The world's first nail biting clinic

Leave it to the Dutch to create a problem and then make money from it: The Dutch town of Venlo will soon be home to the first treatment centre in the world for nail biters. Director Alain-Raymond van Abbe of the Institute for Pathological Onychophagy (IPO) announced this on Wednesday. His expertise centre has developed a health aid over the past two years that is fitted to the individual and makes nail biting impossible. The so-called O-Centre (Onychophagy Centre) will be the first clinic in the world aimed specifically at helping nail biters and will be the first to use the specially designed health aid, according to the centre's founders. The centre starts operation this month but will not be officially open until September. There is a long waiting list of nail biters who hope to get treatment. Van Abbe says that the Netherlands has about 2 million nail biters. Recent studies show that about 15 percent of adults, 33 percent of young children and 45 percent of adolescents bite their nails. A "health aid that makes nail biting impossible?" Rubber gloves maybe? This entire O-centre smells like a scam with which Mr. Van Abbe is going to make a lot of money. And I wouldn't be surprised if he manages to convince the health ministry that treating onychophagy should really be paid by our national health insurance.......