<p>Tempestt Henderson, from Florida, eats up to five bars of soap a week and washing powder as well, the Daily Mail reported here. According to doctors, the toxic compulsion is a rare medical condition, PICA, which causes an appetite for substances that are largely non-nutritive.<br /><br />People suffering form PICA have been known to compulsively eat metal, coins, chalk, batteries and toothbrushes. It can often be caused by a mineral deficiency, which explains why pregnant women often crave eating coal when needing iron.<br /><br />"In the shower, I like to lather up a green bar of soap, and lick the bubbles. And as the soap disintegrates, I pop a tiny amount of the soap into my mouth and suck it. It's heavenly," she was quoted as saying.<br /><br />"I love the clean feeling it gives me. Eating soap feels so much cleaner than just washing with it." The doctor gave Tempestt intensive Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), to give her replacement thoughts that will prevent her from compulsively reaching for soap.<br /><br />"I'm learning to think about positive things when I feel I need to eat soap," she said. She has also been encouraged to go for long walks, avoiding places where soap is present, like bathrooms and laundrettes.<br /><br />According to psychologists, Tempestt most likely turned to soap eating as a comforting coping mechanism when she found herself away from her family.</p>
<p>Tempestt Henderson, from Florida, eats up to five bars of soap a week and washing powder as well, the Daily Mail reported here. According to doctors, the toxic compulsion is a rare medical condition, PICA, which causes an appetite for substances that are largely non-nutritive.<br /><br />People suffering form PICA have been known to compulsively eat metal, coins, chalk, batteries and toothbrushes. It can often be caused by a mineral deficiency, which explains why pregnant women often crave eating coal when needing iron.<br /><br />"In the shower, I like to lather up a green bar of soap, and lick the bubbles. And as the soap disintegrates, I pop a tiny amount of the soap into my mouth and suck it. It's heavenly," she was quoted as saying.<br /><br />"I love the clean feeling it gives me. Eating soap feels so much cleaner than just washing with it." The doctor gave Tempestt intensive Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), to give her replacement thoughts that will prevent her from compulsively reaching for soap.<br /><br />"I'm learning to think about positive things when I feel I need to eat soap," she said. She has also been encouraged to go for long walks, avoiding places where soap is present, like bathrooms and laundrettes.<br /><br />According to psychologists, Tempestt most likely turned to soap eating as a comforting coping mechanism when she found herself away from her family.</p>