Doctor goes to extreme lengths to debunk myth
It sounds unbelievable, but some people believe that drinking pee can help boost their immune system and decrease muscle pains. Yuck!
This issue came to light after a shocking post on Facebook, in which an owner of a noodle store described using pee as an ingredient in his soup.
Vendor used pee to help cure customers’ muscle aches
His reason for doing so was to help relieve his customers’ – most of whom are construction workers – pains from working. To avoid any misunderstandings from suggesting that they drink their own, he decided to secretly use his own pee in the soup. What’s really awkward about this is that the customers expressed that they liked the soup, and then their pains went down. Seriously?!
Translation: Most of my customers are construction workers who complain that they have body pains. I don’t want to straightforwardly suggest drinking their own pee, so secretly put it in the soup. They seem to like it.
Image credit: sanook
This post went viral on Facebook and shocked netizens. The store remains anonymous – I just hope I’ve never been there.
Celebrity doctor took things into his hands
Last week, a famous Thai doctor Phakphum Dejhatsadin – or Dr. Max – took it to Facebook to debunk this myth. His page Panda Doctor aims to help people understand more about science and the medical world through his funny explanations and memes.
In his video, he explained that drinking pee is not the right thing to do in today’s era.
Image credit: Panda Doctor
Dr. Max broke down this information simply:
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Consuming urine was an ancient practice
Back in ancient times, people would use animal urine as an ingredient together with other herbs for medicinal purposes. With current technology and advancements, we have the necessary medication and food to take when we are feeling unwell.
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Facial creams can be used instead
Dr. Max went all out and tried the spray on himself to dispel the myth. Take about dedication.
Image credit: Panda Doctor
Yep, it’s true. Some people have gone to the lengths of applying it on their faces. Dr. Max explained that while the urea in urine does have moisturising properties, it does not compare to using a normal skin care product. So why use that when we have facial creams today?
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Pee does not necessarily help heal wounds
We might have heard the “tip” of using pee or saliva to heal wounds, like a jellyfish sting for example. However, as a doctor who works with pee samples almost everyday, he said that it actually contains lots of bacteria. He also mentioned that our body has its own system to heal wounds and stop bleeding.
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Pee is NOT the something to use as an eyedrop
Image credit: Panda Doctor
Some Thai locals also believe that pee can be used as an eye-drop to help with diseases and irritation. Since words don’t work sometimes, doctor Max tried to explain with proof – he posted photos of bacteria and parasite in pee on his page.
We should just stick to modern-day solutions
We’re now in a modern era where there are many healthcare items available for our many needs. We hope Dr. Max’s dedication to crushing this belief has helped others realise that they don’t need to go to such extreme lengths to preserve their immune systems!
Cover image adapted from: Panda Doctor