The history of attempts to “cure” LGBT people is filled with bizarre, heartbreaking, and downright shocking cure methods. From electric shocks aimed at the genitals to forced religious rituals, these practices reveal a dark chapter of medical and social intolerance.

The Legacy of the Shocking Cure

Understanding these shocking cure therapies helps us recognize how far we’ve come—and why vigilance remains essential. Below, we count down the ten most disturbing approaches that were once marketed as solutions.

10 Brutal Shock Therapy

In the US in the 1970s, you were labeled as having a mental disorder if you were gay. Although homosexuality was eventually declassified as a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association, many homosexuals still thought they were sick. They believed this label that had been stuck on them, so they sought help.

Upon visiting the doctor, some encountered a device called the visually keyed shocker. When shown images that would stimulate arousal for a homosexual, the patient would receive a shock. This paired visual stimulus and shock was a form of conditioning therapy.

The basic psychological principle is that the brain becomes conditioned to associate those images with pain and, therefore, no longer finds them pleasurable. But where was this shock delivered?

Not to the hand or torso. Instead, the genitals were hooked up to the visually keyed shocker, and sometimes, the device was really cranked up. It became a widely used method of therapy and was even available for home use.

9 Castrations

Let’s step back in time to the 1940s. This was perhaps the worst time for those in the LGBT community. If you were found to be gay, you could expect to be brutalized in truly horrific ways. That is, if you weren’t killed first.

Quite often, families who knew they had a gay family member would send that person to a psychiatric facility. Homosexuality was considered to be a mental illness. Therefore, the person didn’t have a choice in the matter.

These facilities promised the family that they’d cure the patient of the “sexual illness.” Some of their practices were truly abhorrent. Castrations weren’t the most common method, but they did take place.

However, castrations were frequently used in Nazi Germany. Homosexuals confined to concentration camps would agree to be castrated in return for getting shorter sentences. It was just one method in a long list of cures tried by the Nazis.

8 Torture Drugs

These so-called psychiatric facilities to cure homosexuality may seem like a thing of the past. But such institutions still exist throughout the world.

In 2017, photographer Paola Paredes managed to gain entry into one of these clinics in Ecuador. She witnessed numerous horrors inflicted on the patients, including sadistic treatments with drugs. The clinic was operating under the false pretense of being a drug rehab center. Yet they were giving the inhabitants cocktails of drugs to torture them.

Torture drugs have been used for decades. They’re a form of conditioning that leads an individual to associate the images he finds pleasurable with immense pain. The hope is that the person will then associate those images with pain and torture, and the sexual feelings will die down.

7 Chemical Castration

Instead of physical castration, chemical castration was sometimes used to reduce the libido and sexual activity. It was also carried out as a part of conversion therapy. A cocktail of anaphrodisiac drugs were administered, usually at these psychiatric facility hellholes.

Chemical castration is still used today. In certain countries, rapists and pedophiles get reduced sentences if they agree to chemical castration. There have also been instances when members of the LGBT community have asked to be chemically castrated—those who don’t want to feel the way they do.

When he was struggling with his sexuality, rugby referee Nigel Owens once went to his physician and asked for chemical castration. His doctor didn’t grant him that wish. Instead, Owens publicly came out in 2007. The support from those around him helped him to deal with his negative feelings.

6 Hypnosis

Plenty of people express contempt for hypnotists and hypnosis. But it’s a widely studied process, one that may even work in some cases. Whether hypnosis is used to stop people from smoking or to entertain us by causing people to dance around like chickens, it can be a powerful tool.

However, hypnotists sometimes abuse their power. Even so, many people have voluntarily gone to hypnotists as a way to change their states of mind. In fact, hypnotherapy has been used as a “cure” for homosexuality for decades.

Although it might seem shocking, some studies indicate that hypnosis works to some extent. In one study from the 1960s, a group of 15 homosexuals was treated with hypnotherapy in an effort to change their sexual orientation. As the researchers put it, some participants showed “mild improvement” whereas the majority showed “marked improvement.”

However, this did not mean that the patients were “cured,” simply that some of them expressed less interest in homosexual thoughts and activity after hypnosis. The measurement of their “improvement” by researchers was subjective at best. In addition, follow-up with these patients was limited. Even the study authors questioned why hypnosis was not used more often if it was considered to be so effective.

To this day, hypnosis is still being used as a cure therapy.

