Alabama, damage to roadbanks in some places has been so extensive that the highway department has posted signs requesting local residents not to dig into them,'' he noted.

The clay is baked and often mixed with vinegar and salt. In northern cities, some women who crave clay have their favorite types sent by Southern relatives, while others consume Argo starch, which has similar properties, as a substitute.

Some poor whites in the South also eat clay despite strong social pressures not to. Although American physicians tend instinctively to condemn the practice, ''no current evidence indicates that normal consumption of clays in the American South is either beneficial or harmful,'' Dr. Vermeer said. Eating of excessive quantities can cause intestinal blockage.

OK, that is weird, but it is considered within the range of normal human behavior, unlike harvesting and ingesting bear bile and monkey brains!

Potatoes originated from South America. The original varieties contained poisonous toxins and could only be tolerated by the consumer eating the vegetable with clay that leached out the toxins. Even today these types of potatoes can be found in South American markets, and you can buy jars of clay that you are to coat your tongue with before eating the potatoes. Potato affectionados claim the poisonous ones are the best tasting ones.

Pregnant women are known for craving strange food. Coincidentally pregnant women are the largest consumers of clay.

Eating clay in Sierra Leon

Now that you know geophagy exists, and that it is not harmful, wanna try some?







http://www.magneticclay.com/eating-clay.php

Ninkles

OMG!
Women have a new thing to worry about. Wrinkled Knees - aka "Ninkles". Maybe not so new, but the world has just begun to care.

As a woman age there are many factors that can lead to knee wrinkles. According to anti-ageing and hormone specialist Dr Cecilia Tregear, from London's Wimpole Skin Clinic, ninkles occur as a result of the loss of elasticity and collagen in the skin, which is caused by a combination of factors.

'Poor nutrition, sun damage, unbalanced or declining hormones — due to stress and approaching menopause — as well as a diet high in sugar, all conspire to create wrinkly knees.'

It is said that Nicole Kidman had Ninkles, but I don't believe that, she is to perfect for an affliction like this.

The picture to the left is a recent one of Elle Macpherson. See the close-up of her knee. Elle! You have Ninkles!

For normal women, I don't really see this as a problem. This is natural, and I bet most men really do not care.

But I take exception to the rich model-ish women who have made obscene amounts of money from us just by showing their bodies and nothing more. They owe it to use to get those Ninkles fixed or cover them up!

Elle - OMG!

Maybe she should try this:

Click on the image to reveal the power...

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Nicole - No Ninkles!

EHEC Bacteria in European Cucumbers

Update: June 7, 2011 - I heard today that now they are NOT thinking it is from the bean sprouts. They have no idea what the source is. The mystery continues.

Update: June 5, 2011 - The German government now thinks the root of the problem was bean sprouts from a farm South of Hamburg. -- Oops, sorry Spain!

Original article from May 31, 2011:

Escherichia coli (aka E. coli) has been detected in cucumbers in Europe.

People were likely infected from eating raw cucumbers, tomatoes or lettuce. 16 dead and 1000+ sick, 400 potentially fatally sick. Most of the outbreak has occurred in Germany. Russia banned the import of these vegetables. This is a big deal.

The Netherlands said it wasn't them.



Taiwannews.com.tw reports:

It's "extraordinary" to see so many cases of the kidney complication from a foodborne illness, said Dr. Robert Tauxe, a foodborne disease expert at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"There has not been such an outbreak before that we know of in the history of public health," Tauxe said. He added that the strain of E. coli in the European outbreak has not been seen in the United States, where there have been several high-profile foodborne outbreaks in recent years, but none with such a high death toll.

At first it was suspected that the cucumbers to blame were from Spain. But tests revealed Spain was not to blame. Dutch vegetables have been declared free of EHEC bacteria. Where the EHEC originated from is so far a mystery.

EHEC is really bad, causing sickness ranging from bloody diarrhea to hemolytic uremic syndrome, the rare kidney condition that the most seriously ill patients are suffering from. The syndrome is not short lived. After 10 to 20 years after the infection 30 to 50 percent of victims have some kidney disfunction.

WHO is on the case.

UPDATE: See my comment - the cause of this outbreak is still a mystery!