Urine therapy

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Urine therapy
Alternative medicine
Urine sample.JPG
A sample of human urine
ClaimsVarious therapeutic uses of urine.
Related fields Naturopathy

Urine therapy or urotherapy, (also urinotherapy, Shivambu, [a] uropathy, or auto-urine therapy) in alternative medicine is the application of human urine for medicinal or cosmetic purposes, including drinking of one's own urine and massaging one's skin, or gums, with one's own urine. No scientific evidence exists to support any beneficial health claims of urine therapy.

Contents

History

Though urine has been believed useful for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in several traditional systems, [1] [b] and mentioned in some medical texts, [c] auto-urine therapy as a system of alternative medicine was popularized by British naturopath John W. Armstrong in the early 20th century. Armstrong was inspired by his family's practice of using urine to treat minor stings and toothaches, by a metaphorical misreading of the Hebrew Biblical Proverb 5:15 "Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well", and his own experience with ill-health that he treated with a 45-day fast "on nothing but urine and tap water". Starting in 1918, Armstrong prescribed urine therapy regimens that he devised for thousands of patients, and in 1944 he published The Water of Life: A Treatise on urine therapy, which became a founding document of the field. [6] [8]

Armstrong's book sold widely, and in India inspired the writing of Manav mootra (Gujarati: Urine therapy; 1959) by Gandhian social reformer Raojibhai Manibhai Patel, and many later works. These works often reference Shivambu Kalpa, a treatise on the pharmaceutical value of urine, as a source of the practice in the East. [d] They also cite passing references to properties and uses of urine in Yogic-texts such as Vayavaharasutra by Bhadrabahu and Hatha Yoga Pradapika by Svatmarama; and Ayurvedic texts such as Sushruta Samhita , Bhava Prakasha and Harit. However, according to medical anthropologist Joseph Atler, the practices of sivambu (drinking one's own urine) and amaroli recommended by modern Indian practitioners of urine therapy are closer to the ones propounded by Armstrong than traditional ayurveda or yoga, or even the practices described in Shivambu Kalpa. [6]

Urine therapy has also been combined with other forms of alternative medicine.

It was used by ancient Roman dentists to whiten teeth. [9] [10] [11]

Modern claims and findings

An exhaustive description of the composition of human urine was prepared for NASA in 1971. Urine is an aqueous solution of greater than 95% water. The remaining constituents are, in order of decreasing concentration: urea 9.3 g/L, chloride 1.87 g/L, sodium 1.17 g/L, potassium 0.750 g/L, creatinine 0.670 g/L and other dissolved ions, inorganic and organic compounds. [12] [13]

In China there is a Urine Therapy Association which claims thousand of members. [14] [15]

According to a BBC report, a Thai doctor promoting urine therapy said that Thai people had been practicing urophagia for a long time, but according to the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, there was no record of the practice. [16] In 2022, Thawee Nanra, a self-proclaimed holy man from Thailand, was arrested by police; his followers were observed consuming his urine and feces which they believed to have healing properties. [17]

Urinating on jellyfish stings is a common "folk remedy". [18] This does not help with jellyfish stings, and can be counterproductive, activating nematocysts remaining at the site of the sting, making the pain worse. [18] [19] This is because nematocysts are triggered by the change in the concentration of solutes (e.g. salt), such as when freshwater or similarly-composed urine is applied to the site. [19] The myth originated from the false idea that ammonia, urea, and other compounds in urine could break down the nematocysts: however, urine is much too low in concentration to have those effects. [18]

Urine and urea have been claimed by some practitioners to have an anti-cancer effect, and urotherapy has been offered along with other forms of alternative therapy in some cancer clinics in Mexico. [20] No well-controlled studies support this, and available scientific evidence does not support this theory. [20]

In the Arabian Peninsula, bottled camel urine is sold by vendors as prophetic medicine. [21] [22] [23] In 2015, Saudi police arrested a man for selling supposed "camel urine" that was actually his own. [24]

In January 2022, Christopher Key, a spreader of COVID-19 misinformation, claimed that urine therapy is the antidote to the COVID-19 pandemic. [25] Key also falsely claims that a 9-month research trial on urine therapy has been conducted. [26] There is no scientific evidence supporting urine therapy as a cure for COVID-19.