5 Conversion Therapy

Many of the therapies already mentioned can be deemed to be conversion therapies that supposedly cure an individual using psychological or spiritual intervention. But the majority of scientists and governmental organizations consider these treatments to be harmful.

Some practitioners prefer to use the term “psychoanalysis” instead of “conversion therapy.” This type of treatment is associated with psychologists Elizabeth Moberly and Joseph Nicolosi.

Nicolosi believed that homosexuality was due to gender identity deficit issues. Through his organization, National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, he used psychoanalysis, which involved a number of crude psychological methods, to try to replace homosexual desires with heterosexual ones. His methods were shocking, and he was banned from carrying out his practices.

4 Visualization

The term “visualization” may not seem horrific. You may think that it means visualizing being heterosexual. For homosexual males, show them pictures of sultry women in skimpy attire and, eventually, they’ll become aroused. But far more sinister methods were used. In fact, this method is still in practice in certain countries.

In 2011, MIT grad student Samuel Brinton revealed the horrors of his therapy. His parents were extremely religious and conservative. When his father found out that Samuel had gay feelings, Dad punched Sam, then 12, and put him in the hospital. So Sam agreed to go to therapy.

During the boy’s first session, the so‑called therapist attempted to brainwash Sam by filling his head with this type of garbage: “I want you to know that you’re gay, and all gay people have AIDS.” Then the therapist said that the government had killed every other gay person. Sam was the only one left, and they were coming for him next.

The therapist proceeded to show Sam horrific images of men dying from AIDS. These visual indicators certainly affected the boy’s mental well‑being. He attempted to commit suicide numerous times after those therapy sessions. Thankfully, he didn’t go through with it. Today, he says that his “life is perfect, life is heaven.”

3 Lobotomies

Lobotomies involved slicing into the prefrontal lobe of the brain. This neurosurgical procedure was carried out to reduce the effects of a person’s mental disorder. Remember, being a member of the LGBT community was deemed to be a mental health disorder at one time.

Lobotomies using incisions rather than drugs have been almost completely abandoned. But this medical barbarism was still taking place in the US as recently as 1981.

Variants of the procedure, such as ice pick lobotomies, have also been used. This involved drilling holes in the person’s skull and then using a leukotome to remove white matter from the brain. It was first practiced using an ice pick, hence the grim‑sounding name.

2 The Spiritual Approach

Being a member of the LGBT community is a big no‑no in many religions. Some religious people deem these individuals to be unnatural and believe that their sexual orientations are against what God intended. In fact, pious parents sometimes call for religious intervention when they learn their child is gay.

What’s shocking about that, you may wonder?

It’s serious brainwashing. Some individuals believe that homosexual tendencies are caused by Satan. In extreme cases, LGBT people get locked away in rooms and are forced to pray for hours at a time.

This is common in Russia. Many Russian families force their homosexual children to attend religious institutions. They’re held down and covered in holy water while the priest recites prayers. Then they’re forced to drink the water and, on occasion, they’re beaten. This breaks the mind and body.

1 Objectifying Women

Although it’s crude, almost every man on the planet has done it. It might be ogling a gorgeous woman who’s walking down the street or watching adult movies. It’s not just men but society as a whole that often objectifies and sexualizes women.

Certain cure therapists focus only on this practice. They encourage their gay patients to openly objectify women. It’s all done in an effort to forge an attraction to women rather than men.

Russian psychotherapist Yan Goland is open about using this technique as a form of treatment. He shows his patients adult movies and magazines and encourages them to openly objectify women. He wants them to do so when they leave his clinic, too. Walk down the street, find a beautiful woman, and ogle her. That’s what he drills into his homosexual patients.

When most people spot a bug, the first thoughts are usually about bites, stings, or the germs they might carry. Yet the very same critters that can spread disease often hide remarkable healing abilities. In this roundup of ten disease carrying insects and arthropods, we’ll explore how each one can also be a tiny doctor, offering everything from cancer detection to wound care.

10 Flies

Flies may not be as feared as roaches or mice, but nobody enjoys a fly buzzing over their supper. They’re notorious for spreading germs, laying maggots, and being downright irritating. Still, if a fly seems to linger near your ear, there’s a fascinating reason: flies, mosquitoes, and other buzzing insects can actually smell humans, and fruit flies have even been shown to detect cancer.

In a 2014 German study, researchers tapped into fruit flies’ keen olfactory sense to sniff out cancer markers in human patients. Beyond detection, flies serve as rapid, humane test subjects for experimental cancer treatments because of their short lifespans and nervous‑system similarities to ours—plus, PETA hasn’t lodged a complaint yet.

