Most of the treatments on this list are prescribed by proponents of so-called “natural medicine.” However, more often than not, they are simply quacks, a term derived from the Dutch word quacksalver, which means “hawker of salves.” Tim Minchin, an Australian comedian and musician, summed it up best: “Do you know what they call alternative medicine that’s been proved to work? Medicine.” That’s not to say that research into alternative medicine shouldn’t be done; rather, once a form of alternative medicine has been proven ineffective, it should be discarded as a viable treatment.

10Laetrile

A chemical sibling of amygdalin, a substance commonly found in the pits of apricots and other fruits, as well as almonds, Laetrile is often purported to greatly assist in the treatment of cancer. First created in the middle of the 20th century (the exact origins are unknown), it was allegedly synthesized by a man named Dr. Ernst T. Krebs Jr. However, at least a dozen separate experiments have been done on the substance, with no anti-tumor evidence produced.

The most common rationale for the reason for Laetrile’s “effectiveness” is that cancer cells have a certain enzyme which is not as present in regular, healthy cells. Therefore, the medication, which basically consists of cyanide poisoning, affects only the cancer cells. However, this is categorically false, and a number of cases of death due to cyanide poisoning have been documented. Because of this danger, and due to the fact that it is ineffective as a treatment, Laetrile has been banned from being transported into the US, though it is still used throughout the world.

9Colloidal Silver

Colloidal silver is a popular treatment for a number of serious illnesses, such as cancer, HIV, herpes, and other bacterial and viral infections. Basically, a colloidal substance consists of microscopic particles suspended in a liquid. It’s usually taken orally, although some colloidal silver products are salves or injections. (In fact, topical drugs containing silver have been shown to actually benefit burn victims.) Research has been done to examine the claimed effectiveness of oral colloidal silver treatments, but so far no benefits have ever been observed.

The most common side effect of the oral ingestion of colloidal silver is the buildup of silver in a person’s body tissues, which normally results in a condition known as argyria. Usually untreatable and irreversible, argyria doesn’t pose a serious health risk, but it does create a cosmetic problem: The sufferer’s skin, eyes, and internal organs will all become discolored, normally a sickly blue. Excessive amounts of colloidal silver can also result in kidney damage and various neurological problems.

8Yohimbe

Extracted from the bark of a species of evergreen tree native to western Africa, yohimbe has long been a traditional aphrodisiac for the local inhabitants. Touted by “experts” as having beneficial antioxidant properties designed to prevent heart attacks, it can actually lead to medical complications, including increased heart rate or kidney failure. Brought over to Europe at the end of the 19th century, Western medicine used the extract for treating impotence, a popular idea which persisted until other medications, such as Viagra, were introduced.

Unfortunately, the evidence for whether or not it even helps with impotence is spotty at best. Numerous trials have come up with either inconclusive or contradictory data. That not only makes it worthless as a treatment for its primary use, it turns it into nothing more than a potentially life-threatening placebo.

7Aveloz

Aveloz is an herbal extract made from the sap of a Brazilian shrub. For nearly 2,500 years, practitioners of folk medicine have used it as a remedy, thanks in no small part to its corrosive properties. Relatively obscure until the 1980s, aveloz has now become a much more popular extract. Often diluted into water or tea, the chemical makeup has never been analyzed, as it was long seen as an afterthought in the fight against alternative medicine hucksters.

Its proponents claim that it can kill tumors, whether taken orally or used on the skin. (It is supposed to be highly effective against cancers on the face.) Unfortunately, the sap can actually burn the skin, mouth, and throat of anyone desperate enough to use it. Not only is aveloz useless as a treatment for cancer, some studies have shown that it may actually promote the growth of tumors. However, showing again why research is important, certain extracts of the family that aveloz belongs to have shown antileukemic properties.

6Colonic Irrigation

Colonic irrigation, also known as colon cleansing, is a procedure in which liquid—sometimes water and sometimes other substances, such as coffee—is shot through a tube into a person’s rectum, often in high quantities. Its proponents often claim that colonic irrigation “detoxifies” the body, suggesting that nearly all diseases originate in the colon. For most of humanity’s history with medicine, the colon, thanks to its duties in our waste system, has been seen as the bane of our existence. In fact, a form of colonic irrigation dates back to the ancient Egyptians.

However, doctors have been fighting public perceptions about colonic irrigation for years, although there hadn’t been many studies on the practice. Recently, a new study done by Georgetown University has concluded that it is worse than useless. During the procedure, kidney and liver failures occur, as well as rectal perforations. After a number of them, patients can lose the ability to even have bowel movements, rendering them forever dependent on enemas.

5Germanium

Sold under a number of different names, including vitamin O or germanium sesquioxide, germanium is a metalloid, similar to tin or silicon. Commonly used in fiber-optic systems or in solar cells, tiny amounts of organic (meaning not man-made) germanium can be found in a few plants, which is where proponents get their reasoning for its necessity in the human body. Luckily, the amounts found naturally in our foods don’t appear to have any negative effect.

Hyped as a cancer cure as well as a treatment for a number of other diseases such as asthma, diabetes, and hepatitis, germanium has been outlawed for import for human consumption in the United States by the FDA. Various studies have been undertaken, and only one single case study has shown anything to suggest that germanium helps cure cancer. Proponents claim that it also stimulates the body’s production of interferon, an anti-cancer compound, and certain types of white blood cells. It’s actually been shown that chronic use of germanium, even at the recommended dosage, has led to kidney damage and death.

4Escharotics

Otherwise known as black or yellow salves, escharotics are any number of ointments made of corrosive agents which are claimed to be able to “draw out” the cancer in a person’s body. Some of them are even used as treatments for various STDs. Given their name because of the trademark scab they produce (known as an eschar), they have been used for at least a few hundred years, if not even longer, and they were very popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.

While there have been some substances proven to be effective in treating superficial skin cancers, standard treatment is preferred because the cure rate is nearly 100 percent either way, and standard treatments do little or no damage to the nearby area. On the other hand, escharotics often burn normal tissue, usually resulting in unnecessary scars. In addition, nearly all escharotics on the market have no scientific evidence proving their effectiveness, with a multitude of reports of damage caused by their use.

3Chelation Therapy

While it is proven to be helpful with heavy metal poisoning, especially mercury or arsenic, chelation therapy makes this list because practitioners of alternative medicine utilize it for a number of disorders and diseases, including autism. The procedure involves injecting a chemical that binds with heavy metals and allows them to be flushed out of the body. At-home chelation kits are extremely risky, as the procedure, even when performed in a hospital, can have any number of complications, especially with the kidneys. In addition, children are at a higher risk for complications since they are often the ones who are targeted for its unfounded use as a treatment for autism.

A recent study at Baylor University concluded that chelation is not only ineffective in curing autism, but it is also incredibly dangerous. Its use as a treatment stems from the groundless theory that mercury is the cause of autism. To make matters worse, chelation therapy can remove helpful metals, such as calcium, from the body, further harming those who are given it thanks to useless studies which had any number of issues.

2Cellular Medicine

The brainchild of a quack named Matthias Rath, cellular medicine is touted as the study of “the role of micronutrients as biocatalysts in a multitude of metabolic reactions at the cellular level.” Promoting his own special vitamin pills, Rath’s organization has been sued in a number of different countries, with various governments condemning his claims. Touted as a cure for cancer as well as AIDS and a number of other diseases, cellular medicine has never been proven to be effective at anything. A few studies involving things like huge doses of Vitamin C have failed to show any promise in treating cancer or any other disease.

One of Rath’s biggest and most public failures was his venture into South Africa and his attempt to sell his “medicine” as a cure for AIDS. Using newspaper ads to denounce modern-day medicine as toxic, Rath endangered thousands of lives by keeping patients from getting free AIDS drugs given out by the government.

1Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS)

Created by a man named Jim Humble, who, ironically enough, once compared himself to Jesus, Miracle Mineral Solution is a 28-percent solution of sodium chlorite, a compound used primarily in the bleaching and stripping of paper. Followed to the letter, the instructions given by Humble say to mix MMS with an acid like citrus juice. This generates chlorine dioxide, a powerful bleach which, when taken orally, causes nausea and diarrhea, among other things.

Banned in a few countries already, MMS has been linked to a number of deaths. However, that hasn’t swayed the proponents of MMS, who have even recently begun to claim that it is a viable treatment for autism in addition to its alleged success against cancer and AIDS. Not only are oral treatments prescribed, but there are also protocols for enemas and baths using what is essentially industrial-strength bleach.

Most people trust their doctors to provide the best possible care when it comes to medical treatments. However, there exists a world of unconventional and controversial therapies that, despite their bizarre nature, continue to attract attention and debate. These treatments often come with bold claims and a following of devoted practitioners, yet they remain outside the bounds of mainstream medicine for various reasons. Whether due to lack of scientific evidence, potential harm, or just plain absurdity, these treatments are ones your doctor is likely to frown upon.

Some of these methods have roots in traditional medicine, while others have emerged from the fringes of the health and wellness community. Regardless of their origins, they share a common thread: Mainstream medical professionals typically advise against them. This is not just because these treatments are unconventional but because many lack the rigorous testing and proven benefits that are hallmarks of effective medical care.

In this list, we explore ten medical treatments that your doctor probably won’t approve of. These are not just quirky health tips or harmless home remedies; they are practices that can be risky, controversial, and sometimes downright dangerous. Buckle up as we delve into the strange and sometimes shocking world of medical treatments you won’t find in your doctor’s office.

Related: 10 Medical Miracles Doctors Still Can’t Explain

10 Drinking Your Own Urine: The Ultimate DIY Health Hack

The practice of drinking one’s own urine, also known as urine therapy, has a long history and has been promoted by some as a natural remedy for a wide array of ailments, from infections to cancer. Advocates claim urine contains valuable nutrients and antibodies to boost the immune system and detoxify the body. Despite these bold claims, medical professionals warn that there is no scientific evidence to support the health benefits of drinking urine. In fact, consuming urine can lead to the ingestion of waste products and toxins that the body has already expelled, posing serious health risks.

While some cultures and alternative medicine enthusiasts continue to promote urine therapy as a cure-all, it remains a highly controversial and largely discredited practice in the medical community. The human body has an efficient system for filtering out waste products through the kidneys, and urine is essentially a vehicle for removing these wastes. Reintroducing them into the body by drinking urine can potentially lead to kidney damage, infections, and other health complications. It’s a health hack that your doctor is almost certain to advise against.^[1]

9 Leech Therapy: Bloodsucking Parasites for Modern Healing

Leech therapy, or hirudotherapy, may sound like a medieval relic, but it continues to find a place in modern alternative medicine. Proponents claim that leeches can be used to treat a variety of conditions, including arthritis, migraines, and even cardiovascular diseases. The therapy involves placing live leeches on the skin, where they attach and draw blood.

The leeches’ saliva contains anticoagulants and enzymes that are believed to enhance blood circulation and promote healing. Despite these claims, the practice remains controversial. It is often met with skepticism from the medical community due to the risks of infection and the availability of more effective treatments.

