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Urine therapy

 
Alternative Medicine Encyclopedia: Urine Therapy
 
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Definition

Urine therapy is the use of one's urine, internally or externally, to heal wounds or alleviate disease symptoms and/or for overall well-being. It is also called uropathy, auto-urine therapy, amaroli, or shivambu.

Origins

References to the use of urine for medicinal purposes can be traced to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, Aztec, and Hindu histories. Proponents also point to Proverbs 5:15 in the Old Testament of the Bible: "Drink water from thy own cistern, and the streams of thy own well."

As an integral part of the ayurvedic tradition of yoga, urine therapy is known as amaroli. Ayurvedic yogis are encouraged to drink their own urine between 4 and 6 A.M. in the morning in the belief that the hormones ingested will facilitate a meditative state.

The rationale of the therapy is that urine is a byproduct of blood filtration, not excess water from consumed food and liquid. In fact, the medical term for urine is plasma ultrafiltrate. Blood filled with nutrients passes through the liver where toxins are filtered out and excreted as solid waste matter. This purified blood then travels to the kidneys where any excess elements form urine and are then eliminated from the body. As urine passes through the urethra, it is a sterile solution. Ninety-five percent of it is water; the remaining five percent is a combination of urea, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, hormones, proteins, and antibodies. Urine therapy advocates argue that the presence of these nutrients are proof of urine's medicinal powers.

Urea is an antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral agent that forms when the body balances its ratio of sodium chloride to water. Urea is often used to make ointments and lotions for its properties of reducing inflammation and ability to kill bacteria. It can be duplicated under laboratory conditions by dissolving calcium cyanamid in water, and then heated under high pressure to produce a compound of urea and calcium hydroxide.

Benefits

Urine therapy has been touted as a remedy for a long list of ailments, including multiple sclerosis, colitis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, hepatitis, hyperactivity, psoriasis, eczema, diabetes, herpes, mononucleosis, and adrenal failure. It is a commonly used treatment for snakebites and bee and jellyfish stings. Childhood illnesses such as acute flu, colds, viral infections, mumps, chicken pox, and allergies are also said to be alleviated by urine therapy. Urine is an ingredient in Pergonal, a fertility drug, and in pharmaceuticals used to dissolve blood clots.

Description

Urine therapy can be applied internally or externally. For internal use, a sample of the morning's first urine is collected in a sterile container. Using a clean medicine dropper, the patient places an amount between one to ten drops under the tongue. Usually, one to five drops are applied on the first day; 5-10 drops on the second day; 5-10 drops on the morning of the third day, followed by 5-10 drops that evening.

In homeopathic urine therapy, drops of urine are diluted in quantities of distilled water. Drops of the dilution are placed under the tongue hourly until a noticeable improvement in illness or the temporary worsening of the condition occurs. Then drops are applied at lengthening intervals for three days.

Only fresh urine should be used when taken orally. The genital area should be washed before collecting a specimen. The best time to collect urine is first thing in the morning, and collecting the sample mid-stream. Individuals should refrain from eating for a half hour after ingesting the urine.

For external use, new or old urine can be applied. Old urine has a higher ammonia content that is more effective on skin such rashes as eczema and psoriasis. To store urine for later use, one should pour it into a dark glass bottle and close it tightly. Keep the bottle in a cool, dark place for at least four days.

A small amount is applied to the affected area with a cotton ball or pad. Continue massaging 5-10 applications to the area until it is soaked. Tape a clean, soaked pad to the area for several hours. The urine can also be sprayed onto the skin. For cosmetic purposes, fresh or 1-2 dayold urine can be lightly massaged into the skin or added in small amounts to moisturizing cream. Some practitioners recommend avoiding the use of soap or lotion after applying urine to the skin. Dryness can be alleviated with sesame oil.

Injections of urine are not advised. One of the key components of therapy is the gradual introduction of urine into the body. The abrupt introduction of urine into the bloodstream could exacerbate possible side effects.

Preparation

Because any food, liquids, drugs, and/or medications consumed will affect the urine, an examination of one's diet is recommended before starting urine therapy. Keeping a daily nutrition journal will help to chart the body's reaction to different foods and the body's digestive patterns. High consumption of meat, for example, is thought to elevate the body's acid levels, particularly just before fasting or undergoing an intensive regime of urine therapy.

