Hi Doctor, I have the habit of eating Cement from past 2 year.Every time i am feeling very anemic and my HB Count is varying from 7.5- 9.5 only. I am trying to stop this bad habit but i was not able to do that. Now I am having joint pain and swelling also. Is that because of this pica ? Is there any treatment to stop this habit?
Hi, I understand the distress you are going through. Pica can be a result of nutritional deficiency like iron deficiency anemia, zinc deficiency, etc., or can occur as part of impulse control disorder. In your case, your He level is low which might be the effect as well as cause of pica. Eating cement is definitely not healthy and can cause multiple gastrointestinal problems and other physical problems. Your joint pain and swelling can be due to toxic materials contained in cement being accumulated in your body. I would suggest that you seek an orthopedic consultation for evaluation of joint pain and swelling and get treated accordingly. In addition, your hemoglobin levels need to be corrected with iron, folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation. You should consult a psychiatrist as soon as possible for help in control in your behavior. In case the behavior continues even after correction of nutritional deficiencies, treatment with Chat Doctor.  More importantly, behavior therapy (habit reversal therapy specifically) will be highly recommended. Behavior therapy generally offers better results than