Kathryn's unusual story recently aired on the season 7 premiere of TLC's "My Strange Addiction" on 7/1. Her unique eating style began during her student years, sparked by a dare to snort fruit-flavored drink powder. Kathryn recounted that while the act made her dizzy, she perceived the flavor as significantly more intense than when consumed orally. This experience led her to adopt nasal feeding as her sole method of nutrition.

Kathryn blends her food and inhales it through a straw, bypassing traditional oral consumption. *Photo: NY Post*

Kathryn's daily diet is diverse, featuring everything from mushroom omelets and spinach to liquefied steak and spicy avocado sauces. She uses a straw to ingest her pureed meals. Kathryn explained that this method helps her manage her fear of food textures and prevents overeating or choking.

This habit, however, causes discomfort and concern among those around her, especially her boyfriend, Justin. Due to his apprehension, Kathryn consulted family doctor Matthew Haden for a medical evaluation. Doctor Haden issued a stern warning about the life-threatening risks she faces by intentionally bypassing natural biological processes.

Doctor Haden elaborated on the dangers, explaining that even pureed food can enter the trachea, causing airway obstruction and potentially leading to death. Highly acidic or spicy foods can directly burn, inflame, and cause bleeding in the delicate nasal and throat mucous membranes. Furthermore, inhaling liquids through the nose risks pleural effusion or infections spreading to the central nervous system.

From a medical perspective, nasal tube feeding is a procedure doctors only prescribe for comatose patients or those with severe esophageal or oral conditions. Even when performed with proper technique, this method carries risks like aspiration pneumonia, where stomach fluid or food refluxes into the lungs, causing inflammation. Although current imaging has not revealed severe lung damage, Kathryn now understands the dangers and has committed to abandoning this habit.

By Binh Minh (Source: NY Post)