9 Beetles

Often confused with roaches, beetles are a staple protein source for many cultures worldwide. As the most diverse insect order, beetles boast a wide array of medical applications. Traditional healers have employed various beetle species to drain cysts, lower fevers, and ease chills. Topically, they’ve been used for itching, eczema, and even to boost circulation, reduce inflammation, and curb menstrual bleeding.

Modern science has zeroed in on cantharidin, a blistering agent naturally produced by certain beetles. Though the FDA rejected its approval in 1962 due to insufficient data, cantharidin remains a valuable dermatological tool, helping doctors treat warts and other skin lesions.

8 Worms

While they may not look like snakes, worms are surprisingly potent health allies. Earthworms pack a nutritional punch—rich in fats, free amino acids, high‑quality protein, and essential minerals such as iron and calcium. Across the globe, from Laos to Cherokee communities in America and Chinese folk medicine, earthworms have been used to tackle ailments ranging from hair loss and bladder stones to rheumatic pain and jaundice.

Silkworms, technically caterpillars, have also entered the medical arena. Japanese scientists have genetically engineered silkworms to overproduce collagen, a protein already present in their cocoons. This silk‑derived collagen is now being explored for artificial skin, bone grafts, and cosmetic surgery applications.

7 Termites

Finding termites usually signals home‑damage, but these wood‑eating insects have a surprisingly nutritious side. Ranked just behind grasshoppers as the most consumed insect, termites feature in traditional remedies across several continents. In Brazil they’re used for asthma, influenza, bronchitis, tonsillitis, and whooping cough; in India they address ulcers, body aches, and anemia; and in Zambia they combat child malnutrition.

Western researchers have isolated powerful antimicrobial compounds from termites, suggesting potential new weapons against drug‑resistant viruses and bacteria. Meanwhile, people worldwide continue to eat termites for their high protein content.

6 Grasshoppers

Large, hopping insects like grasshoppers, crickets, locusts, and katydids don’t usually get the spotlight, yet they’re a serious superfood. Allegedly tasting like shrimp (subject to personal verification), grasshoppers deliver abundant protein, healthy fats, and more antioxidants than fresh orange juice.

Beyond nutrition, grasshoppers act as natural diuretics, making them useful for kidney disease and gastrointestinal disorders. Their chitin‑rich polysaccharide fights dangerous bacteria, and they’re easily digested, providing an energy boost comparable to a bowl of Wheaties. So the next time you need a quick, protein‑packed breakfast, consider foraging in your garden.

5 Ants

Ants have earned legendary status: tiny, incredibly strong, and unbelievably numerous. While some cultures even flavor spirits with ants for medicinal purposes, their therapeutic benefits extend far beyond the palate.

Red wood ants produce formic acid, a compound that can be applied topically to heal skin conditions like warts. Leaf‑cutter ants cultivate pseudonocardia bacteria that combat harmful fungi—a natural antifungal now harnessed in medicine. Historically, ant heads served as a primitive stitch alternative: an ant would bite a wound shut, its head twisted off, and the body left to hold the tissue together. Researchers continue to uncover new medical uses for these versatile insects.

4 Leeches

Leeches often appear in horror movies, but their therapeutic value is anything but fictional. Their saliva contains hirudin, a potent anticoagulant that prevents clot formation and eases blood congestion in tissues.

Modern leech therapy is employed in microsurgery and cosmetic procedures to avert clotting and blood pooling around tiny incisions, helping to avoid serious complications such as amputation. Hirudin‑rich leech saliva also shows promise for treating hypertension, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, skin disorders, arthritis, heart disease, and even certain cancers.

3 Spiders

Spiders often get a mixed reputation—some adore them, others fear them. While many associate spiders with dangerous venom, most North American species possess venom tuned for tiny prey, not humans. Nonetheless, their venom holds significant medical potential.

Researchers have discovered that spider venom can be transformed into powerful painkillers by targeting the human nervous system in the same way it paralyzes insects. Additionally, certain spider venoms contain proteins that prevent muscle‑cell degeneration, opening avenues for treating diseases that impair mobility, strength, or swallowing.

2 Maggots

Maggots—fly larvae—may conjure unsettling images of rotting carcasses, yet they have a storied medical history. A single fly can lay between 500 and 2,000 eggs over its 30‑day life, depositing 20‑70 eggs each day. While some maggots, like bot‑fly larvae, are genuinely terrifying, many species offer therapeutic benefits.