Users of urine therapy often keep regular measurements of their acid and alkaline levels, glucose levels, and blood pressure. Monitoring the body's acid and alkaline is accomplished by keeping track of the pH level in the saliva or urine. The ideal pH range for saliva is 6.4 to 7.2; below 6.4 too acidic, above 7.2 too alkaline. Urine pH normally varies from 5.0 in the morning to 8.0 in the evening.

Glucose tests measure the level of sugar in the blood, by millimoles per litres (mmol/l). Normal levels range from 4 to 8 mmol/l during the day, with the lowest levels occurring in the morning and higher measures occurring after meals.

At-home testing kits for pH levels, glucose levels, and blood pressure are available in most stores that carry over-the-counter (OTC) medical products.

Precautions

Urine that will be taken orally should never be heated or boiled. On the other hand, some advocates suggest that boiled urine is best for massage purposes. Boiling should be done in a stainless steel pot.

Proponents are divided on whether or not pregnant women should practice urine therapy. Some believe that it is beneficial for both the mother and the growing fetus. Others advise against it. Because of the fertility properties of urine, birth control pills may be less effective.

Several pre-existing conditions preclude the use of urine therapy. Heavy smokers and people taking therapeutic or recreational drugs should not use their own urine. Those suffering from bladder infections or venereal disease are also advised against ingesting their urine.

Side Effects

Side effects can include headache, diarrhea, itch and rashes, pain, fatigue, soreness of the shoulder, and fever. An increase in symptoms of the specific illness may also occur. These symptoms can last from a week to six months. Starting the therapy with small doses can alleviate some of these side effects.

Research & General Acceptance

Much of the current research is based on anecdotal evidence from users of urine therapy. Nonetheless, its popularity is growing worldwide. The first World Conference on Urine Therapy was held in 1996 in India. Two more conferences were convened at three-year intervals: in 1999 in Germany and in 2003 in Brazil. In the United States, urine therapy advocates cite the works of John W. Armstrong, The Water of Life: A Treatise on Urine Therapy, Martha M. Christy, Your Own Perfect Medicine, and Coen Van Der Kroon, The Golden Fountain.

Although components of urine are extracted to create a number of topical creams and fertility drugs, the drinking of urine is not generally accepted by the Western medical establishment. Dr. Andrew Weil, a noted physician, self-healing expert, and author of Natural Health, Natural Medicine, posits that reports of positive results experienced by users have more to do with placebo effects than with the actual healing properties of urine. According to Weil, treatments that elicit negative emotional charges can be result in benefits when the treatment "mobilizes attention and belief." In other words, adhering to urine therapy in spite of one's loathing for it increases its placebo effect.

Training & Certification

No training or certification is required.

Resources

Books

Christy, Martha M. Your Own Perfect Medicine. Mesa, Arizona: Wishland Publishing, 2000.

Periodicals

Bouaravong, Natalie. "Urine Therapy" Berkeley Medical Journal Issues [cited June 18, 2004]. .

Organizations

Chinese Association of Urine Therapy. 72 Wu Kon Lio Road, Wuku Industrial Park, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan, Republic of China. 886-2-22988446. .

Other

"Urine Therapy." Biomedx.com/ [cited April 13, 2004]. .

[Article by: Mary McNulty]

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Wikipedia: Urine therapy
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Biologically based alternative
and complementary therapy - edit
NCCAM classifications
  1. Alternative Medical Systems
  2. Mind-Body Intervention
  3. Biologically Based Therapy
  4. Manipulative Methods
  5. Energy Therapy
See also

In alternative medicine, the term urine therapy (also urotherapy, urinotherapy or uropathy) refers to various applications of human urine for medicinal or cosmetic purposes, including drinking of one's own urine and massaging one's skin with one's own urine. A practitioner of urine therapy is sometimes called a uropath[citation needed]. There is no scientific evidence of a therapeutic use for urine.[1][2][3][4][5] A chemical component of urine, urea, does have some well known commercial and other uses.

Contents

History

For thousands of years, practitioners of urine therapy have believed urine to have many preventative and curative powers.[citation needed] Some of the earliest human cultures used urine as a medicine.

