Most medical conditions are easily explained. But, as Marla Ahlgrimm points out in the post below, not all fall into a recognizable category. Here, the women’s health expert, popular self-help author, and retired hormone specialist offers up information on some of the most unusual medical conditions known to science.
Body Integrity Identity Disorder
According to Marla Ahlgrimm, body integrity identity disorder is extremely rare, and thankfully so. People who suffer with this bizarre condition believe that one of their body parts does not belong. They might, for example, feel as though their left arm or right foot is an alien part of the body. They may be repulsed at the sight of this unwelcome appendage. Fortunately, scientists have discovered a cause. People with body integrity identity disorder are missing crucial information regarding the body part in question on their body image map, a network of neurons in the brain responsible for recognizing your own physical features.
Congenital Insensitivity To Pain
Marla Ahlgrimm says that many people wish they did not feel pain or discomfort. While this may sound like a dream come true, particularly during childbirth, this disease is a nightmare for those that suffer from it. As the name suggests, it is congenital, meaning that you are born with it. Babies with this condition may bite their tongues off as they begin to teethe, break bones without crying, or experience significant damage to their eyes when they fail to instinctively remove foreign objects that may scratch the cornea.
Mass Hysteria
Typically thought of as a female-only issue, mass hysteria is most often associated with teenage girls, and it can be traced back to the days when witchcraft was an arrestable offense. It happens when a group of people experience hysterical symptoms, like fainting, laughing, convulsions, or seizures.
Parasitic Twin
A parasitic twin happens when an embryo, which would otherwise become twins, doesn’t fully separate. One twin may develop in entirety while the other only partially, says Marla Ahlgrimm. Parasitic twins were popular in 19th-century “freak show” acts, with many of the most famous being showcased at the PT Barnum Circus. Usually, these twins are absorbed by the healthy fetus, and most people today with a parasitic twin do not even know it.
Marla Ahlgrimm has co-authored two ground-breaking books,