While leech therapy has historical roots dating back to ancient Egypt and Greece, its resurgence in the modern era is largely confined to niche circles and specific medical conditions. The FDA has approved leeches for limited use in reconstructive surgery to help restore blood flow to damaged tissues.

Still, healthcare professionals do not endorse their use outside of these contexts. The potential for allergic reactions and bacterial infections makes leech therapy a treatment that most doctors would advise against, especially given the advances in safer, more reliable medical practices.^[2]

8 Ear Candling: A Smoky Solution for Earwax Woes?

Ear candling, also known as thermal-auricular therapy, involves inserting a hollow candle made of fabric and beeswax into the ear canal and lighting it. The idea is that the heat and smoke created by the burning candle produce a vacuum that draws out earwax and impurities. Despite its popularity in some wellness circles, medical professionals caution against this practice.

Research has shown that ear candling is not only ineffective at removing earwax but can also pose significant risks, such as burns, ear canal blockages, and even eardrum perforation. Proponents of ear candling claim that it can also help with a variety of other health issues, such as sinus infections, headaches, and even improving overall hearing. However, these claims lack scientific backing.

Studies have demonstrated that any debris found after ear candling is typically candle wax, not earwax and that the supposed benefits are more likely a result of the placebo effect rather than any real therapeutic action. Given the potential for harm and the absence of proven benefits, mainstream medical advice strongly discourages the use of ear candling.

Safe and effective methods for earwax removal, such as using ear drops or visiting a healthcare professional, are recommended over this smoky and risky alternative. Your doctor is almost certain to disapprove of ear candling as a viable health treatment.^[3]

7 Cupping Therapy: Ancient Practice with Modern Celebrity Endorsement

Cupping therapy, a traditional practice rooted in ancient Chinese medicine, involves placing heated glass or silicone cups on the skin to create a vacuum. This suction is believed to enhance blood flow, relieve muscle tension, and promote overall healing. The practice has gained renewed popularity in recent years, thanks partly to endorsements from high-profile athletes and celebrities who showcase their telltale circular bruises. Despite its ancient origins and modern revival, scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of cupping therapy remains limited and inconclusive.

Proponents of cupping therapy argue that it can help treat a variety of conditions, including chronic pain, respiratory issues, and even cellulite. However, the mechanism by which cupping might produce these effects is not well understood, and many studies suggest that the benefits are comparable to those of a placebo. Critics also point out that the bruising and skin irritation caused by the cups can sometimes lead to discomfort and other complications.

Mainstream medical practitioners often view cupping with skepticism due to the lack of robust clinical evidence and the potential for side effects. While some individuals swear by the practice, it is generally considered an unproven alternative therapy. Doctors typically recommend evidence-based treatments that have been rigorously tested for safety and effectiveness over more anecdotal methods like cupping.^[4]

6 Apitherapy: Bee Venom as a Controversial Cure

Apitherapy, the use of bee products like venom, honey, and royal jelly for medicinal purposes, has a history dating back thousands of years. The most intriguing and controversial aspect of apitherapy is bee venom therapy, where live bee stings are applied to the skin in a controlled manner. Proponents claim that bee venom contains compounds that can alleviate pain, reduce inflammation, and even treat conditions such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Despite its ancient roots and passionate advocates, the practice remains highly controversial in the medical community.

Scientific research on the effectiveness of bee venom therapy is limited and often inconclusive. While some studies suggest potential benefits, they are often small and lack rigorous methodology. More importantly, bee venom can cause severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening. Because of these risks and the lack of robust evidence supporting its efficacy, most doctors advise against bee venom therapy. Safer, more proven treatments are preferred for managing pain and inflammation.^[5]

5 Chelation Therapy: Removing Heavy Metals at a High Risk

Chelation therapy involves administering a chemical solution, typically EDTA, to remove heavy metals like lead and mercury from the bloodstream. While this therapy is approved for treating heavy metal poisoning, some proponents claim it can also benefit those with heart disease by removing calcium deposits from arteries.

The idea is that chelation might help clear clogged arteries and improve blood flow. Still, this application remains highly controversial and unproven according to mainstream medical research. Studies on the efficacy of chelation therapy for heart disease have shown mixed results, with most reputable organizations, including the Mayo Clinic, advising caution.

Potential side effects of chelation therapy can be severe and include kidney damage, low blood calcium levels, and allergic reactions. The treatment is risky, especially when used for conditions other than heavy metal poisoning, and lacks substantial evidence to support its use for heart disease or other chronic ailments. Medical professionals generally recommend against using chelation therapy for heart conditions, advocating for more conventional and well-supported treatments instead.^[6]

4 Coffee Enemas: A Risky Brew for Detoxification

Coffee enemas, a method where coffee is introduced into the colon through the rectum, have gained popularity in alternative health circles as a means of detoxifying the body and improving liver function. Proponents claim that the caffeine in coffee stimulates the liver to expel toxins more effectively and can improve digestion and boost energy levels. However, these claims are largely anecdotal, with no substantial scientific evidence supporting the health benefits of coffee enemas.

Despite the popularity of this detox method, medical professionals strongly caution against its use due to significant health risks. Coffee enemas can lead to serious complications such as rectal burns, infections, electrolyte imbalances, and even colitis. The process of introducing a foreign substance into the colon can disrupt the natural bacterial flora and lead to potentially harmful side effects. Additionally, there is no credible scientific evidence that coffee enemas provide any detoxification benefits beyond what the body already accomplishes naturally through the liver and kidneys.

Mainstream medicine generally advises against using coffee enemas for detoxification, emphasizing that the body’s natural detox systems are sufficient for maintaining health. Instead, a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle are recommended for optimal liver and overall health. Given the risks and lack of proven benefits, doctors are unlikely to approve coffee enemas as a safe or effective health treatment.^[7]

3 Maggot Therapy: Unlikely Healers in Wound Care

Maggot therapy, also known as larval therapy, involves using live, disinfected maggots to treat non-healing wounds by consuming dead tissue. This practice, which dates back to ancient times, has experienced a resurgence in modern medicine for its effectiveness in cleaning chronic wounds, such as diabetic ulcers and pressure sores.

The maggots secrete enzymes that liquefy dead tissue, which they then ingest, effectively cleaning the wound and promoting the growth of healthy tissue. Despite the initial “ick factor,” maggot therapy has been shown to be an efficient and cost-effective treatment in certain medical contexts. However, maggot therapy is not without its downsides and is usually reserved for cases where conventional treatments have failed. The psychological discomfort for patients is significant, and there is always a risk of infection if the maggots are not properly sterilized.

While the FDA has approved the use of maggots for treating specific types of wounds, the practice is not widely endorsed for general use due to the availability of other, more accepted medical treatments. Most doctors will recommend alternative wound care options before resorting to maggot therapy.^[8]

2 Miracle Mineral Solution: A Dangerous “Cure-All”

Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS) is marketed by some as a cure-all for a wide range of diseases, from malaria and cancer to autism and HIV. This solution is essentially a mixture of sodium chlorite and an acid, such as citric acid, which forms chlorine dioxide when combined. Chlorine dioxide is a potent industrial bleach, and ingesting it can cause severe side effects, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration. Despite these risks, MMS continues to be promoted in various alternative health circles, often with claims that are unsupported by scientific evidence.

Regulatory agencies like the FDA have issued warnings about the dangers of MMS, highlighting that it is not only ineffective for treating the conditions it claims to cure but also potentially life-threatening. The FDA has received numerous reports of severe adverse reactions and even deaths linked to the ingestion of MMS. The promotion of this product as a miracle cure is not only misleading but also dangerous, putting vulnerable individuals at risk of serious health complications.

Given the significant health risks and the lack of proven benefits, MMS is widely disapproved by the medical community. Most healthcare professionals strongly advise against using MMS for any purpose, emphasizing the importance of seeking evidence-based treatments for health conditions. The consensus is clear: Miracle Mineral Solution is not a safe or effective treatment, and its use should be avoided to prevent potentially devastating consequences.^[9]

1 The Baby Drop: A Shocking Ritual for Good Fortune

In parts of India, a startling ritual known as “baby dropping” has been practiced for over 700 years, with the belief that it brings good health and luck to infants. This ritual involves dropping babies from a height of approximately 30 to 50 feet off temple roofs into a cloth held by villagers below. It is primarily observed by certain Hindu and Muslim communities, who trust that the practice will ensure their children’s robust health and prosperous futures. The ritual is particularly common in the state of Karnataka, where it continues to attract significant attention and controversy.

Despite its cultural significance, the practice has been met with widespread condemnation from medical professionals and child welfare advocates who highlight the serious risks involved. Experts warn that dropping infants from such heights, even when caught in a cloth, can cause severe physical and psychological trauma. The potential for injury, including brain damage and developmental issues, is significant, prompting concerns over the well-being of these children. The practice has drawn criticism for being hazardous and anachronistic, given a modern understanding of child health and safety.

Efforts to end the baby drop ritual have increased, with local authorities and human rights organizations working to educate communities about the dangers and encourage safer alternatives. However, the ritual persists in some areas due to deep-seated cultural beliefs and resistance to change. Most health professionals and child advocates urge against continuing this practice, emphasizing that protecting children’s health and safety should take precedence over traditional customs.^[10]

The ancient Romans were responsible for a number of scientific advancements that greatly benefited humankind. However, some of their solutions didn’t work. Here are 10 diseases and the erroneous cures that the ancient Romans devised.

Warning: These Roman treatments don’t work, so don’t try them.

10 Acne

Acne was probably the scourge of nearly every Roman teenager, so the Romans tried to come up with a cure. Crocodile meat was effective at getting rid of spots, even freckles, when combined with cyprus oil.

If the pimples persisted, the Romans suggested taking a bath with oil and sour cheese to remove the pimples. Leek leaves could get rid of pimples when rubbed on the skin. Lastly, the juice of myrrh, when mixed with cassia and honey, was said to be effective at relieving what the Romans referred to as varus.

If all of that failed to rid one’s face of acne, the court physician of Theodosius, a Roman emperor in the fourth century, told his patients to wipe their faces with a cloth while watching a falling star. For unspecified reasons, this was said to cause the pimples to fall off the face.

9 Warts

Warts had a wide range of cures. Often, Romans would burn cow dung, mouse dung, or the fat of a swan to rid themselves of warts. Pliny suggested taking a freshly podded pea and touching it to each nodule. Then he instructed his readers to wrap the peas securely in a cloth and throw them backward.

Rubbing the wart with sea foam or white sea sand was also supposed to work. If the person could afford it, gold was considered to be an effective remedy for warts.

However, if a Roman couldn’t get any of these cures, he could wait until after the 20th day of the month, lie faceup on a path, look at the Moon, grab whatever was nearby, and rub it on the wart.

8 Headaches

There were a number of cures for headaches, most of which involved animals in some way. For example, wine in which a chameleon had been soaked could be sprinkled on the sufferer’s head.

