My 10 year old son has a habit of eating ice. I'm not talking about a little either. He is constantly hitting the ice maker in our refrigerator and chewing up the ice. Why is he doing this?
The other thing that he has is an upset stomach all the time. I never linked the two because they don't necessarily go hand in hand in terms of timing. However, someone did make an interesting comment that the need to eat ice can sometimes be linked to Vitamin D deficiency. Also that ice chewing can lead to upset stomachs. Anyone ever hear of this? He also constantly feels like throwing up, but only did so once.
What this comes down to is three questions 1) I'm trying to find info about the constant need to chew ice 2) I'm trying to figure out why my little boy is sick to his stomach so often and 3) Are they related?
I appreciate anyone's help in this.
I am so amazed and appreciative of everyone who responded! I went today to have his blood drawn and the doc ordered an x-ray. Will definately put him on iron to see if it helps. Never thought of some of these things like Celiacs disease or Pica. Will mention them to the doctor and see what she says. Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!
I would look into the possibility that he is suffering from pica due to some sort of vitamin or mineral deficiency. Good luck.
My sister did this also ( chew ice) and her Dr. tested her & she was severely anemic. The Dr said ice chewing is a symptom of anemia. Good Luck!
Hi C.,
I crave ice and chew it when I am low on Iron. I have also ruined a lot of my teeth doing so. I would recomend a trip to the Dr. to see if he needs any suppliments. You can't get the teeth back at my age. good luck
I've heard that chewing ice could be from an Iron deficiency. I hope this helps & that you find out what's going on. Keep looking for answers and don't let the doctors tell you it's nothing! You're the mamma, you know your kids better than anyone!
could be a habit or pica. or maybe dehydration or something to do with his salivary glands that makes him thirsty. also excessive exposure to cold stuff causes the decreased motility and he may be experiencing gastric symptoms when his tummy is trying to return to normal
My husband who is in the medical field said the ice could be a sign of anemia...so perhaps you might want to get that checked. If you need a referral let me know.
J.
Your son is the right age to be showing problems with stress. Do give supplemental D to see if the is improvement. (Natural remedies can take time, so don't expect massive changes in the first day. He is going to ruin teeth if the practice continues- arrange a visit with a good nutritional Dr. they can do wonders on this sort of thing. Hope it helps- S.
Hi C.,
After I had my son, I had lost a lot blood (post labor issues). I became anemic & I had to take iron pills. But until I became fully healthy, I always would crave a big cup of crushed ice thru out the day.
Hi C.
I have an 11 year old son who also eats ice not constantly but alot and he also suffers from upset stomach all the time now i did not link the two together but I just wanted you to know your not alone I will do some research and read the comments you get back. His upset stomach seams to happen after he eats whatever it is. Good Luck I will let you know if I find anything out.
K.
Hi C.!
I was a NUT with ice-chewing when I was pregnant! I could not get enough and would actually make several trips a day to QT - because of their soft ice. I had heard that ice chewing was linked to iron deficiency. When I went to my doctor and they did blood work, sure enough, I had slight anemia. Some iron supplements later, the ice chewing stopped and everything has been ok since. You may want to have your little one's iron levels checked.
Dear C.,
Please take your sweet little guy to your physician. He needs to have blood work done and be checked out. He may have a low blood count which may cause a craving for ice. This happened to me when I was pregnant. Also, it needs to be determined why he has a low blood count if he does, and that this may also have something to do with the stomach ache. Please take him as soon as you can.
N.
That's definitely a sign of a nutritional issue. He should be seen and have blood tests done right away. He might be anemic, or - he could be allergic to wheat gluten. It's called Celiac's Disease and what happens is when you eat wheat, the gluten strips/flattens the villi (nutrient 'grabers') in the intestines - causing a serious lack in be able to absorb any nutrients. Some symptoms are feeling the need to eat ice.
Interesting facts out there...check these out. I would suggest a doctor's visit to get some blood work done.
http://www.healthcentral.com/drdean/408/9104.html
http://www.thatsfit.com/2008/01/18/daily-fit-tip-chewing-...
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=2007031512590...
I'd look into the upset stomach...it could be many different causes. even stress (from school or other stuff?)
