Outdated Medical Treatments Used Throughout History

Urine Therapy

Yes, it is exactly what you are thinking. Urine therapy requires the patient to either drink or rub their own or animal urine on their skin. The list of illnesses it is said to cure is extensive, including many chronic diseases such as different types of cancer, human immunodeficiency virus, asthma, and skin disorders. While this sounds like an outdated therapy, just a quick search on the internet will assure you it is still commonly used today, and not just to relieve the sting of a jellyfish—which has been proven to be nothing but a myth.

Urine therapy has been used all over the world for centuries, but it originated from the ancient Egyptian and Roman cultures. Even though it sounds unfathomable to drink your own urine, proponents of this therapy drink copious amounts of water and juice to help dilute their own urine before drinking. It is suggested as much as two and a half liters of urine be consumed daily for the treatment to be effective. Using urine for drinking has extensively been researched by NASA as a way for individuals to have drinking water for prolonged stays in space. However, astronauts filter their urine before drinking.

Continue to learn about more outdated treatments used throughout history.