Rome

In Roman times, there was a tradition among the Gauls to use urine to whiten teeth. A famous poem by the Roman poet Catullus, criticizing a Gaul named Egnatius, reads:[6][7]

“ Egnatius, because he has snow-white teeth, / smiles all the time. If you’re a defendant / in court, when the counsel draws tears, / he smiles: if you’re in grief at the pyre / of pious sons, the lone lorn mother weeping, / he smiles. Whatever it is, wherever it is, / whatever he’s doing, he smiles: he’s got a disease, / neither polite, I would say, nor charming. / So a reminder to you, from me, good Egnatius./ If you were a Sabine or Tiburtine / or a fat Umbrian, or plump Etruscan, / or dark toothy Lanuvian, or from north of the Po, / and I’ll mention my own Veronese too, / or whoever else clean their teeth religiously, / I’d still not want you to smile all the time: / there’s nothing more foolish than foolishly smiling. / Now you’re Spanish: in the country of Spain / what each man pisses, he’s used to brushing / his teeth and red gums with, every morning, / so the fact that your teeth are so polished / just shows you’re the more full of piss./ ”

India

A religious Sanskrit text called the Damar Tantra contains 107 stanzas on the benefits of "pure water, or one's own urine".[8] In this text, urine therapy is referred to as Sivambu Kalpa,[8] taken from the title of the ancient text, Shivambu Kalpa Vidhi.[citation needed] Here, shivambu can be translated as "the waters of Shiva", and the phrase refers to urine.[citation needed] This ancient Indian text suggests, among other uses and prescriptions, massaging one's skin with aged, concentrated urine. In the Indian ayurvedic tradition, urine therapy may be called amaroli.

Religious

Islam

In Sunni Islam, the Sahih Bukhari, which forms one of the six major Hadith collections quotes the Prophet Muhammad advocating drinking camel's urine as a medicine in several verses.[9][10][11]

Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 71, Number 590:

“ Narrated Anas: The climate of Medina did not suit some people, so the Prophet ordered them to follow his shepherd, i.e. his camels, and drink their milk and urine (as a medicine). So they followed the shepherd that is the camels and drank their milk and urine till their bodies became healthy. Then they killed the shepherd and drove away the camels. When the news reached the Prophet, he sent some people in their pursuit. When they were brought, he cut their hands and feet and their eyes were branded with heated pieces of iron.[9] ”

Sahih Bukhari Volume 8, Book 82, Number 797:

“ Narrated Anas bin Malik: A group of people from 'Ukl (or 'Uraina) tribe—but I think he said that they were from 'Ukl came to Medina and (they became ill, so) the Prophet ordered them to go to the herd of (Milch) she-camels and told them to go out and drink the camels' urine and milk (as a medicine). So they went and drank it, and when they became healthy, they killed the shepherd and drove away the camels. This news reached the Prophet early in the morning, so he sent (some) men in their pursuit and they were captured and brought to the Prophet before midday. He ordered to cut off their hands and legs and their eyes to be branded with heated iron pieces and they were thrown at Al-Harra, and when they asked for water to drink, they were not given water. (Abu Qilaba said, "Those were the people who committed theft and murder and reverted to disbelief after being believers (Muslims), and fought against Allah and His Apostle").[12][13] ”

On a different note from what's found in the Bukhari, later commentators find urine to be something that is "filth in a extreme degree".[13] Abū Ḥanīfa said that it's disliked, but not forbidden, to drink the urine from camels.[13] Abu Yusuf said that urine from camels can be consumed for medicinal purposes.[13]

Alleged Biblical reference

Some advocates believe that the Bible recommends urine therapy. A verse in Proverbs advises: "Drink waters from thy own cistern, flowing water from thy own well."[14]

Other cultures

In China, the urine of young boys has been regarded as a curative. In southern China, babies' faces are washed with urine to protect the skin.

The French customarily soaked stockings in urine and wrapped them around their necks in order to cure strep throat. Aristocratic French women in the 17th century reportedly bathed in urine to beautify their skin.

In Sierra Madre, Mexico, farmers prepare poultices for broken bones by having a child urinate into a bowl of powdered charred corn. The mixture is made into a paste and applied to the skin.[15]

As in ancient Rome, urine was used for teeth-whitening during the Renaissance, though they did not necessarily consume their own urine.