Ice chewing is bad for the teeth...or so I've heard. I'd get him to stop just for that reason...teeth have to last a lifetime.
Hi C.,
I read your concern and I wanted to share something with you. My 12 year old daughter eats ice, the same way it sounds like your son does. She has been doing that for about 3 years. Now, she does not have stomach pains of any sort, but she does not drink milk...so I guess there is a possibility that she has a vitamin D deficiency. I dont know why the ice would bother his stomach though.
Hope this helps ease at least a portion of what you are worried about.
D.
when my dad had been chewing alot of ice the dr tested him and he was low in iron- when he started the iron supplement, the ice chewwing stopped. You might want to have some blood work done to check his iron levels. Don't know if the stomach thing is related??
I have heard constant ice chewing is linked to low iron levels. I don't know if that is linked to the stomache pain but you might wanna check that. Good luck
Hi C., I'm an ice chewer, I CRAVE IT! And no, I'm not pregnant, I'm anemic! So is your son probably, he just needs an iron suppliment. I'm terrible about taking mine so I still enjoy about 6-8 cups of ice cubes per day! Have his blood checked or just get him an iron suppliment and he will be fine! P.S. I don't know about the stomach issue, I eat so much ice my tongue actually hurts sometimes like it's numb but no stomach problems...good luck!!!
My daughter use to do the same thing. I foundout she was lacking iron so we had to give her iron pills & she no longer does it. Yes the upset stomach can be cause by this she alwasy come plained of stomach ache's constantly but we have no problems now.. Yes it is also bad for the teeth. I would definately talk to your Dr. about doing some bloodwork.. Good Luck
Hi C.,
To me it sounds like Pica. Pica is the compulsive ingestion of unsuitable substances having little or no nutritional value. This can include, ice cubes, dirt, chalk, etc. I am a Registered Dietitian and in looking at one of my text books it says that the etiology of pica is poorly understood. However, one theory suggests that the ingestion of non-food substances relieves nausea/vomiting. It has also been hypothesized that a deficiency of an essential nutrient may be the cause.
I wouldn't be too concerned but maybe check with your doctor to be sure.
Ice eating is a common sign of anemia. I would get his blood checked.
It could be that the chewing of ice causes him to swallow a lot of air. A belly full of air in turns causes an upset stomache. I'm sure there's more to it than just that, but perhaps its a start to the cycle.
Iron deficiency is a possibility, but I think due to his stomach being upset he is instinctively trying to "cool" it down. After reading a book called "The Body's Many Cries For Water" it sounds to me like his body is thirsty - but the chewing of the ice is causing his stomach to produce acid (the body's normal reaction to the mouth chewing) in order to digest whatever is being chewed. The brain doesn't know the difference between ice being chewed or vegetables or steak. The body produces more acid when chewing is prolonged - which is why habitual gum-chewers more frequently have chronic ulcers. It's also why the old wives saying goes, "chew each bite 20 times" or whatever. They realized a long time ago that the more you chew something the better your body digests it - they just maybe didn't know why or how everything worked together. Anyway, your son needs a little pinch of salt on his tongue (yes) once every day (yes) - and to drink more WATER - all the time - instead of ice tell him to get a drink of WATER. Why salt? It tells the brain that the body is thirsty and helps it retain water. He also needs to eat some good fiber (Cheerios are awesome) every day to help soak up the excess acid in his system until the body normalizes itself and regulates the production to what he is actually eating again. If you are also interested in a couple of herbal remedies that address and correct digestive issues as well as supply all vital nutrients and minerals (especially iron) feel free to contact me or visit my website: www.shootingstarherbs.amazonherb.net. Good luck.
I didn't read through all the responses to see if this was mentioned, ice chewing causes micro fractures of your teeth.
I would consult a DR. I have been told that craving ice is a vitamin/mineral deficiency too, but I thought it was an iron deficiency? Good Luck in figuring it out.
People with nausea often eat ice to prevent throwing up. It is NOT normal with kids. He needs nutrition, not ice. And, it is very bad for his teeth. He could have something wrong with his stomach and I would take him to the doctor. Good luck!