Health concerns

There is no scientific evidence of therapeutic use for untreated urine. [4] [27] [28] [29] [30]

According to the American Cancer Society, "available scientific evidence does not support claims that urine or urea given in any form is helpful for cancer patients". [20]

In 2016, the Chinese Urine Therapy Association was included on a list of illegal organizations by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. However, the Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs in Wuhan said they had no jurisdiction over the association. [15]

Celebrities who used urine therapy

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Sanskrit : शिवाम्बु, romanized: Śivambu
  2. ↑ Urine was recommended for whitening teeth in ancient Rome. [2] Islamic legist Abu Yusuf allowed for use of camel urine for medicinal purposes. [3] It has also been used in some traditional remedies in Mexico [4] and in Nigeria. [5]
  3. ↑ Such as Solomon's English Physician published in 1665, One thousand notable remedies published in early-nineteenth century, [6] and A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica published in 1902. [7]
  4. ↑ Shivambu Kalpa (lit. "water of Shiva") is said to be a section of the larger work Ḍamara Tantra, which is described by practitioners of urine therapy as "belong to the Puranic age". According to Joseph Atler the 107-shloka Kalpa is not well attested or in wide circulation, and is most easily accessible through modern Indian books on urine therapy, where it is often attached as an appendix.

Related Research Articles

Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability or evidence of effectiveness. Unlike modern medicine, which employs the scientific method to test plausible therapies by way of responsible and ethical clinical trials, producing repeatable evidence of either effect or of no effect, alternative therapies reside outside of mainstream medicine and do not originate from using the scientific method, but instead rely on testimonials, anecdotes, religion, tradition, superstition, belief in supernatural "energies", pseudoscience, errors in reasoning, propaganda, fraud, or other unscientific sources. Frequently used terms for relevant practices are New Age medicine, pseudo-medicine, unorthodox medicine, holistic medicine, fringe medicine, and unconventional medicine, with little distinction from quackery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quackery</span> Promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices

Quackery, often synonymous with health fraud, is the promotion of fraudulent or ignorant medical practices. A quack is a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, knowledge, qualification or credentials they do not possess; a charlatan or snake oil salesman". The term quack is a clipped form of the archaic term quacksalver, derived from Dutch: kwakzalver a "hawker of salve" or rather somebody who boasted about their salves, more commonly known as ointments. In the Middle Ages the term quack meant "shouting". The quacksalvers sold their wares at markets by shouting to gain attention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Box jellyfish</span> Class of cnidarians distinguished by their cube-shaped medusae

Box jellyfish are cnidarian invertebrates distinguished by their box-like body. Some species of box jellyfish produce potent venom delivered by contact with their tentacles. Stings from some species, including Chironex fleckeri, Carukia barnesi, Malo kingi, and a few others, are extremely painful and often fatal to humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apitherapy</span> Pseudoscientific alternative medical therapy using bee products

Apitherapy is a branch of alternative medicine that uses honey bee products, including honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee venom. There has been no scientific or clinical evidence for the efficacy or safety of apitherapy treatments. Bee venom can cause minor or major reactions, including allergic responses, anaphylaxis or death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reflexology</span> Alternative medical practice involving pressure to parts of the body

Reflexology, also known as zone therapy, is an alternative medical practice involving the application of pressure to specific points on the feet, ears, and hands. This is done using thumb, finger, and hand massage techniques without the use of oil or lotion. It is based on a pseudoscientific system of zones and reflex areas that purportedly reflect an image of the body on the feet and hands, with the premise that such work on the feet and hands causes a physical change to the supposedly related areas of the body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Gerson</span> German-American physician (1881–1959)

Max Gerson was a German-born American physician who developed the Gerson therapy, a dietary-based alternative cancer treatment that he claimed could cure cancer and most chronic, degenerative diseases. Gerson therapy involves a plant-based diet with coffee enemas, ozone enemas, dietary supplements and raw calf liver extract, the latter was discontinued in the 1980s after patients were hospitalized for bacterial infections.