If that failed, an elephant’s trunk could be touched to the head. (It was considered much more effective if the elephant sneezed.) A Roman could also drink the water left behind by an ox or ass which had been drinking it.

A liniment made from burned cloth which had been stained with menstrual blood and mixed with the oil of roses was said to be an effective cure. As a last resort, the severed genitals of a fox could be fastened around the head to cure a stubborn headache.

7 Constipation

When the ancient Romans had trouble going to the bathroom, there were a number of cures from which to choose. For example, eating raw quinces preserved in honey could help.

Placing wolf’s gall (bile) on the navel with different kinds of milk, salt, and honey could also be effective at loosening the bowels. For those who didn’t like the idea of a wolf’s gall resting on their navel, a bull’s gall could be smashed up with wormwood and applied as a suppository.

Fresh beets that were ground into juice were also beneficial for constipation sufferers. Oddly enough, this remedy was also supposed to work for those afflicted with diarrhea. Almost every kind of fruit was said to be good as well. Finally, men like Cato the Elder prescribed cabbage as a great treatment for constipation and a multitude of other ailments.

6 Nausea

For those suffering from nausea—whether from natural causes or as a reaction to one of the Romans’ many “cures”—a three-finger pinch of cumin was said to work wonders.

Pennyroyal, a common herb in Europe, was also said to help if it was cooked in vinegar. Rose juice could be effective, although the Roman might fall into a deep sleep because it was also a cure for insomnia.

Oddly enough, the ancient Romans believed that drinking lots of wine was a cure for nausea. (They had a cure for the next day’s nasty hangover, too.) However, a Roman woman who was pregnant and feeling nauseous was supposed to eat a pomegranate or drink its juice.

As a last resort, human breast milk could be used to cure nausea. It was supposed to be especially effective if the woman had already weaned her child—and doubly so if she had given birth to a boy.

5 Flatulence

Flatulence was a common side effect of many Roman “cures” and could be treated through a variety of methods. Chicken broth was said to be an excellent purgative for the bowels. If it was made from an old rooster and strongly salted, it was even more effective. A hen’s white droppings were also beneficial for those suffering from uncontrollable flatulence.

When mixed with cobbler’s blacking, basil supposedly eased ferocious flatulence. However, if this cure was used too frequently, it could result in madness or put the patient into a coma.

Pliny also said that mixing cumin and asparagus was helpful, although this cure often caused other unspecified problems. As a last resort, ground beaver meat with vinegar and rose oil could be used as long as it was in liquid form. If eaten, it was for epilepsy.

4 Dysentery

Dysentery is caused by any number of bacteria, viruses, or parasites. It inflames the colon and results in diarrhea with blood for the sufferer. However, in ancient Rome, they didn’t know the cause of this disease, so the cures were quite far-fetched.

Chicken soup was considered to be a cure. Bitumen, a native asphalt of Asia Minor, was also supposed to work. Bitumen could also hasten menstruation for women.

The flesh of a spotted lizard was also an effective cure. But it had to be imported from a foreign country and boiled before it was eaten. The actual type of lizard was not recorded.

Egg yolks without the whites could be mixed with poppy juice and wine. The flowers of pomegranates, a wonder drug in ancient Rome, could be picked and eaten to cure dysentery. Also, vomited blood was supposed to work if it was mixed with wine and a vulture’s lungs.

3 Incontinence

Incontinence could be cured by taking the bladder of a hyena, soaking it in wine, and eating it. Roasted boar’s bladder was supposed to be quite effective as well.

If you could catch them, roasted seahorses were a common cure for incontinence. A smaller fish that was found inside a larger fish’s belly was also a good cure. If the sufferer was a child, Pliny suggested that they eat boiled mice with their food.

Maybe the oddest cure was taking papyrus or linen and touching it to the tip of one’s genitals. If that failed, tying a string of linen or papyrus around the genitals and then around the leg might do the trick.

Stranger still, incontinence could be cured by burning a pig’s penis, mixing it with wine, and drinking the concoction. Then, while the Roman was drunk from “swine wine,” he had to pee in the bed of a dog while saying the following in Latin: “This I do that I may not wet my bed as a dog does.”

2 Gout

Gout, a recurrent attack of acute inflammatory arthritis, could be cured in a number of ways. The combination of mustard, saffron, the fat of a male goat, and the dung of a female goat was supposed to be effective at alleviating the symptoms.

Rubbing a sea hare along the affected parts and wearing shoes made of beaver’s skin was also prescribed. The skin of what Pliny described as the “Pontic beaver” was supposed to be the most effective.

Pliny also believed that the touch of a menstruating woman could relieve the symptoms. Calf dung boiled with lily bulbs was believed to be a useful cure as well. One of the sadder cures was the use of a live fox that was tied to a stake and boiled in oil. It was supposed to make an effective drink to cure gout.

1 Epilepsy

Although epilepsy is still challenging to treat in modern times, the ancient Romans believed that they had a number of successful remedies. For example, an affected Roman could drink water that was taken from a spring during the night and then placed in the skull of a dead man.

The next step was to eat the flesh of a beast that had been killed with an iron weapon. The weapon must have killed a man previously. If all of that failed, putting an iron nail into the ground where someone had suffered a seizure was supposed to help.

The testes of a bear or wild boar dipped in mare’s milk or water was considered to be a highly effective treatment. The smell of the afterbirth of a female ass, especially if it had just borne a male, was beneficial to those who were about to have a seizure. However, this was neither a practical nor timely solution.

If nothing else worked, the affected Roman could take a dried camel’s brain, put it in vinegar, and eat it.

In medical research, finding a method to combat a chronic or terminal illness doesn’t typically come along very often. Of course, this being the future, such advancements are coming along at a far greater clip than decades or even a few years ago.

From the cosmetic to the truly life-giving, you’ll be surprised at some of the conditions where inroads have been made toward conquering them.

10 Baldness

The use of stem cells has made regenerative medicine a promising field in recent years. At RIKEN, Japan’s largest research organization, methods have been developed to regenerate teeth and certain glands in laboratory mice by taking advantage of stem cells’ ability to change into virtually any type of cell. But that’s not all: This technique can also restore hair follicles and could virtually cure hair loss when made available to the public.

Unlike traditional follicle transplants, which simply move active follicles to new locations where hair has been shed, the stem cell–based therapy actually regenerates new follicles—not simply stopping hair loss but promoting new growth. Electronics maker Kyocera is leading the charge to manufacture equipment for the process. In the US alone, over 50 million people are affected by hair loss—roughly one-third of them women.

9 Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a chronic infection of the liver that is difficult to manage, costly to treat, and often fatal. Approximately 350,000 people worldwide are claimed by the disease every year. The only previously available treatments helped 25–75 percent of patients (depending on the virus type) and came with a slew of unpleasant side effects.

Hepatitis C used to be incurable but no longer. In 2014, pharmaceutical company Gilead received FDA approval for a 12-week, pill-based course of treatment that eliminates the disease in the vast majority of patients.

Similar drugs were subsequently approved from pharmaceutical giant Merck and AbbVie. Although this is great news, the drugs can be prohibitively expensive—over $80,000 for a course of treatment in many cases.

8 Parkinson’s Disease

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been used to treat leukemia for some time. These drugs work by helping to induce a process called autophagy, the disposal of unneeded material within the body’s cells. In a small clinical trial, Georgetown University researchers found that the drug’s effects could also help those with Parkinson’s disease.

Patients were given a far lower dose of the drug nilotinib than is usually used in leukemia patients, mainly to see if it could be tolerated. Surprisingly, there was marked improvement in coordination and motor skills among all participants. Examination of blood and spinal fluid revealed a huge drop in Parkinson’s-related markers.

At follow-up visits after treatment had been stopped, the beneficial effects were reversed. But researchers are confident that this likely represents the most important breakthrough in Parkinson’s treatment in over 50 years.

7 Blindness

One Florida doctor has come up with a controversial, stem cell–based treatment to reverse blindness. The controversy arises from the fact that Dr. Jeffrey Weiss is not affiliated with any research institutions nor has his procedure undergone any clinical trials. But he has used the procedure—which involves extracting stem cells from bone marrow and injecting them into the patient’s eyes—to restore vision to over 100 blind patients.

As of mid-2016, a similar procedure is currently undergoing clinical trials at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. Their technique uses an ultrathin layer of polyester to distribute the stem cells behind the patient’s retina.

6 Herpes

Herpes is an extremely common virus with over 100 strains, only eight of which ordinarily infect humans. Some versions are virtually asymptomatic, meaning people can be infected all their lives and not know it. There is no cure, but a promising new treatment has all but eradicated the disease in the lab by editing the DNA of the virus.

Researchers used the gene editing technology CRISPR to target double-stranded DNA in three herpes strains, including Epstein-Barr (which can also cause cancer). CRISPR essentially cut the viral DNA to pieces. The process was also shown to severely inhibit virus replication, especially with Epstein-Barr. Although the researchers acknowledge that further research is needed, no other treatment has shown such promise in eradicating the herpes virus.

5 Type 1 Diabetes

According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States. Type 2 diabetes is an acquired condition in which the body does not produce insulin in sufficient amounts or use insulin properly. But type 1 diabetes is genetic and is the complete lack of insulin, making it much more difficult to manage.

Insulin is secreted by beta cells in the pancreas. The immune systems of type 1 diabetics attack these cells. Harvard Stem Cell Institute researchers have found a reliable, highly complex procedure for turning stem cells into vast quantities of pancreatic beta cells in the lab, the first means that has been found for producing these cells.

The procedure is half the solution to the type 1 diabetes problem, with the overacting immune response being the other. Several options for dealing with this, including immunosuppressants, are being considered.

4 Alzheimer’s Disease

Incurable and irreversible, Alzheimer’s gradually robs the sufferer of their mental faculties and precious memories. However, scientists from the United States and Australia intend to bring a pair of new vaccines—which have shown incredible potential to destroy the toxic proteins in the brain associated with the disease—to human clinical trials within a couple of years. Not only could the vaccines prevent dementia, but they may actually reverse its effects when administered together.

Meanwhile, Salk Institute researchers have discovered that THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, seems to excel at removing the buildup of these toxic proteins. In lab tests, THC reduced the levels of toxic proteins and eliminated the associated inflammatory response. The team also discovered that endocannabinoids, compounds similar to marijuana that are made by the body, trigger these beneficial responses naturally.

3 AIDS

In 2012, a clinical trial was performed on RV144, a potential HIV vaccine, using rhesus monkeys. It was the first clinical trial in which an HIV vaccine reduced the rate of acquisition.

In July 2016, Case Western Reserve University scientists were able to successfully duplicate these results using macaques. Although a tweak to the formula didn’t work, one aspect of the study proved highly beneficial—a pre-vaccination RNA screening of the subjects.

Using these, researchers were able to correctly predict the response to the vaccine in two-thirds of their subjects, which may pave the way for “personalized and predictive vaccinology” that prevents diseases more effectively in the future. They believe their HIV vaccine formula is ready for clinical trials in humans.

