Top 7 Effective Homeopathic Medicines For Pica

Pica is a disorder that refers to compulsive eating of non-food items or non-nutritive things by a person. For example, a person having pica may eat chalk, sand, ice, paper etc. The main symptom of pica is eating non-food stuff and it is diagnosed when this habit persists for at least one month duration. People with pica tend to eat a variety of non-food items. Some common ones are ice, clay, chalk, charcoal, coffee grounds, dirt, sand, soap, buttons, paper, paint, burnt matches, cigarette ashes and metal pieces. Some people with pica may eat their nose pickings, ear wax, wool, stones, wood, talcum powder, paper clips, thread, mucus, vomit, even their faeces or in some cases, faeces of animals. In some cases pain in the stomach, blood in the stool, diarrhoea (loose stool) and constipation may arise. They may also have damaged teeth from eating indigestible things.

Homeopathy offers a natural solution for mild to moderate cases of pica. With the help of homeopathic medicines, one’s desire to eat non-food items reduces gradually. Homeopathy addresses the underlying root cause of pica to provide excellent results. These are helpful for people of all age groups. They work in a very safe and natural manner without causing any type of harm at all.

Homeopathy provides individualized treatment to offer the best help in pica cases. Homeopathic medicines are selected individually for every case depending upon the type of craving and the attending symptoms that are present. The use of homeopathic medicines is recommended for some non-food cravings and for mild to moderate cases of pica in which no serious complication is present. In serious cases with attending complications, it is strictly advisable to take help from conventional mode of treatment.

Homeopathy is a 200-yr-old system of healing in which medicines boost body’s own healing forces to overcome health complaints. This also applies to pica cases where they stimulate the body to overcome pica. It is advised to take any homeopathic medicine for treating pica under the supervision of a homeopathic physician after a detailed case analysis. A complete course of homeopathic treatment under the guidance of a homeopathic doctor brings great recoveries.

Homeopathic medicines for pica have no side effects at all. These medicines are prepared from naturally occurring substances and are used in tiny and highly diluted forms that function only to relieve the complaint of pica with complete safety and no harmful reactions. Besides being safe another advantage of using homeopathic medicines is that they never cause any dependency. These medicines can be easily stopped when the results are as desired.

Top 7 Homeopathic Medicines For Pica

The top indicated homeopathic medicines for pica are Calcarea Carb, Alumina, Nitric Acid, Silicea, Veratrum Album, Nux Vomica and Lac Felinum.

1. Calcarea Carb – Top Grade Medicine

It leads the chart of homeopathic medicines for treating cases of pica. Its use is mainly recommended for persons who tend to eat non-food things like chalk, dirt, sand, slate and coal. There may be craving for eating pencils. A desire for eating soap may be present where this medicine is required.

When to use Calcarea Carb?

This medicine is suggested to manage pica where craving for chalk, sand, slate, dirt, pencils and soap is present.

How to use Calcarea Carb?

This medicine can be taken once a day in 30C power.

2. Alumina – For Craving To eat Chalk, Charcoal, Coffee Grounds, White Rags

Alumina is the next well-indicated medicine for those who desire to eat indigestible things. Its use is considered for persons who crave to eat chalk, tea or coffee grounds, charcoal. Next, it is used in cases where desire to eat white rags is there. In cases needing it, there may be constipation. The stool may be hard or even if it is soft, it is passed with great straining. The stool may not be passed daily and the person doesn’t wish to pass stool until there is a large accumulation.

When to use Alumina?

Alumina should be considered to manage pica with a desire to eat chalk, charcoal, coffee grounds, white rags, etc. This can be attended with constipation where stool passes with great straining.

How to use Alumina?

Alumina 30C can be used once a day.

3. Nitric Acid – With Desire For Lime, Chalk, Slate

It is another beneficial medicine for cases where desire for lime, chalk or slate is present. Along with these cravings, there may be some gastric complaints. In some cases, there may be attending diarrhoea (loose stool). The stool may be yellow or green and pass with a lot of gas.

When to use Nitric Acid?

It is recommended to use this medicine for cases of pica in which there is urge to eat chalk, lime or slate.