Urophagia is the consumption of urine. Urine was used in several ancient cultures for various health, healing, and cosmetic purposes; urine drinking is still practiced today. In extreme cases, people may drink urine if no other fluids are available, although numerous credible sources advise against using it. Urine may also be consumed as a sexual activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urine</span> Liquid by-product of animal metabolism

Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. In placental mammals, urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder and exits the urethra through the penis or vulva during urination. In other vertebrates, urine is excreted through the cloaca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alternative cancer treatments</span> Alternative or complementary treatments for cancer that have not demonstrated efficacy

Alternative cancer treatment describes any cancer treatment or practice that is not part of the conventional standard of cancer care. These include special diets and exercises, chemicals, herbs, devices, and manual procedures. Most alternative cancer treatments do not have high-quality evidence supporting their use and many have been described as fundamentally pseudoscientific. Concerns have been raised about the safety of some purported treatments and some have been found unsafe in clinical trials. Despite this, many untested and disproven treatments are used around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy medicine</span> Pseudo-scientific alternative medicine

Energy medicine is a branch of alternative medicine based on a pseudo-scientific belief that healers can channel "healing energy" into patients and effect positive results. The field is defined by shared beliefs and practices relating to mysticism and esotericism in the wider alternative medicine sphere rather than any sort of unified terminology, leading to terms such as energy healing, vibrational medicine, and similar terms being used synonymously. In most cases, no empirically measurable "energy" is involved: the term refers instead to so-called subtle energy. Practitioners may classify their practice as hands-on, hands-off, or distant wherein the patient and healer are in different locations. Many approaches to energy healing exist: for example, “biofield energy healing”, “spiritual healing”, “contact healing”, “distant healing”, therapeutic touch, Reiki, and Qigong.

The Ministry of Ayush, a ministry of the Government of India, is responsible for developing education, research and propagation of traditional medicine and alternative medicine systems in India. Ayush is a name devised from the names of the alternative healthcare systems covered by the ministry: ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, and homeopathy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudolf Breuss</span> Austrian naturopath and alternative cancer treatment advocate

Rudolf Breuss was an Austrian naturopath and alternative cancer treatment advocate. He promoted the Breuss Cancer Cure (BCC) a 42-day juice fasting program.

In Islam, prophetic medicine is the advice regarding sickness, treatment and hygiene based on reports of the Islamic prophet Muhammad as found in the hadith. The therapy involves diet, bloodletting, and cautery, and simple drugs, numerous prayers and pious invocations for the patient to perform, but no surgery. Maladies discussed include fevers, plague, leprosy, poisonous bites, protection from night-flying insects and the evil eye, rules for coitus, theories of embryology, etc. The authors of its manuals were religious clerics who collected and explicated these traditions, not physicians, and it is usually practiced by non-physicians. How much of the medicine is divine revelation and how much folk practices inherited from ancestors is disputed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camel urine</span> Liquid by-product of metabolism in camels

Camel urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in a camel's anatomy. Urine from camels has been used in medicine for centuries, being a part of ancient Bedouin, ayurvedic and Muslim tradition. According to the World Health Organization, the use of camel urine as a medicine lacks scientific evidence. After the spread of MERS-CoV infections, the WHO urged people to refrain from drinking "raw camel milk or camel urine or eating meat that has not been properly cooked".

Grape therapy or grape diet, also known as ampelotherapy, is a diet that involves heavy consumption of grapes, including seeds, and parts of the vine, including leaves, that is a form of alternative medicine. The concept was developed in 19th-century Germany in spas such as Bad Duerkheim and Merano. The concept has no scientific basis and is regarded as quackery by scientific institutions like the American Cancer Society.

Cow urine, gomutra or gōmēz is a liquid by-product of metabolism in cows. It has a sacred role in Zoroastrianism and some forms of Hinduism.

Randolph Stone was an Austrian-American chiropractor, osteopath and naturopath who founded polarity therapy, a technique of alternative medicine. He had an interest in philosophy and religions, and encountered Ayurvedic philosophy on a trip to India. His background in chiropractic was shaped by his studies of various Eastern concepts of energy medicine, including Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, yoga, and reflexology.

