In my never ending quest to learn new things about the body, I’ve run across a few humorous health cures involving human urine. Some people will have you believe that urine really is worth its weight in gold when it comes to curing what ails you. I’ve seen it touted as a cure for jellyfish stings, athlete’s foot, and even as something healthy to drink. But is urine really the magical elixir some people think it is?
Claim #1: Drinking urine is good for your health!
I guess I might as well go ugly early with this first claim that drinking a tall glass of urine a day will make one healthier. I first heard about this health claim while watching the VH1 reality show Confessions of a Teen Idol. One of the participants, Eric Nies, was taking a shower and holding up a glass of his own “golden shower” and encouraging his fellow castmates to join him in a urine toast. Nies is reportedly into healthy living and has a body that would rival Adonis’. He certainly looks fit; is it because of what he drinks?
According to Anish Sheth, M.D. and Josh Richman, authors of the book What’s My Pee Telling Me?, there is a “burgeoning movement in the West to harness the power of urine therapy... to enhance the immune system and prevent disease” (107). In fact, some urine enthusiasts claim that a daily dose of urine can lead to a long, healthy life. Former Indian Prime Minister Morarji Desai was a big fan of urine therapy and he lived to be 99 years old.
Urine is made up of 95% and 2.5% urea; the remaining 2.5% consists of minerals, salts, hormones, and enzymes. Fresh from the body, it’s usually completely sterile. Most urine is not toxic and drinking it is not generally harmful, although those who take medications should probably stick to drinking water because their pee might contain harmful chemicals. While I can’t vouch for how urine tastes, urine therapy enthusiasts do have certain preferred ways of enjoying this biological treat. According to www.skepdic.com, many urine quaffers drink from the midstream of their first whiz of the morning. Some people mix it with apple juice; some drink it warm; and some like it over fruit. The general consensus among many medical professionals seems to be that drinking urine won’t hurt you… but it probably won’t help you that much, either. On the other hand, there’s a lot to be said for the power of placebo.
Claim #2: Urine is a great cure for a jellyfish sting!
Having grown up near a lot of salty rivers, I am very familiar with the pain of a jellyfish sting. That searing sting comes when you brush up against a jellyfish’s tentacles which contain little stingers called nematocysts. Nematocysts contain an alkali-based fluid that gets injected into your skin, causing it to turn red and swell. When you get stung by a jellyfish, you want fast relief. According to some people, urine will help take the pain away. But is that really true?
Dr. Sheth writes in What’s My Pee Telling Me? that some people claim that urine’s acidity can neutralize the sting of a jellyfish. However, Sheth explains that most normal urine is actually a neutral substance with a pH factor of 7. For that reason, it’s not likely to be very effective for jellyfish stings. A better bet is a splash of vinegar, which has a pH factor of about 2.5 and is quite acidic. Vinegar is much more likely to put you on the road to recovery after a jellyfish sting than urine is.
Claim #3: Urine can help cure athlete’s foot!
Pity the poor athlete’s foot sufferer. This fungal infection, caused by tinea pedis, leads to intense itching and burning between the toes. Tinea pedis thrives in warm, dark, moist environments, which makes an athlete’s feet particularly susceptible to infection. After all, a lot of athletes’ feet spend most of their time encased in sweat socks and sneakers.
Dr. Sheth writes that, in fact, urine actually can be useful in treating mild cases of athlete’s foot. Urine contains urea, which is an ingredient found in many over the counter athlete’s foot remedies. Apparently, urea works by breaking up dead skin and letting antifungal medications go where the fungi is hiding. But urine only consists of about 2.5% urea, which is a pretty low concentration. In order for your urine to really have any effect on athlete’s foot, you’d have to soak your fee in a tub of pee. What’s more, the urea isn’t what cures the infection; it just helps antifungal medications do their job more effectively. You’re probably better off getting yourself an over the counter remedy, which would contain the right amount of urea, or seeing a doctor for a stronger drug if your athlete’s foot is persistant.
Claim #4: If you’re stranded in the desert or on a lifeboat and battling dehydration, drinking your urine can save your life!
This claim could be true under certain circumstances. If you’re in a situation where fresh water is scarce and the only source of fluid is your bladder, you might be tempted to drink your urine. And you might actually be able to stave off dehydration, at least for a day or two. As I mentioned before, urine is usually sterile when it first exits the body and in a properly hydrated person, it’s made up of 95% water. So it makes sense that it could be a source of liquid when liquid is scarce, at least at the beginning of the ordeal.
However, it’s important to remember that as you become dehydrated, you don’t urinate as much or as often. Moreover, as you dry out, your urine becomes more concentrated with other elements such as urea, minerals, and salt. So drinking your own urine when you’re in the desert or on a lifeboat surrounded by salt water is likely to be a very temporary fix. You best pray for rain or keep looking for that oasis!
And finally, Claim #5: Urine can help clear up acne!
I first heard this claim when I was in the 8th grade back in the mid 1980s. My physical science teacher, Mr. Foxwell, said that he used to have a complexion that was reminiscent of the surface of Mars. To clear up his skin condition, he used urine. Can pee really help vanquish that old adolescent skin scourge?
I haven’t actually been able to find much more than anecdotal evidence as to whether or not urine works against acne. Some people claim that urine is full of all kinds of hormones and minerals that are good for the skin and can help chase away those zits forever. However, remember that urine is mostly water and basically a neutral substance. It probably won’t hurt your skin other than make it smelly, but it’s not likely to do much more than make your skin wet. On the plus side, urine is probably the cheapest acne cure you’ll ever find, but then again, it’s probably worth about what you paid for it.
Pee is a fascinating substance…
but it’s probably not the cure all some proponents would have you believe. As for me, I prefer to think of my pee as only a waste product, meant to be flushed away rather than recycled. Your mileage may vary.
SOURCES:
Richman, J. and Sheth, A. (2009). What’s My Pee Telling Me? San Francisco: Chronicle Books.
www.skepdic.com
