Posted on 03/14/2003 7:08:41 AM PST by the_devils_advocate_666
The Cameroon health minister has deemed it necessary to warn people that drinking urine may not be good for your health.
Urbain Olanguena Awono has even warned that those who advocate drinking urine risk prosecution.
He was moved to speak after a wave of interest in "urinotherapy".
Advocates are convinced that it can cure afflictions such as haemorrhoids, ulcers, infertility and even snake bites.
"Given the risks of toxicity associated in the short, medium and long term with ingesting urine, the health ministry advises against the consumption of urine and invites those who promote the practice to cease doing so forthwith or risk prosecution," Mr Awono said in a statement.
Best seller
But "urinotherapists" are sticking to their beliefs that a glass of urine a day keeps the doctor away.
"I used it to treat my haemorrhoids," Emile told Cameroon newspaper, Le Messager.
"Everyone uses it in secret. But you need to be brave," he said.
But not everyone has the necessary courage.
"I tried but I just couldn't," said G Gisele.
"For several years now, I haven't had a hair on my head, but since I started drinking my urine, it's started growing again - it's quite extraordinary," the French news agency, AFP, quoted an unnamed magistrate as saying.
Le Messager says that a book on "urinotherapy" published in Switzerland has become a best seller.
But others say it is part of Cameroon's traditional medicine.
"When my grandmother who is 80 was bitten by a snake in the fields, she drank her own urine. This slowed down the progress of the venom to her heart until she got to hospital," said Omer Otabela.
Every morning, for example, the nurse would bring her breakfast (which always consisted of an egg, piece of toast, and glass of apple juice). She would then return a little bit later to empty the urine bottle. And so it continued...
Finally, one morning, she decided to have a little fun. She ate the eggs and the toast, but went to the bathroom where she cleaned the urine bottle out, then poured the apple juice into it.
When the nurse returned later that morning, he took a look at the bottle and a frown came over his face. "Obviously, you enjoyed your breakfast, but something must be wrong because this looks a little cloudy," he said, pointing to the urine bottle.
"Oh, really?" she replied, picking up the bottle in question and putting it to her lips. "In that case, we'd better run it through again..."
I seem to remember that Prime Minister Nehru of India partook of his urine. He purported that this practice was based on yoga and other religious beliefs that were "lost in the mists of time", (wow quite a cliche! Oops can we still use this word since it's GULP french? We can always use the Auhmericum version "clickey!")
Nehi Nehru anyone?
Oh well, It's Friday, I'm underemployed and I think I just had a brain fart!
Well, we know he's not a libertarian. Let the war on pee begin!
The practice is actually quite common in India among some of the higher castes. SeeBS "60 Minutes" had a big government honcho from India on its show some years ago, and there was a line of questioning about the practice of drinking one's own urine, which the guy said he did and claimed it had a cleansing effect on his body. He wasn't on the show for that reason, but the topic WAS covered.
Michael
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