Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Precis 5:The woman addicted to eating sofas



  • bizarre - very unusual or strange, eg. dancers in rather bizarre costumes, a bizarre coincidence.
  • spare a thought for somebody - to think about another person who is in a worse situation than you are, eg. Spare a thought for Nick, who's doing his exams right now.
  • intestine -  the long tube in your body through which food passes after it leaves your stomach [= gut] intestinal adjective ➔ large intestine, small intestine.
  • obstruction - when something blocks a road, passage, tube etc, or the thing that blocks it [= blockage], eg. an operation to remove an obstruction from her throat, Police can remove a vehicle that is causing an obstruction.
  • full-blown - having all the qualities of something that is at its most complete or advanced stage, eg. The drop in shares could develop into a full-blown crisis, full-blown AIDS, full-blown addiction.
  • lumpy - covered with or containing small solid pieces, eg. lumpy bed, ground, face (grudkowaty)
  • lopsided - having one side that is lower or heavier than the other, asymmetric., eg. a lopsided grin.
  • magpie - a bird with black and white feathers and a long tail (sroka).
  • to compel - to force someone to do something [↪ compulsion],eg. The law will compel employers to provide health insurance. She felt compelled to resign because of the scandal.She feels compelled to eat...
  • craving - an extremely strong desire for something [↪ longing], eg. She had a craving for some chocolate. 
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   Adele Edwards, age of 30, is a woman who is craving for sponge, especially from sofa's cushions. She also eats household items, such as rubbers and elastic bands. She find it better than some other snacks, like for example chocolate or crisps. She is suffering from a recognized medical condition, diagnosed  with medical disorder called Pica. Its name derives from the Latin word for magpie, a bird that eats almost anything. Pica is seen in all people of all ages but is particularly common in pregnant ­women, small children, and those with developmental  disabilities. Adele's therapist suggested that she started to eat cushion as a reaction to her ­parents’ divorce, but Adele herself claims that she just like it, because it tastes great. 
She was first introduced to cushion when she was 10 years old, while playing with her cousin. He peeled apart the sofa and popped a piece of sponge  into his mouth like it was bubble gum. That's when she tried it first and ever since she has been addicted to it. Doctors have warned that she will leave her children motherless if she doesn’t give up, but she says she’s powerless to stop.






 


5 comments:

  1. good God! I heard about Pica but thought that only small kids suffer from it because they have a tendency to eat everything from sand to flowers etc. But an adult woman who has been doing it for years?! It must be very dangerous for her health condition.

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  2. Yeah. Now, when I've just watched the you tube video once more I realized that something doesn't really click. She says that she only eats cushion in private places and she doesn't want her children to find it out, but the same time her video is sooo public, hm?

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  3. I can't imagine how she can do it:D and what is the most surprising for me she said that she liked it:/

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  4. Gosh... I know people do all sorts of crazy things, but this one left me O_o!

    I hope she'll decide to get some therapy, if only for the sake of her children. :(

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