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Just twenty-seven years old, I had been suffering for the last fourteen years from what anyone would imagine was a weird habit, that of eating paper. I discovered that there was actually a clinical term for it, pICa (a psychological disorder in which there is an appetite for substances that do not have nutritive value). ‘As a professionally qualified woman, I simply couldn’t understand why I couldn’t kick this habit. I had visited several different doctors, who did symptomatic treatment but never reached the root cause of my problem. When it persisted, I tried to keep the topic of having kids in abeyance in chats with my husband, as I was fearful of the harmful effects my habit might have on my yet-to-be-born kids. ‘But then, after we had an intense fight about my paper-eating, my husband took it upon himself to find a solution, he researched it extensively, found a case history similar to mine and read up on the successful treatment. Given that this was a doctor abroad, we thought of trying to find a similar specialist in India.

‘After asking around, I came across Ms Ishi through a friend who recommended her; we learnt that she was one of the eminent professionals regarding celiac disease. We approached Ms Ishi, who was instantly able to confirm my symptoms of low iron and other nutrients, coupled with the paper-eating, as being linked to celiac disease. her way of conversation and patient hearing put me at ease and gave me confidence in my ability to kick this persistent habit. The great thing is that she has been able to just look at my food diary and suggest tweaks in case of any gastric or other issues.

‘For the first time in thirteen years, I am a happy person. paper-eating, hopefully, is a thing of the past.’




To be continued....