During World War I, two soldiers with infected wounds were found to have thousands of maggots inhabiting their injuries. After the maggots were removed, the wounds were clean and infection‑free, prompting widespread medical use of maggots for wound debridement until the 1990s. Today, scientists study maggot secretions, which exhibit antibiotic properties useful for combating resistant infections.

1 Bees

Bees truly are the bee’s knees when it comes to lifesaving organisms. Their contributions range from honey’s myriad health benefits to the therapeutic potential of bee venom, and of course, the essential pollination services that sustain our food supply.

Honey, a superfood produced from flower nectar and specialized enzymes in a bee’s “honey stomach,” boasts anti‑inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial qualities. It’s commonly used to soothe coughs, sore throats, minor cuts, and burns. Meanwhile, bee venom—delivered via stings—forms the basis of apitherapy, an alternative medicine practice that leverages its anti‑inflammatory and analgesic effects to treat rheumatoid arthritis, chronic pain, and other conditions.

Why Ten Disease Carrying Creatures Matter

These ten disease carrying organisms demonstrate that nature’s most unwelcome guests often double as unexpected healers. By studying their unique biochemistry, scientists continue to unlock novel treatments that could reshape modern medicine.

We’ve all been there—unless you’re under the age of 21 or don’t drink *respect*—we’ve all experienced the hangover from hell. Symptoms of a doomsday hangover include but are not limited to dry mouth, the spins, prolonged intoxication (depending on when you finally passed out versus woke up), and nausea.

No, I don’t know why we keep punishing ourselves, party after party, or why the hangover—une gueule de bois, la cruda—is a consequence we’re willing to suffer through. Perhaps getting “riggity-wrecked, son” is worth it, especially when humans have come up with innumerable ways to “cure” it. But there is no “cure” to a hangover, only a slow recovery filled with promises never to drink tequila again, regrets from the night before, and food.

Now, if you can manage to keep food down while processing your hangover, you’ll certainly want to choose what you eat wisely—and not for your figure, screw that. Though no food will cure your hangover, the right food will help prevent one and replenish your system to help you recover faster. And let’s face it, a greasy cheeseburger after a night of drinking does taste pretty good.

With that, let’s get into the top 10 foods that will cure (well, help prevent and recover from) a hangover.

Related: 10 Quenching Legends, Myths, And Stories Involving Alcohol

10 Yogurt

Yogurt, preferably vanilla or plain, is a stomach settler. If you’re hurtin’ the day after drinking, a spoonful, or bowlful if you can manage, can help ease an upset stomach, regulate blood sugar, and reduce bloat. The only thing is that yogurt has mixed reviews.

It’s all about how you feel waking up, thinking about putting sloppy white fermented dairy in your mouth. I mean, if you can psychologically come to terms with the benefits of eating yogurt with a hangover, it’ll do you right. But if not, it could end up pretty obscene.

9 Avocado Toast

Why are Millennials obsessed with avocado toast? Mostly because of food trends and because the fat from the guacamole and the carbs from the toast are great for a hangover body. It’s a popular boozy brunch item for a reason. And, unlike the burger, that fat in avocados is really good for you and can help bring some equilibrium to your upset stomach and body in general.

When you drink, you lose potassium. Potassium helps you regulate the fluid in your body, and when you don’t have enough of it, it can lead to dizzy spells, muscle spasms, and general weakness. Avocado has that potassium, girl! It is your hangover superfood, so get to know it well.

Don’t go full guac if you want to play the avocado game safe. The onions, cilantro, and citrus flavor could do the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve. Stick with an avocado mash with a bit of salt, olive oil, and a hint of lime.

8 Bloody Marys

The hair of the dog is a gross term that refers to a remedy that involves drinking more to help ease a hangover. Despite your standpoint on tomato juice, a Bloody Mary is a perfect hair of the dog option, which has, in recent years, become a full-blown meal.

The tomato juice, for one, is thick enough to make you full. Two, it is a good source of salt to help your electrolytes catch up and lycopene which is good for your heart. But we really want to talk about Bloody Marys because plenty of restaurants have decidedly gone over the top with edible garnish. It’s no longer a measly stick of celery anymore. You can get shrimp cocktail, bacon, stuffed olives for days! Not to mention that one restaurant in Long Beach, California (The Attic) serves Bloody Marys garnished with a quarter of a waffle, a fried egg, and a slider.