2 Cancer (All Of Them)

A host of related but different conditions fall under the umbrella of “cancer,” making a blanket cure impossible according to almost all medical researchers. But a team at Johannes Gutenberg University didn’t get the memo and say they have taken a huge step toward a universal cancer vaccine.

Their encouraging results come from testing in lab animals and early human clinical trials. Although called a vaccine, it would be administered to patients with cancer. It works by shooting tiny pieces of RNA from the patient’s cancer cells at the immune system to mount a lethal response against any cancer cells of this type. Different types of cancer can be targeted by changing the RNA used in the process.

The treatment has been shown to kill “aggressively growing” tumors in mice. So far, it has only been tested in human patients for safety, which yielded good results. No previous treatment has shown such promise against multiple varieties of cancer.

1 Aging

Scientists have been studying methods of slowing down or halting the aging process for decades. In 2005, a Stanford University scientist first demonstrated a process for rejuvenating the healing powers of an aging rodent by surgically linking its nervous system to that of a younger mouse. Other approaches have involved the in-depth study of medications and nutritional supplements to extend life and bolster the body’s natural regenerative powers.

But a team from the University of Tsukuba may have recently one-upped all previous research in this field by focusing on the mitochondria, which is essentially the battery of a cell. They theorized that mitochondrial DNA does not mutate naturally (as previously thought) but accumulates proteins over a lifetime. This eventually contributes to defects which cause the effects of aging.

By using stem cells to reset these aged cell lines, the team found the anticipated effect—the “old” cells morphed back into “young” ones, as if by magic. Combined with the amino acid glycine—which has been shown to partially reverse age-related defects in mitochondria—this process has made researchers practically giddy that they may soon develop an actual age-reversing pill. We’re going to go out on a limb and say that there just might be a fairly sizable market for such a thing.

How far are you willing to go to get the hot new look? Much of human history has been driven by the desire to present ourselves in our best light. As it turns out, there’s not much that people won’t do in their struggle to be attractive. Here are ten of the grossest things people have tried in the name of beauty.

10 Eel Exfoliation Bath

Some very expensive bubble baths leave you feeling slimy after you get out of the tub. Their manufacturers prefer to say “moisturized”—but for one treatment, “slimy” is definitely the word. To get that perfect glow in their skin, some people in China are taking baths filled with tiny eels.

Each eel is about the size of a pencil. They wriggle over the body and nibble at the dead skin covering it. This leaves the youthful-looking living skin underneath shining through. Unfortunately, the eels haven’t learned to differentiate between the skin on the outside and the internal membranes.

A gentleman wearing loose underwear in the eel bath felt a sharp pain and found that an eel had found its way into his penis. It took a three-hour surgery to remove the errant fish and prompted other countries to watch out for those looking to import the eels.

9 Radiation Therapy

Whenever a scientific discovery is made, there’s always a scramble to find a marketable use for it. Sometimes, this benefits mankind; sometimes, it leads people to smear their faces with radioactive elements.

The eerie glow of radiation made newly documented elements like radium and polonium seemed like ideal boosters for that healthy glow everyone wants. The mysterious radiation rays were quickly touted as cure for medical ailments and were also used in cosmetics. Radiation was added to face creams, soap, rouge, and powders. For those wanting extra sparkly teeth, there was radioactive toothpaste.

Of course, the downside to these radioactive products was that instead of health, they caused untold numbers of cancers. Sores and hair loss are common side effects of radiation poisoning, as well. Those who worked with radium developed bone necrosis and incurable cancers. This soon put an end to the fad for radioactive products.

8 Lead, Arsenic, And Mercury

While today’s must-have is a tan, which suggests we have the leisure to be continually on the beach, in the past, the reverse was the case. To have a tan showed that you spent your days toiling outside. To cultivate a pale face, you needed the money to stay indoors. Or you could take the shortcut of covering your face in white lead, as people have throughout history. The problems with this were not unknown even then. The lead would rot the skin, requiring ever more to be used to cover up the effects of the treatment. The skin would break open as it thinned. Lead also causes aggressiveness, headaches, vomiting, seizures, and eventually death—then you have the perfect pale flesh.

Those wanting to remove spots, freckles, and other skin problems could turn to another dangerous element. “Dr. James P. Campbell’s Safe Arsenic Complexion Wafers” promised to clear the complexion. Ironically, one of the organs hit hardest by arsenic poisoning is the skin. An overdose of arsenic can lead to hair loss, bloody vomit, diarrhea, and convulsions. But at least you won’t have freckles.

While those products are thankfully things of the past, there is a current vogue for everyone to appear with as light skin as possible. Skin lightening products very often contain mercury, an element which can lead to many horrible side effects, especially kidney problems. You may end up with a fashionably Western face but a deeply unfashionable dialysis machine.

7 Bee Stings

You should always be wary of following celebrity advice. Being pretty and a good actor does not make you a doctor. Gwyneth Paltrow has gone on record about her beauty treatments, and one of them has a sting in the tail.

The actress told an interviewer:

I’ve been stung by bees. It’s a thousands of years old treatment called apitherapy. People use it to get rid of inflammation and scarring. It’s actually pretty incredible if you research it. But, man, it’s painful.

The treatment is painful for Paltrow, but it can be deadly, and not just to the bees. One case of liver failure has been linked to apitherapy.

Those unwilling to be actually stung by bees can simply buy cosmetic products containing the venom. Not that it will do anything except speed the decline in bee populations and your bank balance.

6 Fish Pedicure

Fish aren’t picky eaters. If you dip your toes into a tank of Garra fish, they will quickly dart in and nibble off the dead skin from even the smelliest feet. They are toothless and usually stop at eating the tough outer skin, but there are reports of them taking their feeding frenzy too far and causing bleeding. While the risks of getting an infection from the fish is thought to be very low, there are dangers to dangling your feet in water used by both fish and other clients. Fungal infections could easily spread, and bacteria in the fish tank could cause boils.

Leaving aside the “ick” factor of being eaten by fish that live solely on other peoples’ stinky feet, some legal areas deem the fish to be unsanitary. One Arizona fish spa was shut down, as cosmetic products had to be disinfected and dried before reuse—obviously not an option with fish.

5 Tapeworm Diets

Losing weight should be easy. If you burn more calories than you consume, your weight goes down. But food is so delicious that many find reducing their caloric intake is too hard to do. So they look for ways to increase their calories burned (other than exercising, obviously).

One way of losing weight is to get yourself a friendly tapeworm to take up residence in your intestines. This worm will eat a portion of your food, and it will grow rather than your waistline. While there is evidence that people in the past sold pills which supposedly contained tapeworms, there are recent cases of people actually going through with it. Tapeworm infections cause weight loss and loss of appetite—but also pain, malnutrition, diarrhea, blindness, convulsions, and death.

4 Placenta

The placenta is an organ that develops in pregnant mammals to filter oxygen and nutrients to embryos and remove waste products. Most animals will eat the placenta after birth to regain its nutrients. Some humans do, too. Some aren’t content with leaving it at that, though.

Because of their association with youth and birth, some face creams include placenta in the hopes of it passing some of that goodness on to the user. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that they work. The most common form of placenta used comes from sheep, but those with deep pockets and no gag reflex can also buy creams with human placenta.

While placenta may not do much for the face, the side effects can be alarming. Its use in hair products has caused girls as young as 14 months old to begin to develop sexually due to the level of hormones it contains. Stopping use of the products reversed the effects.

3 Snails

Snail facials are a beauty treatment in which live snails glide across your face. The trail of gel they leave behind is said to fight the signs of aging. Snails have been used for thousands of years to treat inflammation, so there may be something to it. Snail facial specialists say they reduce scars, acne, and stretch marks. There is no scientific confirmation of this, however—so perhaps wait before you plop some snails on your face.

For those who cannot stand the idea of snails rasping at their skin with their radula (a toothed, tongue-like structure) you can buy creams that contain snail gel. The snails exude the gel, which is said to be more effective when they are stressed. There is no information on how the makers of snail gel cream go about stressing out their snails, but it’s unlikely these creams are animal-friendly.

2 Bull Semen

In the crowded marketplace of cosmetics, you need something that separates you from the competition. One way of doing that is to reveal that the magic ingredient in your face mask and hair conditioner is bull semen.

The inventor of the semen hair treatment had been looking for a high-protein recipe and apparently thought the best option would be bull sperm. She comforts her customers by saying, “It really works. The semen is refrigerated before use and doesn’t smell. It leaves your hair looking wonderfully soft and thick.”

If you want the glamorous look without the mental images, Imprivo makes a range of products containing the coyly named BSP (Bull Seminal Plasma).

1 Foreskin Facials

“As smooth as a baby’s buttocks” is a common expression. Some cosmetics companies have taken that cliche and run with it. Taking the foreskins left over after baby boys are circumcised, they have turned human flesh into cash in the bank.

There are face creams which use the cells from foreskins to enrich their products with growth factors, collagen, and other proteins that are claimed to reverse the signs of aging. Because the foreskin contains stem cells, a single one can be grown in the lab to produce enough cells for thousands of treatments. This has not reduced the controversy around using them as an ingredient, especially among those who see circumcision as a form of genital mutilation.

For those who want the direct benefits of stem cells, it is now possible to have cells derived from foreskins injected into your face. The fibroblast cells reinforce the structure of the skin, it is claimed, and users say they detect improvements in their appearance. With each vial of cells costing around $1,000, though, you might hope for more dramatic results.

Let’s face it, some things are creepy or scary. Someone might become fearful when coming across a venomous snake. That fear is healthy because it tells us to stay away from the snake whose venom could kill us. But what if a rubber snake sends someone into scream-filled terror? Then that person might have a phobia, an irrational fear of something.

The term “phobia” comes from the Greek word phobos (“fear”). Some phobias are common, such as coulrophobia (fear of clowns) or arachnophobia (fear of spiders). Other phobias are so rare or bizarre that you may have never heard of them.

10 Ergophobia

People suffer from workplace anxiety from time to time—for example, when you have that important presentation to give in front of a big audience. However, with ergophobia, the sufferer has an irrational fear of work.

Ergophobia comes from the Greek ergon (“work”). The phobia may include the combined fears of speaking in groups, socializing, and failing at tasks. The anxiety is severe enough to cause the person to leave work early or not be able to go to work at all. This fear persists even if the work or workplace changes.^[1]

One treatment for this condition is exposure therapy, in which the patient is gradually exposed to his frightening work environment until he no longer fears it. Another treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy, where situations are created to teach the correct behavior. To discover more about the phobias treated by these methods, check out the Top 10 Bizarre Phobias People Suffer From.

9 Chaetophobia

Most people would love to have a full head of hair. However, people with chaetophobia (aka “trichopathophobia” and “trichophobia”) have an irrational fear of hair.

Chaetophobia comes from the Greek word khaite (“loose, flowing hair”). The phobia can be fear of hair on your own body or fear of loose hair. The person can also be afraid of other people’s hair and even animal hair.

