I saw something new and scary

tmg724 · Oct 19, 2005

Urine is only sterile when in the bladder or removed by sterile technique. Its not sterile if you pee in a cup and drink it!!

nurse4theplanet, RN · Oct 20, 2005

Several years ago (like maybe 25) there was a group of Mexicans trying to cross the border into Arizona who got lost, ran out of water, and resorted to drinking their own urine. Every single one of them died. I don't believe drinking urine will save your life in a dehydration situation, if you think about the physiology of urine production, and putting all those toxins back into your body - no matter what stories are out there. However, I guess it wouldn't kill you if you were doing it for "medicinal" purposes, and were well hydrated to begin with. But I don't see how there could be any health benefit to putting waste back into your body. It's being excreted from the body because it's poisonous to the body, sterile or not. Would there be any nutritional benefit to eating poo?

Urine is mostly water plus waste "the vitamins, byproducts, and minerals not metabolized by the liver or needed by the body." Not like poo. Urine is sterile and therefore can be taken in shortly after voiding. I wouldn't recommend it. But it will allow you to take in the excess nutrients and water that your body would need if you started to dehydrate. However, if you continue this process with no water or food, like being stranded, your urine will eventually become more and more potent with byproducts that the body cannot use and then be toxic and kill you.

I am not woman enough to drink my urine no matter how desperate. Gross.

nurse4theplanet, RN · Oct 20, 2005

I knew a woman who was receiving alternative cancer treatment which consisted of injecting her own urine IM. True story. She was paying a lot of money for this too.

HOW in the world does this help?

Did she tell you why? Maybe there was still alot of chemo left in the urine... nasty!

gwenith, BSN, RN · Oct 20, 2005

Urine sniffing. This is the most effective way of treatment for any sinus congestion and upper respiratory problems.

Nah! Don't believe it! Otherwise no nurse would ever get a cold:D

From the annals of the really weird web links - "The Urine Cure" http://www.wfmu.org/LCD/19/urine.html

Keepstanding, ASN, RN · Oct 20, 2005

:uhoh21: Enough Already !

pricklypear · Oct 20, 2005

Urine is mostly water plus waste "the vitamins, byproducts, and minerals not metabolized by the liver or needed by the body." Not like poo. Urine is sterile and therefore can be taken in shortly after voiding. I wouldn't recommend it. But it will allow you to take in the excess nutrients and water that your body would need if you started to dehydrate. However, if you continue this process with no water or food, like being stranded, your urine will eventually become more and more potent with byproducts that the body cannot use and then be toxic and kill you.
I am not woman enough to drink my urine no matter how desperate. Gross.

Good point. For some reason that story stuck in my mind from way back when it happened when I was a kid. We lived in the desert, and were taught from an early age about carrying water, and where to get water if you were ever stranded in the desert - and after this happened, everybody was cautioned NEVER to drink urine. The group of Mexicans who died had last been seen in Mexico a couple weeks before they were found, they had been out there for at least a week in 115 degree heat. I remember hearing that they had not all died of dehydration, some had died from the urine consumption. I suppose they had reached the point where the urine was actually toxic. I might get desperate enough to drink urine, but can't picture myself digging into poo!

Anhelo Impedio · Oct 22, 2005

drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. (the book of proverbs 5:15)*

http://skepdic.com/urine.html

check it out ....

botch92 · Oct 22, 2005

Did anybody watch that episode of CSI with the model who died that drinking her own urine that would help extend her life beauty that sort of thing - wonder if she thought it was a good idea from that??? YUCK----- Cant imagine ever a good idea though think i would become dehydrated first..

Capt. Kenai · Oct 23, 2005

Yea sure, urine is steril, and if your ever out and get a venomous insect bite your body will begin to create antihistamines that will be secreated into the urine. If your without a sting kit and are having a strong allergic reaction you'll get the benifit of this antihistamine if you drink your own urine. I rather gag on my urine than choke on my tounge...

Balder_LPN, LPN · Oct 23, 2005

Ok this thread is starting to drift a bit, so, from the land of SCUBA lore.....

If you get stung by a jelly fish, pee on it, ammonia in the urine helps to neutralize the sting..really,really,really

I know this works!!

sandiixx · Oct 23, 2005

I have heard that you can only drink your urine once if stranded because after that it becomes to concentrated or something like that and will cause harm. Wish I could remember what that scientist said but i dont intend to drink my urine, so maybe i dont need to remember??? :)

MichaelLooney · Oct 23, 2005

Ive done this for a long long time now. And for the first time in a long time I saw someting new. A mother had brought her teenage daughter in for drinking her own urine.The pt had no c/os other than her mother bringing her into the ER for eval.
Apparently there are some alledged health benefits to this, but the thought just boggles my mind.I hope this isnt some new trend out there

Actually, its a complete therapy (dunno if anyone has said this yet). Compeltely alternative medicine, though, and very well frowned upon by most of the world, which, of course, makes me intersted, LOL:

http://skepdic.com/urine.html