And, you don’t have to stick to vodka as your hair of the dog choice. You can get a Bloody Maria with tequila, a Red Snapper with gin and clamato juice, or go for a Michelada, which is a Mexican-style bloody beer with lime and salt (we suggest Modelo). A warning about tequila, though. Tequila can make a hangover worse because of its congener content. Ask them to go light on the booze.

7 Bananas

Sometimes you just don’t want to eat at all with a hangover, but you do have to eat something. When that’s the case, reach for a banana. Bananas are rich in potassium and can help restore fluid balance in your body, as mentioned before. They also contain magnesium, which can relax blood vessels, thereby reducing headaches, and are a source of B6. Vitamin B6 is still not a hangover cure, but it does a great job in reducing symptoms.

You may already be familiar with the B vitamin hangover cure. Again, there is no hangover cure. But B vitamins are an excellent energy source for the body, and the liver loves them. In particular, the liver will use the energy from B1, B2, B3, and B6 to help speed up the detoxification process.

6 Lemon Water

Okay, technically not a food, but definitely something you need to add to your remedy kit. As we know, our liver is a big player in flushing out toxins and is our friend when it comes to processing alcohol. Part of the reason we get hungover is also due to dehydration. Alcohol is a natural diuretic, making our kidneys flush out fluids faster.

Both water and lemon help the liver process alcohol and rehydrate us. Antioxidants found in the lemon peel can stimulate enzymes in the liver, and Vitamin C is good for your immune system in general. It won’t give you a huge amount of antioxidants, but it’ll be enough to help.

Simply slicing a lemon and putting it in your water won’t have the same effect as squeezing fresh lemon juice into your water, though. So give that lemon a good squeeze for maximum effect.

5 Salmon

Don’t go trying to cook fish when you’re half in the bag, and probably don’t order a Filet O’ Fish. Instead, eat some salmon before you drink. Salmon is rich in essential fatty acids, but the vitamin that we’re looking at here is B12. A serving of salmon contains about 50% of your daily recommended dose of B12.

When you drink, your B12 levels drop because alcohol can prevent the absorption of the vitamin from food. So pregaming with a food rich in it while free from inhibitors can help maintain those levels through the evening.

Fancy people will tell you to eat your salmon with some asparagus. Research suggests that asparagus helps prevent liver cell damage caused by alcohol. If anything, the study showed that it reduced inflammation in these cells. Sure, this study was conducted on a small scale and with rat cells, but there has to be some benefit that carries over to humans. Otherwise, what would be the point in conducting studies on animals to test the safety for humans?

4 Sweet Potatoes

Another pregaming food, sweet potatoes, has several benefits to them. First, they are more nutritious than white potatoes—although the jury is out on sweet potato fries (fried food is fried food). Second, they can be very filling, and since they help regulate blood sugar, they may prevent any crazy food cravings while you’re drunk. Third, and this was even new to me, sweet potatoes contain electrolytes! So yeah, maybe eat a sweet potato before you go out and after.

3 Pickles

Pickles aren’t just for pregnant women anymore; they are for the wasted and hungover. I’m really not too sure how well someone on the brink of throwing up would do with pickles—even pregnant, I had a hard time balancing morning sickness with the craving (yes, I was basic like that)–but the fact is that the salt content can help replenish electrolytes. Pickleback shots are gross, and you’d be missing the point. Just eat a gosh darn pickle.

2 Cheeseburger

Yes, we are reaching the end of this list with the almighty cheeseburger! I’m not sure if Impossible burger meat does the same thing, but heck, I’d take my chances. Between the protein and the fat, a cheeseburger will help absorb some of the alcohol in your stomach, so it doesn’t hit you as hard.

However, you should eat the burger before you start drinking, no matter what you think McDonald’s is telling you as you walk by the golden arches. If you eat a burger after drinking, it has the potential to make you sick to your stomach. The grease will only irritate your stomach.

1 Literally Anything

Eat. Before. You. Drink. Period. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bread basket, sushi, or an entire “pizza” from Domino’s. If you have a decent amount of food in your stomach before you start drinking, it’s going to give you a leg up in the game. Definitely go the fatty, salty, greasy route. Here, you’re allowed everything that the American Heart Association cringes at (unless you have an underlying condition). But please, eat something. You’re not 21 anymore. Don’t be an amateur.