When it comes to staying healthy, most of us would rather avoid the doctor’s office altogether. Yet, desperate or misguided individuals have devised some truly unsettling home‑treatment tactics. Below are 10 horrifying ways people attempted DIY illness cures, each more bizarre than the last.
10 Using a Plunger for Constipation
Constipation can stem from many underlying issues, but its hallmark is the difficulty or impossibility of passing stool for days or weeks. Left untreated, it can become a serious medical emergency.
In 2019, a case study detailed a 56‑year‑old man who, after four days of being constipated, resorted to an unorthodox solution: he grabbed a household plunger. While at‑home remedies exist, he chose the very tool associated with clearing clogged toilets, sealing it over his rectum and using forced air to try to dislodge the blockage. This resulted in a severe colon perforation, a first‑of‑its‑kind injury documented in medical literature.
The patient’s background included alcoholism and mental illness, factors that may have contributed to his dangerous decision.
9 Self Infecting with Hookworms for Allergy Control
Allergies can be relentless, often managed with daily medications or immunotherapy shots. However, one researcher, afflicted by severe allergies, explored a radical alternative: deliberately infecting himself with hookworms.
Parasitic infections like hookworms can suppress the host’s immune response, reducing the likelihood of allergic reactions. The researcher lived allergy‑free for two years with a hookworm residing in his gut.
Although this method lacks medical endorsement and carries significant risks, scientists hope to isolate the immunomodulatory mechanisms of parasites to develop safer treatments without the need for actual worms.
8 George Boole’s Wife Treated His Illness with Buckets of Water
George Boole, celebrated for Boolean algebra, faced a harsh winter illness after walking two miles in the rain to his lectures. He soon developed a severe cold and fever.
Attempting to mirror the cause of his ailment, Boole’s wife repeatedly doused him with buckets of water, believing the excess moisture would counteract his condition. Unfortunately, the treatment proved ineffective, and Boole passed away shortly thereafter.
7 Bleach Enemas for Autism
In 2019, a disturbing trend emerged among certain parents of autistic children: the promotion of bleach enemas as a cure. These parents, congregating in private online groups, shared various hazardous “treatments,” ranging from urine to turpentine, but bleach—specifically Miracle Mineral Solution—was a popular choice.
Bleach is a potent chemical toxin, not a therapeutic agent. Nevertheless, some parents administered it orally, topically, or via enema, believing it would eradicate an imagined infection or toxin.
The FDA has repeatedly warned against such products, citing multiple deaths linked to their misuse, including during the COVID‑19 pandemic when the solution was marketed as a cure.
6 The Carolina Reaper Was an Attempt to Cure Cancer
The internet’s fascination with extreme heat led to the creation of the Carolina Reaper, the world’s hottest pepper, averaging over 1.5 million Scoville units. While many seek its fiery thrill, its creator, Ed Currie, pursued a far more serious goal.
Coming from a family plagued by cancer, Currie hoped the capsaicinoids in hot peppers might serve as a therapeutic agent. He believes these compounds could contribute to cancer treatment, and his own battles with thyroid and skin cancer have fueled his conviction.
5 Goat Wet Nurses Helped Stop the Spread of Syphilis
Before modern infant formula, some families turned to goats as wet nurses. When a baby’s mother could not breastfeed, a goat could provide nourishment without the risk of transmitting syphilis, a disease that could spread between human wet nurses and infants.
By employing goats, communities limited disease transmission while ensuring infants received adequate nutrition—a pragmatic, albeit unconventional, solution.
4 A Teenager Cut Off His Own Hand to Treat His Internet Addiction
Internet addiction affects an estimated 6 % of the global population—roughly 468 million people, surpassing the entire population of South America. One Chinese teenager took extreme measures to escape his compulsive screen time.
After leaving a note for his mother, the 19‑year‑old sliced off his own hand, called a cab, and rushed to a hospital. Surgeons managed to reattach the limb, but doubts remain about full functional recovery.
3 A Woman Tried to Treat Her Athlete’s Foot with Garlic
Garlic is often touted for its health benefits, yet applying raw cloves directly to a fungal infection can backfire. An English woman, seeking relief for athlete’s foot, smeared raw garlic slices onto her infected toe for four weeks.
Instead of eradicating the fungus, the allicin compound caused a severe chemical burn, resulting in red, blistered, and peeling skin across the toe—an outcome both painful and visually alarming.
2 A Man Tried to Cure His Back Pain with Semen Injections
Some fringe health believers claim the body produces its own medicine. In 2019, an Irish man attempted to treat chronic back pain by injecting his own semen into his arm.
The self‑administered injections led to cellulitis, a bacterial skin infection. Doctors determined the man devised the method independently, as no online precedent existed for such a practice.
1 People Consumed Their Own Relatives to Fight Tuberculosis
In late‑19th‑century New England, a tuberculosis outbreak sparked a macabre response. When multiple family members fell ill, townspeople suspected vampirism. After exhuming the bodies of a mother and her daughters, they discovered one daughter’s corpse was unusually preserved.
Labeling her a vampire, the community decapitated her, burned her organs, and fed the ashes to her surviving brother, believing this would lift the curse and cure his disease. Tragically, he also died shortly thereafter.