Q: My cousin has a habit of eating a lot of ice. Is it due to some sort of a deficiency? Does it have any ill-effects? Is there a remedy to stop her craving for ice?

A:Yes, eating ice and craving for the same may be a sign of iron deficiency anaemia, shown by studies. You will have to get your cousin's complete haemogram checked and if there is a problem with that she needs to see a G.P. for some iron supplementation. Try increasing her food iron intake by adding more green leafy vegetables, tender coconut water, dates, soyabean, organ meats, rice flakes, drumsticks, oranges and sprouts in her diet.