The condition can arise from a bad experience, like getting a terrible haircut. It can also be related to stress, anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions. Another possible link is the mental disorder trichotillomania, in which a person compulsively pulls out his hair.^[2]

There are various treatments for this condition. A doctor may prescribe antianxiety medication depending on the severity of the phobia. Neurolinguistic programming is used in psychotherapy. Exposure therapy can also be used to gradually expose the person to hair over time. For more hair-raising facts, check out 10 Weird Ways Human Hair Has Been Used.

8 Daemonophobia

People with an irrational fear of the evil entities called demons have daemonophobia, which comes from the Greek word daemono (“demon”). This phobia is closely associated with satanophobia (fear of Satan) and hadephobia (fear of hell).

Someone can develop daemonophobia from religious beliefs that demons might possess them in a negative way or otherwise cause harm. The phobia can also be triggered by a negative experience with a Ouija board or a seance.^[3]

Treatments include hypnotherapy, counseling, and neurolinguistic programming (NLP). In NLP, your self-awareness is improved by helping you understand how you view the world. It also shows that unhelpful thoughts and behavioral patterns need to be changed. Then again, better safe than sorry. Here are the 10 Demons You Should Probably Try To Avoid.

7 Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia comes from the Greek word hexiekatohexintahexi (“six hundred and sixty-six”). It is the fear of the number 666, considered the mark of the beast. This comes from the Bible, which states in Revelation 13:18: “Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.”

People with this phobia will go out of their way to avoid this number. For example, if an order totals $6.66, then the person will add something to the order or put something back to change the price.^[4]

One of the best-known examples of fear concerning this number is the infamous Highway 666. Stretching through Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico, this road was considered dangerous. People associated the cause with the satanic numbering. In 2003, the route was officially changed to US 491.

Treatment for this phobia includes evaluation of one’s religious beliefs and cognitive behavioral therapy. Talk therapy is also an effective treatment. Relaxation techniques such as guided meditation, yoga, deep breathing, and visualization can help as well. If you suffer from a phobia like this, you’re not alone. Check out 10 Well-Known People and their Phobias.

6 Allodoxaphobia

If you fear someone else’s opinion of you, then you may have allodoxaphobia, which comes from the Greek words allo (“different”) and dox (“opinion”). Negative or traumatic events, such as constant criticism as a child, may be behind the development of this phobia.

Allodoxaphobia is a rare social phobia. Sufferers may not participate in activities because they fear other people’s judgment of them. They cannot take feedback of any kind, positive or negative. They can be socially withdrawn or even depressed. This may cause the person to miss out on events and opportunities.^[5]

Treatments for allodoxaphobia are extensive. Yoga, meditation, and exercise are some examples. Exposure therapy can also be used. Cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and medications are other treatments. However, most sufferers probably don’t have it nearly as bad as the people in these 10 Scandalous Relationships That Changed Opinions On Divorce.

5 Genuphobia

Genuphobia, which comes from the Latin word genu (“knee”), is the fear of knees. People with this phobia have a fear of their own knees, someone else’s knees, or kneeling.

This phobia can result from trauma to that person’s or another individual’s knees. It may even be caused by seeing kneecaps broken in movies. This phobia can also be triggered by certain cultures where it is customary to wear conservative dress and cover the knees.^[6]

Cognitive behavioral therapy or medications such as antidepressants are possible treatments. Exposure therapy is also used. A person with this phobia can also try journaling, exercise, and meditation. To find out more about some truly weird treatments used for other mental or emotional disorders, check out 10 Of The Strangest Psychotherapy Techniques.

4 Geniophobia

Geniophobia, which comes from the Greek word genie (“chin”), is the fear of chins. No one is sure what causes this phobia, but several factors can come into play such as genetics, past experiences, and upbringing.

If someone has geniophobia, that person will try to avoid the source of his fear by isolating himself. This may temporarily help anxieties related to the phobia, but it does not cure the individual.^[7]

Treatments include talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and exposure therapy. Dialectical behavior therapy is another type of treatment. Yoga and mindfulness are good self-help options. It might also help to know that even strong people suffer from weird phobias. You can read more at 10 Surprising Phobias Of ‘Fearless’ Historical Leaders.

3 Arachibutyrophobia

Have you ever made a sandwich slathered with peanut butter, only to have it stick to the roof of your mouth? This scenario would send someone with arachibutyrophobia into a panic because he is afraid of having peanut butter stick to the roof of his mouth.

Arachibutyrophobia is thought to be rooted in a fear of choking, which may be linked to a past experience of doing so. Women may have a higher risk of developing this phobia.^[8]

Treatments include exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Yoga, meditation, and deep breathing can also be used. Medications such as antianxiety drugs may be prescribed by a doctor. You can read more about the symptoms of this phobia at 10 Surprising Peanut Butter Facts.

2 Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

Ironically, hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the name for the fear of long words. It also goes by the name sesquipedalophobia. Even though it is not a recognized phobia and some consider it fictional, it is a real thing.

The word hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia can be broken down into several segments. The first part, hippo, comes from the Greek meaning “horse.” The next part, potamos, means “river” in Greek. “Hippopotamine” refers to something very large. Then there is monstr, Latin for “monstrous being.” Finally, sesquippedalio comes from the Latin meaning “measures a foot and a half long.”

Like many phobias, it probably came into being through a traumatic experience sometime during someone’s life. If the person had trouble with pronouncing a long word in front of others and was ridiculed as a result, this could have caused the onset of this particular phobia.^[9]

Exposure therapy is a common treatment. Talk therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy can also be effective. Self-help treatments such as practicing mindfulness, meditation, and deep breathing may help to control the anxiety. might also be able to help you out—for free. Click here to discover the Top 10 Words You’re Saying Wrong.

1 Phobophobia

Phobophobia means “fear of fear.” A person who suffers from this is afraid of developing a phobia. If the individual already has a phobia, then he is afraid of developing a new phobia, which is the more likely manifestation of this condition.

By worrying that he may develop a phobia about something, the person’s anxiety level can increase. Over time, this continued anxiety will be a self-fulfilling prophecy, and the individual will develop a phobia.^[10]

Treatment can be psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and neurolinguistic programming. Various self-help methods include yoga and meditation.

Depending on the treatments your doctor prescribes for your ailments, you may even develop phobias from the cures. Get ready to cringe when you click over to 10 Strange Creepy-Crawly Medical Treatments That Actually Work.

Doctors and physicians are seen as miracle workers as they continue to figure out new ways to treat patients. They can cure many of the diseases we face today, but today’s treatments have come a long way from those that were once used on patients. Ancient treatments for diseases and illnesses could be painful, stressful, and uncomfortable and would cause more trouble than the disease itself. Sometimes, they would even result in death.

Thankfully, the medical field has excelled over the past years and no longer puts their patients through these horrifying procedures. Here are ten treatments that were arguably worse than the disease that they were trying to cure.

10 Bloodletting

Bloodletting was once one of the most common procedures used for many problems, including headaches and fevers. Thousands of years ago, a doctor would use instruments such as a lancet or even a sharpened piece of wood to open a patient’s vein, allowing the blood to flow out into a receptacle. Bloodletting was commonly used because doctors believed that illnesses and diseases stemmed from an overabundance of blood in the system.^[1]

Physicians had a theory that in order for a person to be in good health, there would need to be a balance of the four humors, known as fire, earth, water, and air—and more commonly known as blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. By draining a certain amount of blood from the body, these four humors could be once again balanced and lead the patient to better health and life.

Sometimes, if the patient was lucky enough, leeches would be used for the bloodletting instead of cutting into a vein. When the leech is applied to the skin, it is able to suck several times its own body weight in blood from the patient. The use of leeches started to decline after 1850.

9 Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy was used to help treat mental illness at many institutions at the beginning of the 20th century. It was believed that water would be an effective treatment because when heated or cooled, it could be applied to the skin, producing different reactions throughout the body.^[2] This isn’t just a relaxing dip into the hot tub or a quick swim at the pool, though.

Some of the treatments were harmless and consisted of continuous warm or cold baths. That doesn’t sound so bad, right? Those baths could sometimes last for hours, though—or days. These continuous baths were usually held in small rooms with little or no light or audio stimulation. They also used packs that consisted of sheets dipped in different temperatures of water, which would be wrapped around the patient, sometimes for hours.

Hydrotherapy is now a more relaxing form of treatment and is used to relieve pain, improve blood circulation, and promote relaxation. Underwater exercises and massages are the most typical forms of hydrotherapy used today, and the patient will usually be assisted by a physical therapist—much better service than what patients once received.

8 Urine Therapy

Drinking your own urine may sound gross and unsanitary, but some people believe that it is a form of alternative medicine. Urine therapy refers to different medicinal practices such as the drinking of one’s own urine or massaging urine into the skin.

The therapy was popularized by British naturopath John W. Armstrong. He was inspired by his family’s practice of treating various ailments with urine, including toothaches and minor stings. Proponents of the treatment claim that urine contains the antibodies necessary to help the body fight off many diseases, but there have been no thorough scientific studies to back up these claims.^[3]

7 Mercury Treatment

Mercury is widely known to be a potentially poisonous metal, but it was once used as a common elixir and topical medication. The Persians and Greeks used it because they considered it to be a useful ointment, and Chinese alchemists used liquid mercury and red mercury sulfide to increase lifespan and vitality. Some healers even believed that it would give their patients the ability to walk on water and gain eternal life.

Mercury was also used as a popular medicine to cure sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis. Sometimes, it was said and proven that the mercury was a successful treatment for syphilis, but often, patients would die from kidney and liver damage from the mercury in their bodies.^[4] Mercury is no longer readily available and is currently regulated in the United States.

6 Insulin Shock

Insulin shock, also known as insulin coma therapy, was one of the first successful treatments for schizophrenia. These treatments were known to be unpleasant and very dangerous for the patient. Insulin was first used to reduce anxiety, nervousness, tremors, vomiting, and weight loss, but when given in larger doses, the patient would enter a state of unconsciousness and become less hostile and less aggressive afterward.

Insulin was used on schizophrenia patients because after they became unconsciousness or went into a coma, the psychotic thoughts would begin to disappear. It was said that recollections of thoughts and anxieties were reduced because of the therapy, and patients would appear calmer and less worried about hallucinations.^[5]

5 Moldy Bread

Think twice before throwing out that moldy bread. Various cultures used mold, soils, and plants to treat many bacterial infections. Moldy bread was pressed against wounds in ancient Serbia, China, and Greece to help prevent infection. The crust of moldy bread would be pressed against scalp infections in Egypt and was dispensed for its curative properties. These remedies were believed to influence the spirit that was responsible for the illness.^[6]

The use of moldy bread is considered to be one of the first and rawest forms of antibiotic use to fight a disease. Although we don’t eat moldy bread, the raw form of antibiotics growing on them is what was known to help the patient.

4 Lobotomy

A lobotomy is a surgical procedure in which nerve pathways in a lobe of the brain are severed from those in other areas. It was once a disturbing treatment used to treat patients who suffered from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other mental illnesses. The results began to show some promising improvements, but there were also those who failed to improve and those whose health trended downward. The use of lobotomy was criticized heavily when the practice first reached the United States, but it would later be accepted and looked at as a miracle procedure.

