I’m getting waaaay off track from nature posts here, but I am easily distracted (hey, look, something shiny…) So, this story about nail biting and a new “cure” for it is on a lot of news pages today. Being a Biter of Nails myself, I read it out of curiosity. And, according to the article, I have a major problem!
Really? And here I’ve been going around carelessly flaunting my “ugly result of self-mutilation.” Now, I’m sure that in some cases this can become a serious problem, but calling this “a self-inflicted deformity” seems just a wee bit extreme. (I grant you that if you are gnawing them down to the bone and have bloody stumps, you certainly do need help).
There is even a fancy word for this: onychophagy. Which, technically, would mean “eater of nails” and I don’t think most of us biters are swallowing the nail bits. Although, I suppose if you use copious amounts of ranch dressing you might enjoy them…who knows!
Anderson Cooper has a funny piece about adult nail biters here, which sums up things pretty well.
And, to break the nail biter stigma, I offer up my ragged nails for the whole world to view!