Since that lovely bit of info from Divina about medorrhinum and ice crunching and anaemia, I want to know why anaemia causes ice-chewing?
Is there a known physiological reason for it?

PURE FANTASIES...THE REASON WHY ANEMIA IS FOUND WHEN HAVING THE ICE CHEWING SYMPTOME, IS CAUSE THEY FOUND WRONG REMEDY, ITS NOT MEDH, ITS ARSENICUM THIS..ARS HAS THOSE TWO SYMPTOMES, NOT MEDHORRINUM..AND ARS HAS INTESTIAL BLEEDINGS WITH HEAT, ICE AMEL..
IF MED HAS HEAT AND BLEEDINGS, ITS FOUND IN THE OTER END, AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A LOT BETTER TO SIT ON ICE..IF THAT SYMPT EXSIST..
PURE PATHOLOGY..

Hi Anna,

I'm not sure exactly where I first heard that--but it's been confirmed by a nutritional consultant that I know and I've read it on Price-Pottenger's site. I don't know of the exact physiological reason, but I sure would like to...probably nothing more than ice water's concentration of iron?
I'm going to check out the site again and post what I find. You can check it out too at www.price-pottenger.org


A special note to GM: Just to reassert this, in Kent (of all places to look) under STOMACH, desires, ice: you'll find: elaps2, med2, merc-c, nat-m, and Verat3.

"Sitting on ice" is probably a rubric found in repertories available only during crude-dose provings of "spirits of wine"--Hahnemann's name for the substance.


Divina

[This message has been edited by jonh (edited 29 December 2000).]

I'm no expert, but I can say for sure that when I was pregnant, I couldn't stop eating ice for a time there.....I even used to open the freezer and SMELL the frozen vapors wafting at me....it was immensely enjoyable...LOL. I told my ob/gyn this and they immediately did an iron test, and I was very anemic. After the iron supplements, no more ice until I was in labor, at which time the labor nurse told me craving the ice was a sign of anemia. However, even now, ten years later, I still find myself craving ice shavings once in a while, with no explanation except maybe the iron levels dip down here and there, monthly fluctuation maybe, who knows.

Yes--monthly fluctuations are very possible, given the way the body deals with iron during menstruation.

Divina

How interesting. It seems clear that at least in some types of anaemia there is ice craving.

GM's explanation in relation to Arsenicum's wanting ice is the kind of logical reasoning in relation to symptoms that I enjoy.

As for Medorrhinum, that is grade three for anaemia too, so it seems likely that the ice craving of that remedy [grade 3 in Murphy] also comes from anaemia, as Divina noted.

Perhaps all the ice-craving remedies have bleeding of the digestive tract which is ameloriated by coldness? Or it could be a different mechanism linking ice and anaemia with different remedies...?

Anna,

Yes, that arsenicum note was, as you say, the kind of logical reasoning I enjoy as well!

Of course arsenicum has a bleeding stomach, and I know phosphorus has bleeding of the stomach lining, which explains its SRP symptom of desiring cold water only to vomit as soon as it becomes warm in the stomach; but not only ulcerous conditions crave ice, as the ice craving in Medorrhinum is strictly related to the anemia, not internal bleeding. I really think it has something to do with the nutritional deficiency--in the same way some Calc children will develop pica, some anemic patients will crunch ice to get whatever they need from it. Also, with medorrhinum, anything that can cool off the internal level of heat--which is very high in the remedy--ameliorates. That is different from the amelioration (temporary or otherwise) given to a burning stomach lining which feels so hot because of the ulcerous process. One is more general, one is more localized.

Divina

[This message has been edited by Divina (edited 29 December 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Divina (edited 29 December 2000).]

The exact reason for the ice addiction is unclear, although renowned University of Oklahoma haematologist E. Randy Eichner speculates that the cells lining the mouth run out of iron and send an alarm signal to the brain which is mollified only by chewing cold, crunchy things. This ice craving usually abates after one to two weeks of iron therapy - before the anaemia itself is fully resolved.

The desire for ice is called "PAGOPHAGIA"

Dear Dr. Bhatia!!

Thank you for this explanation. I've always wondered what was going on, and I'm delighted to learn what is happening in the body to signal the demand for ice...thank you also for the pathological term.

Regards,
Divina