How to use Nitric Acid?

This medicine can be taken once or twice a week in 30C power.

4. Silicea – For Desire To Eat Mud

This medicine is beneficial for persons who have a desire to eat mud. They have loss of appetite and they have aversion to eating cooked food. There may be constipation with great difficulty in passing stool. The stool when partly expelled from the anus recedes back in the rectum. When stool is passed, it is followed by burning and smarting sensation at the anus. Additionally the abdomen may be hard, distended and bloated. A tendency of excessive sweating on head, hands and feet may be present where this medicine is required.

When to use Silicea?

The use of Silicea is advised for pica cases with prominent craving to eat mud. Some of its attending symptoms are constipation, bloated abdomen and a tendency of profuse sweating mostly on the head, hands and feet.

How to use Silicea?

Usually, this medicine is prescribed in 6X potency two to three times a day.

5. Veratrum Album – For Craving Of Ice

This medicine suits cases of pica where the person has a craving to eat ice. Additionally, one may suffer from diarrhoea. There is passing of frequent stool which is watery, greenish, profuse, gushing and mixed with flakes. Stool is offensive. It is accompanied with cold sweat on the forehead.

When to use Veratrum Album?

This medicine is of great help for pica cases with excessive craving for ice.

How to use Veratrum Album?

This medicine can be used in 30C potency once a week.

6. Nux Vomica – When There Is Craving For Eating Chalk

This medicine is helpful when there is a desire to eat chalk. A prominent attending symptom is constipation with ineffectual urge to pass stool. Here a person has frequent urge to pass stool but only a small quantity of stool is passed at a time. Soon after evacuating the bowels, the desire for passing stool is felt again. Along with this, pain and a sensation of weight is felt in the abdomen. This tends to get worse from eating. Stomach bloating, nausea, vomiting with excessive retching are other attending symptoms.

When to use Nux Vomica?

This medicine works well when there is craving for chalk in cases of pica. Constipation with frequent urge to pass stool is a prominent attending symptom.

How to use Nux Vomica?

One can take this medicine once or twice a day in 30C potency.

7. Lac Felinum – For Desire To Eat Paper

This medicine is particularly useful when there is a desire to eat paper. Persons needing it may also complain of soreness and sensitivity in the stomach. A heated sensation is also felt in the stomach. There is a loss of appetite along with these symptoms.

When to use Lac Felinum?

Lac Felinum is a suitable medicine to treat pica cases with desire to eat paper.

How to use Lac Felinum?

This medicine can be taken in 30C potency once in every 10 to 15 days.

Causes

Some people may eat non-food items just because they like their taste and texture and relish eating them. Sometimes in case of children who eat dirt, sand and other non-food items doesn’t indicate pica and may be it is just a child’s way of exploring his/her surroundings with senses. But in many cases, it could arise from some underlying health problem. Pica can arise in cases of nutritional deficiencies like that of iron, calcium and zinc. Mostly it is associated with iron deficiency anaemia. In some cases, may be the body is demanding non-food items to fulfil the nutritional demands of the body due to deficient nutrients. Next, it can occur during pregnancy. Pica can also be seen in persons having stress, anxiety and having some psychological condition. Few examples of these conditions include OCD – obsessive compulsive disorder (A psychological disorder in which a person has compulsions to repeatedly perform certain activities/behaviours or have repeated unwanted thoughts in mind) and schizophrenia (it is a serious psychological disorder characterised by abnormal interpretation of reality, hallucinations, delusions and disordered thinking). Persons with autism, intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities are also at high risk of pica. Other than the above, it can be present in people belonging to certain nations where eating clay is common and is also acceptable. Also in people of some cultures eating certain non– food items is considered to have healing properties so it is considered normal.

Complications

The nature of complications depends upon the type of things eaten by the person. Eating certain things like ice doesn’t lead to any complication when the diet of a person is normal. But serious complications can occur in case a person eats other dangerous items like paint that may contain lead and cause lead poisoning. Some other complications of this condition include breaking of the teeth, choking, stomach ulcers, parasitic infections, blockage in intestines and injuries to the throat and GIT (gastrointestinal tract).