No Drinking: Urine Is NOT a Beverage
Science has finally figured out what I already knew: It is not a good idea to drink urine.
Really? Duh. I didn't need a research paper to tell me that! Yet others may be enlightened to hear that researchers have determined that bacteria are present in the bladders of some healthy women, which discredits the "common belief" that normal urine is sterile. These findings were published in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology by researchers at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM).
"Doctors have been trained to believe that urine is germ-free," said Linda Brubaker, MD, MS, dean, SSOM. "However, these findings challenge this notion, so this research may have positive implications for how we treat patients with urinary tract conditions in the future."
It could also have implications on what goes into some people's breakfast juice glass, too. Think I'm kidding? A particularly illuminating article from a past issue of The Independent offers these insights:
"Auto-urine therapy, or urotherapy as it is sometimes known, dates back to several ancient cultures and even, arguably, the Bible. Egyptian medical texts and Chinese and Indian documents mention the benefits of drinking one's urine, while the Aztecs used it to disinfect wounds...
"One of the prime movers in the [urotherapy] movement, Martha Christy (author of Your Own Perfect Medicine) says that the first toilet visit of the day is the most beneficial. She recommends a regime beginning with five drops of 'fresh morning urine' under the tongue before gradually increasing the dosage to as much as a cupful, morning and night. Urine can also be used as eye and ear drops, for gargling with or in the bath."
Remind me never to brunch at Martha's house.
While the article concluded on its own that drinking urine may not be all it was cracked up to be, it offered some pretty amusing insights, nonetheless. These, among others, were compiled by Independent reporter Maxine Frith:
- Self-urine therapy dates back 5,000 years to ancient India, where it was known as "shivambu shastra" and seen as a way of rejuvenating body and soul.
- Male porcupines use their urine to soften the female's quills before mating, while vultures urinate on their legs to cool themselves.
- Advocates claim it has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anticancer properties.
- Author JD Salinger was fan or drinking urine.
- Research in the 1990s claimed that drinking urine could cure jet lag.
- The practice is particularly popular in China, where millions of people drink a daily dose of their own urine.
- Some fans believe the Bible recommends urine therapy. A verse in Proverbs advises: "Drink waters from thy own cistern, flowing water from thy own well."
Thank goodness researchers finally have put a cap on the discussion. Leave urine where it belongs: In specimen bottles.