Urine TherapyUrine therapy is also known as uropathy - and those that practice it are sometimes referred to as Uropaths. So what is this strange-sounding therapy? Well, it is the practice of drinking your own urine! Not only drinking it, but also rubbing it into the skin. Followers of this therapy are of the firm belief that our own urine contains huge amounts of minerals that are extremely good for our health. But does urine therapy really work? Well, a Chiropodist I met while I was studying reflexology claimed that if ever a patient of hers suffered from Athlete's foot, then she instructed them to dab the relevant part of the foot with their own urine as a cure. She told me that this more often than not resolved the problem for the sufferer. This would seem to suggest that healing is possible with urine therapy. Urine therapy has been practiced for many thousands of years, and urine is thought to have many potent curative powers. It has been called the world's oldest form of medicine. An ancient Sanskrit text known as Damar Tantra contains many verses praising the powers of urine. In these texts the method of using urine as a therapy is called Shivambu Kalp Viddhi or Shivambu Kalpa meaning water of Shiva. Obviously there are financial benefits of using urine as a medicine! Nothing could be cheaper. Many people, including the 'rich and famous' drink their own urine believing it boosts the immune system against allergies as well as other health benefits. Apparently in southern China, a baby has it's face drenched with urine which is then believed to protect the skin. Urine consists of water and urea. However, there are many other compounds and hormones to be found in it, as well as corticosteroids. Corticosteroid-type medicines are often used in the treatment of skin conditions. It has even been suggested that urine given to cancer patients can be helpful in treating the disease. Unfortunately though there has not been enough scientific evidence (or indeed research) to show whether this is the case or not.
It is accepted that small doses of one's own urine is unlikely to be harmful. However,
if you are going to do it, it is best to use mid-stream urine, as the urethra can
carry bacteria. This is why if you visit the doctor and he/she asks for a urine
sample, they normally specify a 'mid-stream' sample. This is to ensure that the
urine sample provided is free of bacteria. The bladder itself is normally sterile
and therefore the urine uncontaminated by bacteria.
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