John Henry Clarke

The homeopath John Henry Clarke wrote, "…man who, for a skin affection, drank in the morning the urine he had passed the night before. The symptoms were severe, consisting of general-dropsy, scanty urine, and excessive weakness. These symptoms I have arranged under Urinum. Urinotherapy is practically as old as man himself. The Chinese (Therapist, x. 329) treat wounds by sprinkling urine on them, and the custom is widespread in the Far East. Taken internally, it is believed to stimulate the circulation".[16]

Modern claims and findings

Urine's main constituents are water and urea; the latter of which has some well-known commercial and other uses. Urine also contains small quantities of thousands of compounds, hormones and metabolites,[5][17] including corticosteroids.[18] There is no scientific evidence of a therapeutic use for urine.[1][2][3][4][5]

It has been claimed that urine is similar to other body fluids, like amniotic fluid or even blood, but these claims have no scientific basis.[4]

Urinating on jellyfish stings is a common folk remedy, but has no beneficial effect and may be counterproductive, as it can activate nematocysts remaining at the site of the sting.

People who use Amanita muscaria as an intoxicating drug will sometimes drink their own urine in order to prolong its effects, especially when there were shortages of the fungus.[19]

Urine does contain substances that are beneficial, such as Vitamin C; however, these substances have been excreted because they could not be used or because they were present in excess, so re-taking them will just result in re-excretion.[4]

Use as anti-cancer agent

Urine and urea have been claimed by some practitioners to have an anti-cancer effect, but scientific evidence does not support individual claims that urine or urea given in any form is helpful for cancer patients.[20] In addition, the other chemicals in urine may have a negative health effect when ingested<citation required>.

Public figures

In 1978, the former Prime Minister of India, Morarji Desai, a longtime practitioner of urine therapy, spoke to Dan Rather on 60 Minutes about urine therapy. Desai stated that urine therapy was the perfect medical solution for the millions of Indians who cannot afford medical treatment.

Cameroon's Health Minister Urbain Olanguena Awono warned people against drinking their own urine, believed in some circles to be a tonic and cure for a number of ailments. "Given the risks of toxicity associated with ingesting urine", he wrote, "the health ministry advises against the consumption of urine and invites those who promote the practice to cease doing so or risk prosecution."[21]

Among other modern celebrities, the British actress Sarah Miles has drunk her own urine for over thirty years, in claiming the belief that it immunizes against allergies, amongst other health benefits.[22] Major League Baseball player Moisés Alou urinates on his hands to alleviate callouses, which he claims allows him to bat without using batting gloves.[23] Madonna explained to talk show host David Letterman that she urinates on her own feet to help cure her athlete's foot problem.[24] Mixed Martial Arts superstar Lyoto Machida revealed in an interview that he drinks his own urine.[25] MMA fighter Luke Cummo has been a long time advocate of the practice.

Death from intravenous urine

On February 7, 2009, Gabriela Ascarrunz, 35, died from an infection associated with urine administered intravenously. Ascarrunz was admitted to a hospital for surgery for an intestinal obstruction. Fashion designer Monica Schultz, well-known in Bolivia and a friend of Ascarrunz's entered the hospital and introduced her own urine into Ascarrunz's intravenous line. This was discovered and rectified, but Ascarrunz died two days later.[26][27]