American Neurologist Walter Jackson Freeman II replaced the procedure with transorbital lobotomy. A transorbital lobotomy consisted of something that resembled an ice pick being forced through the back of the eye socket, piercing the bone that separates the socket from the frontal lobe. The pick would then be used to sever the connections in the brain. Lobotomies would soon be replaced by less stressful and more effective forms of treatments, like antidepressants, antipsychotics, and other medications.^[7]

3 Hemiglossectomy

A glossectomy is known as the procedure of removing one’s tongue, but a hemiglossectomy is the removal of only part of the tongue.^[8] Hemiglossectomy was a historic treatment to improve stuttering and speech impediments. A German surgeon, Johann Frederich Dieffenbach, cut patients’ tongues down in size until this method was eventually deemed illegal after many people died from him performing the procedure.

Having part of the tongue removed seems more like punishment instead of treatment, especially for a patient already dealing with stuttering problems. Speech therapy is now the most common treatment used to help patients with stuttering problems. It is much safer and more effective.

2 Electroconvulsive Therapy

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is also known as shock therapy. ECT is the treatment of psychiatric disorders through the use of electric current to induce shock to the patient’s brain. ECT was introduced in the 1930s and was predominantly used to treat depression. Two electrodes would be placed over the temples, sending alternating currents through the head. The current causes an immediate cessation of consciousness and induces a convulsive seizure. The ECT treatments would be given three times a week over a period lasting anywhere from two to six weeks. More disturbed patients could receive the treatment two or three times in a single day. ^[9]

With the development of new medications, ECT started to see a decline in the 1960s. In the 1970s, however, ECT began to be used more. Treatment delivery methods were improved, increased comfort measures were given, and there was better management of enhanced anesthesia. ECT is still considered one of the best treatments for mental illnesses, but it is only given to patients who fail to respond to the many medications that are now available.

1 Trephination

Trephination may very well be one of the worst treatments to have ever been performed on a patient. The process involved the surgical drilling of a hole into the human skull, exposing the layers surrounding the brain. It doesn’t get much more horrifying than that. Why do this? In ancient times, drilling a hole into the head was believed to release any evil spirits the person may have had. They also believed that this process possibly helped headaches, infections, convulsions, and fractures.

In the earliest forms of trephination, the holes were made by scraping the bone away with a sharp stone or other obect. Primitive drilling tools were later invented and were able to drill small, round holes, and then the piece of bone would be removed. The introduction of mechanical drilling and sawing instruments would occur in the late medieval period, which allowed for easier ways to create the hole.^[10]

Trephination is still used today for epidural and subdural hematomas. It also allows for certain neurosurgical procedures such as intracranial pressure monitoring or a craniotomy. The tools used for the process now are much less traumatic and can be less stressful on the patient.

I’m just another bearded guy trying to write myself through life.

The United States government has long been accused of withholding lifesaving treatments from the people it serves. Concerned citizens have looked on in dismay as supposed wonder drugs and innovative therapies have inevitably earned the ire of public institutions like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Subsequent sanctions imposed on these alternative medical treatments have resulted in the imprisonment of their inventors, the discrediting of their effects, and the demonization of their use.

While it’s undeniably vital to the public health to keep truly dangerous treatments out of the reach of those who might otherwise be harmed, it also can’t be denied that there’s more money to be made in keeping people sick than there is in making them well. If pharmaceutical corporations and medical institutions happened to gain undue influence on the legislative process of the US government, it stands to reason that they would use this leverage to promote their own agendas in lieu of protecting the health of the people. If the FDA and the DEA have been compromised and are no longer the defenders of public safety that they claim to be, then the following ten treatments may have been wrongfully maligned by a corrupt government.

10 Cyanide

Large doses of cyanide are guaranteed to kill you, but some researchers believe that low doses of this toxic substance might kill your cancer instead. Popularized in the 1950s by a product called laetrile, vitamin B17 contains small amounts of cyanide.^[1] Proponents claim that B17, which can be found in apricot kernels, bitter almonds, and bean sprouts, has anticarcinogenic properties and is harmless to your health when ingested sparingly.

After several unsuccessful attempts to approve laetrile in the 1970s, the FDA cracked down on all forms of B17, and it’s now illegal to use this vitamin for the treatment of cancer in the United States. But with the most widely accepted contemporary treatment for cancer consisting of bombarding the body with massive amounts of radiation, it’s understandable to question how bad a little bit of cyanide could really be.

9 DMSO

As a by-product of paper manufacturing, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is an unlikely candidate for miracle drug status. Yet thousands of people around the world attest to this smelly gel’s capacity to reduce pain, accelerate healing, and even cure cancer. DMSO adherents ran afoul of the FDA in the mid-1960s with their claims of the efficacy of the drug as an anticarcinogen, leading to a decades-long stigmatization of the use of DMSO for medical purposes. The FDA went on to approve DMSO for interstitial cystitis in 1978 and again for veterinary purposes in 1980, but the thousands of testimonials given by those who successfully used DMSO to treat cancer go unheeded to this day.

Though a generic form of DMSO was approved in 2002,^[2] there’s still no sign that the FDA will approve DMSO for specific prescription treatments anytime soon. Though detractors of the drug warn of side effects like skin irritation, nausea, and loss of vision, side effects of similar severity haven’t stopped the FDA from approving hundreds of seemingly unsafe drugs that bear the critical distinction of having been developed and marketed by pharmaceutical corporations.

8 Orgone Therapy

In 1954, the FDA filed an injunction against Austrian-born psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich. The government agency had heard about Reich’s pioneering work with an energy field he called “orgone” and had resolved to put a stop to it. It’s unclear why the FDA viewed Reich as such a threat, since his two orgone machines, the orgone accumulator and the cloudbuster, had no history of harming anyone. Nonetheless, Reich was ordered to stop the production and distribution of his inventions, and the FDA began a merciless campaign of modern-day book burning.

Any book written by Reich, or any book with the word “orgone” in it, was rounded up by the FDA and destroyed. When the FDA caught wind that Reich had thumbed his nose at their injunction and was continuing to make and sell orgone accumulators, they promptly had him arrested. Reich vocally opposed this treatment, arguing that the FDA had no jurisdiction over “primordial, preatomic cosmic orgone energy.”^[3] The FDA begged to differ, and Reich was sentenced to two years in prison.

Reich didn’t survive his prison sentence, but his ideas did. This former student of Sigmund Freud had postulated that there exists at large in the universe a primal creative energy, embodied in humans as sexuality. His orgone accumulators, which resembled telephone booths, were designed to harness this omnipresent energy and direct it into the human body. Whatever Reich’s offense may have been against the powers that be, the stifling of free thought is a practice best left far behind in the days of the Inquisition.

7 Electromagnetic Therapy

The human body depends on electrical and magnetic fields to regulate many of the vital processes that keep us alive and healthy. Yet, until recently, the scientific community has been reticent in recognizing the health benefits of low-frequency electromagnetic energy therapy. Innovators like Raymond Rife were ridiculed in the early 20th century for suggesting that targeted electromagnetic fields of certain frequencies were capable of combating cancer. Rife’s Frequency Generator earned him the disdain of the American Medical Association in the 1930s, and his therapy never became widely accepted.

In recent years, however, various researchers have demonstrated that certain frequencies of electromagnetic fields do indeed have the capacity to destroy tumors.^[4] The FDA has also loosened their perspective on electromagnetic therapy, allowing its use for healing fractures, reducing pain, and, most famously, jump-starting the heart during cardiac arrest. With all the wonders of electromagnetic therapy now coming out into the open, it’s starting to seem like Mr. Rife is owed an apology.

6 The Hoxsey Treatment

In the early 1920s, radio personality Norman Baker made Harry Hoxsey famous. Hoxsey had learned folk remedies for curing cancer from his grandfather, an equestrian who had watched horses cure themselves of cancer by eating select herbs. With Baker’s help, by 1950, Hoxsey’s army of clinics had become the world’s biggest private cancer center, with over 12,000 patients.

However, in 1956, the FDA warned that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals had found Hoxsey’s treatment to be “worthless.” By 1960, the last of the Hoxsey clinics in the United States had been forcibly shut down, leading Hoxsey’s head nurse to leave for Tijuana to open a new clinic. With the rise of NAFTA, however, even these Tijuana clinics became threatened as the United States and Mexico worked together to crack down on cross-border alternative medicine.

The Hoxsey Treatment consists of a medley of natural herbs that are applied topically or ingested orally and has reportedly helped thousands of people cure their cancer. Recent studies have confirmed that simple dietary changes like ingesting certain vitamins and minerals commonly found in herbs can not only prevent cancer but even fight existing tumors.^[5] In their 1956 warning, the FDA asserted that cancer sufferers would surely die if they didn’t use state-sanctioned cancer treatments like chemotherapy, but a compelling mass of evidence suggests that the Hoxsey Treatment may have been suppressed rather than legitimately debunked.

5 The Gerson Regimen

Max Gerson became well-known in the 1930s for his assertions that increased levels of environmental toxins and the rise of processed foods had triggered changes in cell metabolism that caused cancer.^[6] Gerson suggested that those suffering from cancer or wishing to prevent its onset should eliminate salt from their diets and eat only organic foods while simultaneously raising their potassium intake.

Oddly enough, Gerson also promoted the use of coffee enemas to remove toxins from the liver through the colon wall. Perhaps Gerson’s therapy was declaimed by various authorities as being ineffective simply due to the gross-out factor inherent to anything enema-related.

Whatever the reason for its suppression, the Gerson Regimen has never been approved by the FDA as a cancer treatment despite claims of recovery rates as high as 70 to 90 percent. However, various studies have shown that aspects of Gerson’s treatment, such as the ingestion of large amounts of fresh fruit juices, do indeed have an anticarcinogenic effect. The jury’s still out on the enemas, though.

4 The Rand Vaccine

The strange story of the Rand vaccine still raises the eyebrows of skeptics and health nuts alike. Many alternative cancer cures have appeared and disappeared over the last century, but only one has been produced by a major United States corporation.

In the mid-1960s, H.J. Rand, president of the Rand Corporation, became convinced that cancer was caused by a virus.^[7] The Rand Corporation had been established as an offshoot of the widely respected aviation manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company in the 1940s and as a US Army think tank. By the 1960s, it was obvious that the Rand Corporation’s lines of thought had led the prestigious company into uncharted waters.

Rand claimed to have isolated the virus that causes cancer and further claimed to have developed a cancer vaccine. This vaccine was tested on approximately 8,000 individuals in Ohio, with supposedly promising results. However, having become irked by unsubstantiated newspaper reports of Rand selling the drug without a license, the FDA descended in their full fury in 1967 to put a stop to this unsanctimonious rule-breaking. By 1968, a federal criminal case had been brought against Rand, with another to follow in 1970.

At the height of their experimentation, the Rand Corporation had apparently spent over $20 million researching their cancer vaccine, all to no avail. Today, the Rand vaccine is all but forgotten, even though it’s been conclusively demonstrated that certain viruses, like HPV, do indeed cause cancer.

