No scientific evidence to prove urine therapy can treat any disease, say experts

There is no scientific evidence to prove that urine therapy can treat any disease said health experts on Tuesday after Bollywood actor Paresh Rawal vouched for its benefits for his knee injuryIn a recent media interview the veteran actor claimed that he ldquosipped his urine like a beer first thing in the morningrdquo to heal his injured kneeI did for 15 days and when the Xray reports came in the doctor was surprised Rawal saidldquoAs an oncologist I must emphasise that while anecdotal experiences like Paresh Rawals are fascinating they should not be mistaken for medical advice There is no scientific evidence supporting urine therapy as a treatment for any diseases whether musculoskeletal injuries or cancerrdquo Dr Abhishek Shankar Assistant Professor Department of Radiation Oncology Dr BR Ambedkar Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital at AIIMS Delhi told IANSldquoEven with all the scientific progress and easy access to good healthcare information it is unfortunate that some people still look for shortcuts and try to promote them Drinking urine does not cure any health problems This myth has been proven wrong many timesrdquo added Dr Rajeev Jayadevan Convener Research Cell Kerala State IMAUrine therapy also known as Urophagia is the practice of drinking urineIn Ayurveda urine was used to treat asthma allergies indigestion wrinkles and even cancerHowever the claims are based on anecdotes or ancient texts and have no robust scientific evidence to support the benefitsOn the other hand there is evidence to show that drinking urine has several health risks said ShankarMany studies showed that urine contains bacteria which if ingested could be harmful It can also introduce toxins into the gut and potentially cause further illnesses like stomach infections Further because urine is a diuretic it may also increase a persons risk of dehydrationRawal is not the only one to claim the benefits of urine therapy The list also includes British TV star Ben Grylls and Mexican boxer Juan Manuel MarquezldquoThere is no credible scientific evidence that supports this type of therapy for any benefit whatsoever urine is actually body based that contains a lot of waste materials which the kidneys filter and reintroducing it into the body can cause a lot of side effects like infection electrolytic balance or delayed appropriate medical carerdquo Dr Charudatt Vaity a Mumbaibased intensivist told IANSThe experts noted that recovery from injuries depends on several factors like rest nutrition and appropriate medical care They cautioned the public to rely on evidencebased medicine rather than unverified home remediesldquoItrsquos important to rely on facts and real science not on myths or shortcutsrdquo Jayadevan told IANSThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoeveratOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params