Auto-urine drinking and meditation

One of the less far-fetched and more physiologically and even historically sound claims is that drinking one's morning urine ('amaroli') was an ancient yoga practise designed to promote meditation. The ancient Hindu and yoga texts that mention auto-urine drinking, require it be done before sunrise and that only the mid-stream sample be used.[28] Although compliance with social mores may be one obvious reason for this noctural ingestion, the pineal hormone melatonin and its conjugated esters are present in morning urine in significant quantities, the pineal gland secreting melatonin maximally at about 2am, this secretion being shut off by the eyes' exposure to bright sunlight.[28] Melatonin, when ingested or given intravenously, amongst other effects, provokes tranquility and heightened visualisation.[28] There are high concentrations of melatonin in the first morning urine, but not in a physiologically active form.[28] Mills and Faunce at Newcastle University Australia in 1991 developed the hypothesis that ingestion of morning urine into low pH gastric acid would cause deconjugation of its esters back to the active form of melatonin. This, they suggested, might restore plasma night-time melatonin levels. Thus, they argued, oral pre-dawn consumption of auto-exogenous melatonin, by either re-setting of the sleep-wake cycle or enhancement of the physiological prerequisites for meditation (decreased body awareness (i.e. analgesia) and claimed slowed brain wave activity, as well as heightened visualization ability), may be the mechanism behind the alleged benefits ascribed to 'amaroli' or auto-urine drinking by ancient texts of the yogic religion.[28] Obvious experimental difficulties (particularly in constructing a double-blind clinical trial) mean that this is a difficult hypothesis to reliably test to any requisite evidence-based standard.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Christopher Middleton (2003-02-24). "A wee drop of amber nectar". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2003/02/24/hhel24.xml. 
  2. ^ a b 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. 
  3. ^ a b "Taking The Piss: Is urine drinking a good idea?". Correx archives. http://www.abc.net.au/science/correx/archives/piss.htm. 
  4. ^ a b c d Robert Todd Carroll (2003). The skeptic's dictionary: a collection of strange beliefs, amusing deceptions, and dangerous delusions (illustrated ed.). John Wiley and Sons. pp. 391-394. ISBN 0471272426, 9780471272427. http://books.google.com/books?id=6FPqDFx40vYC&pg=PA391&dq=urine+drinking+therapeutic. 
  5. ^ a b c Urine Therapy, Jeff Lowe
  6. ^ Your Teeth!, to Egnatius, poem by Catullus
  7. ^ Aspects of Catullus' Social Fiction. Christopher Nappa, Frankfurt-am-Main: Peter Lang, 2001. Pp. 180. ISBN 3-631-37808-4. SFr.56.00.
  8. ^ a b Joseph S. Alter. Yoga in Modern India. Princeton University Press. pp. 144. 
  9. ^ a b Sahih Bukhari 7:71:590
  10. ^ Sahih Bukhari 8:82:796
  11. ^ CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS & RESEARCH MINISTRY: Interesting quotes from the Hadith about Muhammad
  12. ^ Sahih Bukhari Volume 8, Book 82, Number 797
  13. ^ a b c d John Alden Williams (1994). The Word of Islam. University of Texas Press. p. 58, 98, 103. ISBN 0292790767, 9780292790766. http://books.google.com/books?id=cbaZiqERLEQC&pg=PA103&vq=urine&dq=islam+urine+prohibition. 
  14. ^ The Independent:"Urine: The body's own health drink?"
  15. ^ Urine therapy, Martin Gardner, Skeptical Inquirer, May-June 1999.
  16. ^ A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica, John Henry Clarke, London: Homoeopathic Pub. Co., 1900–1902.
  17. ^ Clinical value of 24-hour urine hormone evaluations, Alan Broughton, Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, January 2004.
  18. ^ An Investigation into the Determination of Corticosteroids in Urine. I. The Determination of Corticosterone-like Substances, S. L. Tompsett, Journal of Clinical Pathology 6 (#1, February 1953), pp. 74–77. PMID 13034924.
  19. ^ Charles Julius Hempel (1859). A new and comprehensive system of materia medica and therapeutics: arranged upon a physiologico-pathological basis for the use of practitioners and students of medicine. W. Radde. p. 1100. http://books.google.com/books?id=d4ZNAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA1100&dq=urine+drinking+therapeutic. 
  20. ^ Urotherapy, fact sheet at the American Cancer Society.
  21. ^ Cameroon threatens to jail urine drinkers, Jane Flanagan, Daily Telegraph, on line, article dated March 15, 2003.
  22. ^ 'I can't wait to get off this planet', interview with Sarah Miles in The Independent, September 2007
  23. ^ ESPN.com: Page 2 : Pee is only a wee bit gross
  24. ^ The Straight Dope
  25. ^ http://tatame.com.br/2009/03/21/O-segredo-do-sucesso-de-Lyoto-Machida
  26. ^ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8352231
  27. ^ [1]
  28. ^ a b c d e Mills MH and Faunce TA Melatonin supplementation from early morning auto-urine drinking.Mills MH, Faunce TA.Medical Hypotheses. 1991 Nov;36(3):195-9

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