Drinking Pee: Debunking Myths And Understanding Risks

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showering in golden light. consuming from your own tap. drinking a warm herbal poop.

Whatever you choose to call it, drinking pee has been a tradition for thousands of years.

The use of pee for medical purposes is still carried out in several regions of the globe and is now known as urine treatment, urophagia, or urotherapy.

Urine treatment has reportedly been used to cure conditions ranging from cancer to acne, according to records from ¹ back to Rome, Greece, and Egypt. There was a time when physicians tasted urine samples to check for diabetes.

Similar broad-based claims regarding urine's healing abilities are being made by supporters today. So, should you add your morning urination to your smoothie? Most likely not.

The benefits of drinking pee have not been shown scientifically.

Contrarily, research indicates that consuming urine may cause the bloodstream to get contaminated with dangerous germs, poisons, and other chemicals. Your kidneys may possibly experience unnecessary strain as a result.

Continue reading to find out more about the possible consequences of drinking pee.

What is uric acid?

Your body doesn't require the fluid and waste components that makeup urine.

Your kidneys function as filters, taking out extra water and cellular waste from the blood. Urine is produced from this waste and delivered to the bladder.

Your pee is 91 to 96 per cent water. The remainder is created using salts, ammonia, and leftovers from regular bodily functions.

From your kidneys to your urethra, your urinary tract is present. There are two kidneys in your body, one on each side.

Urine is transported from the kidneys to the bladder by two ureters, which are ².

Nerve endings in your bladder inform your brain when it is time to use the lavatory.

Urine leaves the body via a little tube known as the urethra when the bladder is emptied.

Some bacterial species reside in the urethra. These bacteria often don't create any issues until they go out of hand.

However, studies on the makeup of urine reveal that these bacteria may taint urine as it leaves the body.

Asserted use

British naturopath John W. Armstrong wrote a well-known book on the purported healing benefits of drinking one's own urine in 1945.

According to the book "The Water of Life: A Treatise on Urine Therapy," urine may treat all serious diseases.

He said that individuals who were close to death needed to consume just pee for many weeks while also receiving regular urine massages.

Other urine treatment claims are based on anecdotes or prehistoric writings. The following ailments are allegedly treated by consuming urine:

allergies
acne
cancer
heart issues
infections
wounds
blocked nose
Inflammation and other skin conditions
stings

Some traditional groups in contemporary Nigeria continue to treat children with seizures at home using urine.

None of these assertions is supported by scientific data.

Is it clean?

Simply put, no. It has been a long-standing and popular belief that pee is sterile.

Even some medical professionals are unaware that it is a myth. The belief that urine is sterile most likely originated from 1950s research on urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Urine samples from this research were classified as "negative" if they revealed no indications of UTI.

But the lack of a UTI, which is brought on by bacterial overgrowth, does not equate to the absence of germs.

According to more recent research, urine does indeed include germs that might be dangerous to consume or go into circulation via a cut.

Is it secure?

Even while a little amount of your own pee generally won't harm you, it's unquestionably riskier than drinking a glass of water.

Bacteria

Numerous distinct colonies of beneficial bacteria reside in your body. The urinary system is home to a variety of germs.

Unless they start to grow out of control, they are harmless. Urinary fluid picks up microorganisms as it travels through the urinary system.

Drinking urine sends germs into your system that may lead to infections or other health issues, whether it is your own or someone else's.

Toxins

Waste materials from your bloodstream are filtered out and found in your urine. Despite their names, these waste materials aren't really poisonous.

However, they are quite focused. And since they are harmful if they remain in the body, your body is working to get rid of them.

Concentrated waste materials are reintroduced into your system when you drink pee. This puts undue pressure on the kidneys since they have to filter them out once again.

Medications

Prescription drugs are digested and then eliminated via the urine.

It's possible that drinking your own pee may change the dosage of a drug you're currently taking. Taking someone else's urine might put an unfamiliar drug in your system.

Does it hydrate?

Urine is generally not a healthy thing to drink. But what if you find yourself marooned on a remote island? Can consuming your own pee prevent dehydration from killing you?

This is fiction, despite the dramatic cinematic scene it would create. If you were dehydrated to the point of death, drinking pee would be similar to drinking salt water, only grosser.

Concentrated salts and minerals may be found in urine. Your kidneys need a certain quantity of water to handle salt.

You would need to urinate more water than you take in to make up for an increase in salt consumption. In fact, doing so would hasten the process of ³

Additionally, in a survival scenario, the U.S. Army Field Manual advises troops not to consume their own pee.

Conclusion

It is not a good idea to drink your own pee. Your body may be exposed to germs, poisons, and drugs as a result.

There is no evidence to support the notion that consuming pee would be healthy in any manner.

Getting a large dosage of vitamins and minerals may be done in far more efficient ways. Take a few gummy vitamins; you'll probably like the flavour better!