3 Kratom

Kratom has been used for centuries in various Southeast Asian countries to reduce pain, fight fatigue, and alleviate anxiety. This dried and powdered leaf of the kratom tree has been reported to deliver pain relief that’s just as powerful as that derived from opioids but without any risk of overdose. Kratom has steadily gained popularity in the United States in the last few years, much to the chagrin of the FDA and DEA.^[8] These agencies have done everything in their power to stop the American people from using kratom, from seizing imports of this herb at points of entry to demonizing its use to flat-out trying to classify it as a Schedule I drug.

In a stunning display of the effectiveness of grassroots activism bolstered by the proper use of social media, attempts to illegalize Kratom were brutally shut down in October 2016, when 142,000 people signed a petition to keep kratom available to the public. Due to this overpowering outcry of dissent, the FDA was forced to put its plans for kratom on hold and beg for further public comment on the matter.

However, on February 6, 2018, FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb released a fanciful statement claiming that kratom is an opioid. So far, no action has been taken to curtail the sale of kratom based on this assessment, but the sudden appearance of such a far-fetched claim certainly bodes ill for those using kratom as an alternative to undeniably toxic pharmaceutical opioids.

2 Kava

One of the principles attributed to the Greek philosopher Paracelsus is that all substances are poisons when ingested in certain quantities. It seems that the German government decided that any amount of the root extract kava was poisonous when they outright banned the product in the early 2000s. The ruling has since been reversed as academics have started to question whether kava itself is truly to blame for the spate of hepatotoxicity deaths reported in conjunction with use of the herb or whether contaminants in certain batches of kava might be the real culprits.^[9]

Advocates of the plant are quick to point out that kava has been used on South Pacific islands for centuries with no reports of adverse effects. Native islanders ingest the plant to this day to improve mood and relieve stress, and kava has been used in the West for at least 100 years as a treatment for social anxiety. Yet the FDA released a report in 2002 warning the public of the potential dangers that kava poses to liver health.

Kava is still legal to sell in the US as a dietary supplement, but if contaminated batches have truly caused deaths due to liver damage, the FDA could do much more to protect American citizens by bringing kava into the fold under strict regulation instead of admonishing the use of the substance while doing nothing to make it safer.

1 CBD

In recent years, a substance has come to the fore that many are starting to consider a wonder drug. Cannabidiol (CBD), an extract of cannabis sativa, has been demonstrated in dozens of studies to be an incredibly effective anti-inflammatory. Modern medical research has effectively concluded that inflammation is the root cause of almost every if not every single disease that plagues the human body, meaning that CBD may truly be a miracle cure for almost any ailment.

There’s just one catch: Cannabis sativa is still listed as a Schedule I drug by the DEA. CBD manufacturers make use of various legal loopholes to sell their products, but many patients are left wondering if they’re breaking the law by using CBD to treat their diabetes, arthritis, or cancer.

Legal confusion has led certain local-level law enforcement agencies to seize CBD products from the shelves of natural food stores, claiming that these “hemp extracts” contain illegal amounts of THC. In December 2016, the DEA released a “final rule” purporting to simplify their perspective on CBD extracts that only further muddied the waters.^[10]

For now, CBD manufacturers still ship their products across the country, and raids and seizures are relatively uncommon. But many sufferers of diseases like Parkinson’s, dystonia, and neuralgia who could be helped by this non-psychoactive cannabinoid are afraid to try CBD because they think that it is illegal. In the case of CBD, the DEA has proven that it doesn’t have to outright ban a substance to disincentivize the people from taking their health into their own hands.

Health fads are nothing new, but they are much older than many people think. The ancient Egyptians, for example, practiced strange methods of losing weight and treating illness, much like people did in the 20th century. Whatever the era, people tried whatever was at hand to achieve perfection . . . even if the methods were a bit on the crazy side.

Throughout the years, people have done some crazy things to fix their bodies, and only science and the benefit of hindsight have proven them as dangerous as they really were. Whether someone was trying to lose weight or get rid of a pesky STD, humans have been at this health craze thing for a long time. Here are ten of the craziest things people have done to fix themselves.

10 Mercury To Treat Syphilis

As just about anyone in the world knows, mercury is highly toxic and should never be ingested. We are warned against high levels of mercury in fish, and people are generally wary of the substance. It wasn’t always like that, though, and for centuries, mercury was the go-to treatment to cure syphilis. If you know anything about that disease, it’s not surprising that people would try anything to cure it. Syphilis is a debilitating and horrific ailment that will disfigure and kill a person if left untreated. These days, we use penicillin, but back in the 1300s, quicksilver was on hand to help anyone suffering from the STD.

It was rubbed on the skin, injected, or taken orally, and while it remained a popular treatment until the mid-20th century, it never worked. If anything, it helped to kill the patient faster, which probably alleviated some of the pain associated with the illness, but that’s like cutting off the head to cure the headache. Eventually, it was proven that a compound of mercurous chloride (calomel) did help in treating the disease, but this wasn’t until 1910, and it was still fairly toxic.^[1]

9 Lobotomies To Treat Mental Illness

Mental health problems are an area of medicine that has only recently been studied and treated as an illness. As recently as the mid-20th century, we were still locking people up in institutions to “treat” their mental disorders, but this was often just a means of taking people out of society. They would be heavily medicated and receive little to no treatment, and many were tortured with barbaric forms of medicine, including electroshock therapy. Another option for those suffering from serious mental health disorders was something called the “ice pick lobotomy.”

Lobotomies became popular in the United States back in 1936, and by 1949, up to 5,000 of the operations were performed annually on patients as young as four years old. The procedure involves stabbing long metal probes through the eye socket under local anesthesia so that the brain can be literally scrambled by sweeping through the frontal lobe.^[2] The damage caused personality changes and effectively killed the patient, though their bodies remained alive. The practice was popular, but by the 1970s, it had become highly criticized and was mostly phased out. Its brutality resulted in long-term brain damage to tens of thousands of patients who could have been treated by other, less invasive means.

8 Arsenic Consumption For Weight Loss

Arsenic is one of those things most people associate with rat poison, but for a time, people happily consumed it in the form of a diet pill. Back in the 1800s, people in Austria began ingesting arsenic in their coffee as a weight loss method. They would put small amounts in their morning cup of Joe and increase it over a period of a few weeks until diarrhea set in. Once their poo began to run, they would slowly decrease the dosage and enjoy the benefits of not being able to keep anything solid in their bodies.^[3] Sure, they would lose weight, but they were also poisoning themselves.

The fad spread into pill form and was marketed as a weight loss diet miracle around the world well into the 1920s, but it probably killed people more than anything else. We now know that arsenic doesn’t just make you feel lousy and have to run to the bathroom; it causes your cells to die. It also increases a person’s risk of cancer even in small doses, so it should be avoided at all times.

7 The Last Chance Diet

There are a lot of ridiculous fad diets out there, including the Cookie Diet, the Cabbage Soup Diet, and many others, but few have been as deadly as the aptly named “Last Chance Diet.” Back in 1976, Dr. Robert Linn marketed what he called the Last Chance Diet by insisting that the only way to stay thin and remain healthy was to eat nothing and consume only his magic tonic, Prolinn. The problem with the diet was that it required no exercise, and Prolinn consisted of fewer than 400 calories of energy, which is far too low for any adult.^[4]

Prolinn was composed primarily of collagen, which was essentially nothing more than ground-up hooves and the hides of animals killed at a slaughterhouse. The drink was little more than the leavings of animal waste nobody else wanted, but once it was turned into a beverage, Dr. Linn turned it into liquid gold . . . and killed an estimated 30 people. Linn was investigated by the FDA, and his diet is one that absolutely nobody should try.

6 Tapeworms For Weight Loss

If there’s one thing everyone should know not to do, it’s purposefully ingest a parasite like a tapeworm. Even though common sense dictates that this a bad idea, people have been doing it since Victorian times. The idea is simple: Ingest a capsule containing a tapeworm egg, and once the egg hatches and the worm fully forms, it will feed off the food a person consumes. This enables them to eat whatever they want, and it won’t gain them any weight because the worm will be pulling in all those horrible calories for them. The reality isn’t as neat and tidy, as tapeworms can lead to a plethora of problems for the infected, and they must be removed.

Not only was this diet popular in Victorian England, but it persists to this day. People are still purposefully infecting themselves with tapeworms so that they can lose weight. Fortunately, worms are relatively easy to remove these days, but back in the 19th century, it required a number of dangerous methods. These included swallowing a large metal cylinder (which often choked the patient) to purposefully poisoning oneself to get rid of the worm. Many people died as a result of simply trying to remove the worm, and despite what you may read online, there is never a reason to purposefully infect yourself with a tapeworm!^[5]

5 LSD To Treat Alcoholism

Alcoholism is one of the most serious diseases, afflicting millions of people every day, so it’s no surprise people turn to unconventional methods to treat it. For a lot of people who either don’t want to or are unable to attend a meeting type of treatment, there is LSD . . . potentially. Back in the 1960s, research was conducted to determine whether or not dropping acid could curb a person’s desire for alcohol. When it was undertaken, the study had mixed results and was abandoned, until recently. Back in 2012, researchers dove back into the collected data and began studying the effects of hallucinogenic medications on treating alcoholism.^[6]

The study found it to be effective in 59 percent of participants, so it may not be the most far-fetched treatment option on this list. Granted, the Food and Drug Administration isn’t likely to approve the treatment anytime soon, but there is an alternative on the market called naltrexone, which provided similar results. The dangers of LSD treatment come with the potential side effect of psychedelics that most people are aware of: a bad trip. Improper use of LSD and other drugs like it can lead to complications for people with mental illness and other significant health issues.

4 Tobacco Enema (And Other Crazy Stuff People Have Shoved Up Their Butts)

If you’ve ever told someone to go blow smoke up their ass, there’s a chance they could have taken you seriously. The idiom comes from the actual 18th-century practice of blowing smoke up someone’s rectum in the form of a tobacco enema. The practice was developed into a common medical procedure used well into the late 1700s. The main use of the tobacco enema was to treat drowning victims. It was thought that the smoke would encourage a person’s respiratory system to kick into gear while the smoke literally helped to dry the person out. It worked about as often as you might think.^[7]

Blowing smoke up there isn’t the only strange enema treatment folks have used over the years. In addition to tobacco smoke, people have regularly gotten coffee enemas. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Another strange enema people seem to enjoy is the oil enema used to treat constipation. The most dangerous enema people have tried would have to be the alcohol enema, otherwise known as “butt-chugging.” This one is particularly dangerous, as anything you shove up your butt will be quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. This can be deadly, seeing as the alcohol doesn’t have the chance to filter through your liver.