References

  1. ↑ J.S. Alter (19 September 2004). Yoga in modern India: The body between science and philosophy. Princeton University Press. ISBN   0691118744.
  2. ↑ Marc Geissberger (19 April 2010). Esthetic Dentistry in Clinical Practice. John Wiley & Sons. p. 6. ISBN   978-0-8138-2825-1 . Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  3. ↑ Williams, John Alden (1994). The Word of Islam. University of Texas Press. p. 98. ISBN   9780292790766.
  4. 1 2 Gardner, Martin (2001). Did Adam and Eve Have Navels?: Debunking Pseudoscience. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. pp. 92–101. ISBN   0-393-32238-6.
  5. ↑ Ogunshe AA, Fawole AO, Ajayi VA (2010). "Microbial evaluation and public health implications of urine as alternative therapy in clinical pediatric cases: health implication of urine therapy". Pan Afr Med J. 5: 12. doi:10.4314/pamj.v5i1.56181. PMC   3032614 . PMID   21293739.
  6. 1 2 3 Atler, Joseph S. (2004). Yoga in Modern India: The Body Between Science and Philosophy. Princeton University Press. pp. 181–210. ISBN   0691118744.
  7. ↑ A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke, London: Homoeopathic Pub. Co., 1900–1902. See Médi-T online version
  8. ↑ Armstrong, John W. (2011). The Water Of Life: A Treatise on Urine Therapy. Random House. ISBN   978-1446489925.
  9. ↑ Lenkeit, Roberta Edwards (2018-10-23). High Heels and Bound Feet: And Other Essays on Everyday Anthropology, Second Edition. Waveland Press. p. 72. ISBN   978-1-4786-3841-4.
  10. ↑ Perdigão, Jorge (2016-08-03). Tooth Whitening: An Evidence-Based Perspective. Springer. p. 170. ISBN   978-3-319-38849-6.
  11. ↑ Bonitz, Michael; Lopez, Jose; Becker, Kurt; Thomsen, Hauke (2014-04-09). Complex Plasmas: Scientific Challenges and Technological Opportunities. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 465. ISBN   978-3-319-05437-7.
  12. ↑ David F. Putnam Composition and Concentrative Properties of Human Urine. NASA Contractor Report. July 1971
  13. ↑ Dan Nosowitz for Popular Science. September 5, 2013 What's in your Pee?
  14. ↑ Jamincost, Ben (5 May 2018). "Wuhan man claims 'urine therapy' cured his hyperthyroidism". Shanghaiist . Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  15. 1 2 Mu, Natalie (16 August 2016). "Group that advocates drinking urine still active despite being ruled illegal". South China Morning Post . Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  16. ↑ "BBC NEWS - Asia-Pacific - Thais drink urine as alternative medicine". 21 July 2003. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  17. ↑ "Police arrested a self-proclaimed 'holy man' whose followers ate his feces and drank his urine in hopes of being cured of illnesses". Insider.com .
  18. 1 2 3 "Should You Pee on a Jellyfish Sting?". Cleveland Clinic. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  19. 1 2 Curtin, Ciara (4 January 2007). "Fact or Fiction?: Urinating on a Jellyfish Sting is an Effective Treatment". Scientific American.
  20. 1 2 3 "Urotherapy". American Cancer Society. November 2008. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014.
  21. ↑ JB (9 August 2013). "Drinking Camel Urine in Yemen". VICE News . Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  22. ↑ Abdel Gader, Abdel Galil (2 April 2016). "The unique medicinal properties of camel products: A review of the scientific evidence". Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences. 11 (2): 98–103. doi: 10.1016/j.jtumed.2015.12.007 .
  23. ↑ Al-Yousef, Nujoud; Gaafar, Ameera; Al-Otaibi, Basem; Al-Jammaz, Ibrahim; Al-Hussein, Khaled; Aboussekhra, Abdelilah (2012). "Camel urine components display anti-cancer properties in vitro". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 143 (3): 819–25. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2012.07.042. PMID   22922085.
  24. ↑ Rehman, Dawood (16 August 2015). "Saudi police arrest Pakistani man in camel urine scam". Daily Pakistan . Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  25. ↑ Mahdawi, Arwa (11 January 2022). "Anti-vaxxers are touting another new Covid 'cure' – drinking urine. But they are not the only obstacles to ending the pandemic | Arwa Mahdawi". the Guardian.
  26. ↑ "Fact Check-No evidence that 'urine therapy' cures COVID-19". Reuters. 12 January 2022.
  27. ↑ Robert Todd Carroll (September 12, 2014). "Urine Therapy". The skeptic's dictionary: a collection of strange beliefs, amusing deceptions, and dangerous delusions. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  28. ↑ Christopher Middleton (2003-02-24). "A wee drop of amber nectar". The Daily Telegraph . London. Archived from the original on 2012-12-23.
  29. ↑ Why You Definitely Shouldn't Drink Your Own Pee, Gizmodo, 22 Oct 2014
  30. ↑ Maxine Frith (21 February 2006). "Urine: The body's own health drink?". The Independent. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
  31. ↑ "Golden cure? Arguments for and against urine therapy". 8 June 2022.

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