Urine is Apparently Bad for You

[Kanastrous]

LA PAZ, Bolivia - A Bolivian woman has died from an injection of urine allegedly administered by her friend as a form of health therapy, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Investigating prosecutor Oscar Flores told The Associated Press that 35-year-old Gabriela Ascarrunz died Saturday of an "infection caused by urine that was injected by fashion designer Monica Schultz."

Local newspapers reported that Schultz, who is known across Bolivia for her clothing lines, is a practitioner of urine therapy — a form of alternative medicine using human urine for cosmetic purposes or to treat various diseases. Some people rub it on their skin, while others inject or drink it.

Skeptical scientists and physicians say there is no evidence urine treatment works and that chemicals it contains could potentially be toxic.

An arrest order was issued for Schultz.

The designer reportedly proclaimed her innocence from the United States, where she was promoting a new collection.

"I am surprised by the accusations, but I feel obligated to say I am innocent," she said, according to an e-mail read on ATB television. The AP was not immediately able to contact Schultz.

Officials did not say where the urine came from, and it was not immediately clear whether Ascarrunz, a veterinarian, also practiced urine therapy.

Alfredo Romero, director of the Incor clinic in the eastern province of Santa Cruz, said Ascarrunz was admitted last Thursday in serious condition to have surgery for an intestinal obstruction.

The alleged fatal injection came two days later as she was being treated in intensive care. The urine apparently was administered into fluid, or serum, that Ascarrunz was receiving intravenously.

"The victim's father realized that that woman (Schultz) had injected the urine," Flores said. "She was immediately expelled from the hospital and the serum was ordered changed, but unfortunately it was too late."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29126420/

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Do we have an extradition treaty with Bolivia...?

[Samuel]

Do we have an extradition treaty with Bolivia...?

http://www.oas.org/juridico/mla/en/trai ... sa-bol.pdf

Skeptical scientists and physicians say there is no evidence urine treatment works and that chemicals it contains could potentially be toxic.

What? Something your body has to expel from your body could be toxic? Understatement of the year

I actually saw this on CSI, but I didn't realize people would be dumb enough to do it- I mean, I can understand furries, but this? Don't people all have that ick reaction that keeps them from doing something this stupid?

[General Zod]

I wonder if this would make the Darwin Awards, but it doesn't really seem bizarre enough for some reason.

[Broomstick]

I actually saw this on CSI, but I didn't realize people would be dumb enough to do it- I mean, I can understand furries, but this? Don't people all have that ick reaction that keeps them from doing something this stupid?

Historically, urine has been used to clean things (you have to let it sit long enough to build up ammonia, but it is a grease-cutter), and there are people who drink the stuff, but inject it?

People are always coming up with new, weird, stupid shit.

[tim31]

Yeah, I've heard of drinking it in dire thirst(which is of course counter-productive), but injecting it? Jesus, that's almost as crazy as that Lego Robot comic panel.

[Knife]

injecting it is just stupid. So the filtrate goes right into the blood and right back to the kidney's to be filtered into urine again. Exercise in futility.

[Kitsune]

As long as you don't have a urinary tract infection, it is sterile and can be used to clean wounds if used immediately (from what I have read in an Army Survival guid)

[Knife]

As long as you don't have a urinary tract infection, it is sterile and can be used to clean wounds if used immediately (from what I have read in an Army Survival guid)

Or anything floating in your blood. Or kidney infections. Peeing on a wound could be good or bad depending on what your body chemical structure is at the moment. Off Ph, too much Na or P or Cl, etc...can be bad in a wound. You can't discount excess glucose in there too, nitrogen and other wastes your body doesn't want being peed away that you might not want on an open wound.

In a pinch? It's better than nothing but...

[Akkleptos]

I wonder if this would make the Darwin Awards, but it doesn't really seem bizarre enough for some reason.

I think you have to cause your own demise yourself -or otherwise render yourself unable to procreate- in order to qualify for the Darwin Awards (commendation to utterly stupid people for doing the rest of mankind, as a species, a favour and removing themselves from the gene pool). As far as the article goes, it's not clear whether the victim even practiced urine therapy.

injecting it is just stupid. So the filtrate goes right into the blood and right back to the kidney's to be filtered into urine again. Exercise in futility.

While drinking your urine may not be downright harmful (again, provided you have no urinary tract infections), it is, as Knife put it so succintly, quite useless, just as it is stupid to inject it. The relatively high concentrations of uric acid are likely to damage tissue as they follow their course down blood vessels. Not to mention the unnecessary strain on kidneys and liver.

[Kitsune]

As long as you don't have a urinary tract infection, it is sterile and can be used to clean wounds if used immediately (from what I have read in an Army Survival guid)

Or anything floating in your blood. Or kidney infections. Peeing on a wound could be good or bad depending on what your body chemical structure is at the moment. Off Ph, too much Na or P or Cl, etc...can be bad in a wound. You can't discount excess glucose in there too, nitrogen and other wastes your body doesn't want being peed away that you might not want on an open wound.

In a pinch? It's better than nothing but...

Of course distilled water or chlorinated water is far better. The problem is if all you have is a limited amount of potted water. Under such conditions, the urine shoudl be acceptable for use for cleaing out wounds.

[Shroom Man 777]

injecting it is just stupid. So the filtrate goes right into the blood and right back to the kidney's to be filtered into urine again. Exercise in futility.

Not after it circulates systemically. Which is bad.

[Zixinus]

I though uralgnia was silly, but this? This is just plain stupid.

[Kanastrous]

I gather that urine can be good to neutralize certain kinds of jellyfish venom; if you get badly stung have a friend pee on you...

[Knife]

injecting it is just stupid. So the filtrate goes right into the blood and right back to the kidney's to be filtered into urine again. Exercise in futility.

Not after it circulates systemically. Which is bad.

True. Assuming she injected it into her arm, it'll go up to the subclavian or brachioplexus and into the Vena Cava into the heart, pulmonary circuit and then you get your choice of if it went up or down and how many circuits it makes before it hits the renal artery to be filtered.