3 Bloodletting

Bloodletting is one of those practices that was common for so long, it’s surprising we survived as a species. Thanks to the benefit of hindsight, we now know the worst thing you could do when sick is to drain your body of blood, but for centuries, that’s exactly what “doctors” did to their patients. The practice revolved around the concept that blood could become corrupted and needed to be removed from the body in order to allow it to heal. It may sound ridiculous to a 21st-century individual, but it made a lot of sense for a span of some 2,000 years.^[8]

Interestingly, bloodletting may have been beneficial in some instances. When used to treat hypertension, it makes sense that removing some of the blood would alleviate the symptoms of high blood pressure. In pretty much every other instance, it would weaken and potentially kill a patient through infection. This was especially true in the years before we discovered antibiotics. Infections would arise from the source of the wound, and few would properly recover.

2 Heroin Cough Syrup

There was once a time when you could go down to your local pharmacy and grab a dose of cough syrup laced with heroin. Sadly, those days are long behind us, but they do paint a picture of how different medical treatments were back in the 19th and early 20th centuries as compared to today. The German pharmaceutical company Bayer promoted a cure for coughing and colds in children back in the late 1890s via a combination of aspirin and heroin. This practice continued until 1912, when years of accumulated data suggested that patients were building up a “tolerance” for heroin, resulting in an increased number of addicts.^[9]

You might think it was taken off US shelves at the time, but it continued to be sold in stores until 1914, when it was made available by prescription only. Patients could continue to get it with a doctor’s prescription until 1924, when the FDA put the ban hammer down on the drug. Similarly, cocaine was used as an anesthetic and was famously an ingredient in Coca-Cola for a short time in the 19th century.

1 Radium For Everything

When Marie Curie and her husband Pierre discovered radium, it was one of the biggest finds in the 19th century. Marie later died of asplastic anemia thanks to her lifetime of exposure to the element, but long before her death, radium was considered a miracle substance that companies simply had to include in all of their products. Ironically, it was believed that radium had miraculous health-benefiting properties. Before the effects of radiation on human cells were fully understood, companies put radium in products including toothpaste, chocolate, and water, all meant for consumption. This continued well into the 1930s.

Other uses for radium included placing it in toys and night-lights, thanks to its luminous properties. The substance emits a faint glow, which was used to illuminate dark rooms without electricity. It was also placed into cosmetics that people smeared all over their faces, in heating pads, and in suppositories. Radium was even employed to treat impotence, which it likely only worsened. Radium remained a part of everyday life for years and wasn’t removed from all products until the 1960s, so be careful what you purchase at an antique shop. You never know what might contain radioactive material.^[10]

Medicine has come a long way since history was first recorded, and even farther in the past hundred years or so. People are living longer than ever, medicine is breaking new ground all the time, and technology is gaining ground even as we speak. More and more new medical treatments are being experimented with, and many old ones are being upgraded as we get better at keeping people healthy and strong. However, while we have come a long way, medicine still has some things to improve upon, and some medical treatments are either overused or just plain bogus—a few of which are still in use today.

Related: Top 10 Horrifying Ancient Medical Practices . . . We Still Practice

10 CT Scans Are Being Overdone for Profit

First, we should be clear about what a CT scan is for those who aren’t too familiar with it. A CT scan basically uses ionizing radiation to create an image of the internals of a part of the body that doctors need a better look at. While it may not be able to tell you what is going on if you just have a muscle strain or something of the like, in more serious matters, it can give doctors critical details. When you get one in the hospital, you probably think it is very important and accept the small amount of radiation exposure.

However, you might be alarmed to know that studies have found that hospitals are overusing CT scans and billing you, the state, or your insurance for a procedure you don’t need. This is especially problematic because it isn’t just low-level insurance fraud; it is harmful to others. CT scans expose people to radiation, so they are only supposed to be used on high-risk patients. Still, studies are finding the opposite. Worse, for those who think their part of the world might be exempt, studies have found it is a global problem.^[1]

9 Smoking Cigarettes to Improve Your Health

Today, we know that smoking cigarettes is really bad for your health and often leads to lung cancer and other health complications. They have become less and less culturally acceptable, more and more taxed, and many think they should just be banned entirely. Even those who smoke them regularly and make no excuse about it have no illusion as to the unhealthiness of their chosen habit.

However, it wasn’t that long ago that things were very different. In the early 1900s in the United States, people did not yet know that cigarettes were so unhealthy, and cigarette companies advertised to doctors directly. And they were not just trying to be stealthy about it either, as they would advertise directly to the consumer, stating that their brand was the best for treating affiliations such as sore throats. This may seem outrageous to us today, but at the time, the health information we have now was simply not common knowledge.^[2]

8 Children Were Once Given Liquid Heroin for Coughs

While today’s opioid crisis is quite serious and is affecting many parts of the world at the moment, at the very least, the world is currently taking it seriously. Everyone agrees that opioids are a problem and that we should be trying to restrict their use to only the most important medical uses for pain that cannot be resolved another way. However, it wasn’t long ago that heroin was sold as an over-the-counter cough remedy, and no one really cared.

Now, while it is actually an effective medical treatment for coughs, it is not recommended today for most coughs as it is incredibly addictive. For this reason, especially for children, most doctors recommend dextromethorphan instead. However, back in the early 1900s, Bayer was openly selling liquid heroin to be used for adults and children as a cough suppressant. Nowadays, we would never imagine giving liquid heroin to a child. Still, in the early 1900s, it was as normal as breaking out the children’s cough syrup because that was children’s cough syrup.^[3]

7 Tonsillectomies: Overused and Unnecessary in Most Cases

If you lived a few decades ago, there is a pretty reasonable chance that you got your tonsils taken out. Not long ago, at least in the United States, it was an extremely common procedure that was routinely performed on children. Parents would have the operation done on their kids due to things like frequent sore throats—which the procedure was supposed to help—and sometimes used as a matter of standard medical procedure.

Today, the number of tonsillectomies has gone down greatly, but it is still way too high. A study found that nine in ten tonsillectomies are actually not necessary at all. Many people are still doing it for things like frequent sore throats, but doctors say your children will grow out of this and that the risks of the operation often outweigh the benefits unless it is an extreme situation. This overuse is a problem because the complications can be an issue. Some are the normal ones, such as the risks of being put under, bleeding, and swelling, but infections are also common.^[4]

6 Phenylephrine Proven to Be an Ineffective Decongestant

Even those who claim they “never get sick” at least get a minor cold once in a while, and we all find ourselves in a situation where we may need to buy some medicine for congestion. If nothing else, even if you don’t get sick much, most people have occasional seasonal allergies and need a decongestant for that reason.

With the old stuff falling out of favor because you don’t want people to think you are making meth, most people now buy over-the-counter products with phenylephrine instead. Unfortunately, this is a problem because an FDA advisory panel recently concluded that phenylephrine is not actually an effective decongestant. Now, you might imagine that it still works a little bit, but it is just not enough to be legally effective, or they wouldn’t have sold it for all these years. However, to make matters worse, the board also unanimously concluded that it was no better than a placebo.^[5]

5 Hydrogen Peroxide Causes More Harm Than Good on Wounds

While it is now falling out of favor due to more knowledge about the practice, it used to be quite common just a few years ago in many parts of the world to use hydrogen peroxide on wounds that are in need of cleaning. The bubbling and stinging is something most of us figured was killing the germs really well, and the visible sign of a product working has a powerful psychological impact on most people.

Now, you shouldn’t blame those who have used this practice recently, as this knowledge only came to light in 2010. Like rubbing alcohol, which you also should not use for wounds, it takes a few minutes to really kill the germs effectively. Hydrogen peroxide is corrosive and damages the skin, actually slowing healing and not helping it. If you want to disinfect a wound, soap and water should be used first, followed by a safer disinfectant like Neosporin.^[6]

4 Vitamin C Is Good for You but Not as a Cold Medicine

Vitamin C is one of the favorite cold remedies of many people around the globe. There are countless products designed to give you a hefty dose of vitamin C all at once, often being sold as a catch-all cold medicine. Some people will wait until they have a cold and then start freebasing orange juice like it’s their favorite drug and they haven’t had it in a week. Others will drink orange juice constantly, take supplements, and claim that by doing so, they are avoiding the pain of having colds altogether.

Now, like most things that people misunderstand, there is some truth behind it. Studies have shown that if you take vitamin C on a regular basis, then you can decrease the length of colds by up to 8% in adults and 14% in children. However, the rest of the claims people make about vitamin C are completely false. If you wait to take it until you already have the cold, there is no evidence it will have any effect at all. Also, while taking it regularly can lower the length of colds, there is no evidence that those who take it often have a lower incidence of colds.^[7]

3 Loose Stools? Reach for the Opioids

Today, we think of heroin and other opioids as one of the worst things on the planet and something that should only be used in extremely important medical situations when no other pain reliever will work. However, as we mentioned earlier, it was once treated in a more cavalier way by most of the world, to the point people gave it to kids for coughs or to help them sleep. Nowadays, we would find any use of it for minor maladies to be a gross misuse.

However, back in the day, starting with ancient Arabic doctors in early Iraq, opium was once used as a treatment for loose stools. This may sound strange, but remember that many people who use heroin or other similar drugs complain of having constipation, so this is where the idea came from—to use it as a fix for diarrhea. Now, while this does provide a rationale for the treatment of heroin for loose stools, that doesn’t mean it is a good idea. With what we know about addiction today, it is like lopping off your leg to clip your toenail.^[8]

2 Mercury as a Medical Treatment?

Today, we know that mercury is not at all safe for human consumption and should be avoided in all ways—from touch to inhalation and everything in between. We are so concerned about mercury today that countries have health advisories to avoid eating too much fish, especially bigger ones, to prevent the ingestion of too much mercury as a byproduct. However, the truth is that knowledge about the dangers of metals and heavy metals is really more recent, as it was only in the 1970s that leaded gasoline and paint fell out of favor.

Now, while it did take the world a bit less time to figure out the dangers of mercury than it did to figure out the issues with lead, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a blight on civilization for a long time. The use of mercury as a medicine started to fall out of popular use in the mid-twentieth century. Still, its use goes back to the earliest days in recorded history. And its history is of a medicine that people thought cured basically everything. It was used for syphilis, as an anti-parasitic, and as an anti-inflammatory and was even considered by some people to prevent aging.^[9]

1 A Large Portion of Antibiotics Are Wrongly Prescribed

Antibiotics are an important part of medicine, and while they were only discovered in the last few hundred years as a fully understood and synthesized item, that doesn’t mean they didn’t exist before that. People have been using items like honey and oregano as natural antibiotics for years, even if they didn’t understand exactly what they were doing. This means that many humans have a cultural idea about antibiotic medicines that often makes them think they are for colds in general, as it was common practice for so much of human evolution to use them as needed on an almost intuitive basis.

Unfortunately, this misunderstanding leads people to request antibiotics from their doctors way more often than they should. It causes doctors to overprescribe them as well. The data on antibiotic overuse estimates that about one in three prescriptions are actually not necessary at all. The problem here is that antibiotics are really only for serious bacterial infections, not for viruses or minor bacterial infections like colds. Overusing them makes bacteria more resistant and creates superbugs that are much harder to kill.^[10]