One man has found out the 'hard' way about why you should leave the pain relief to medical professionals.
Seeking a cure for his chronic back pain, he decided to inject his own sperm, only to be left with a disturbing side effect.
While we know back pain can be excruciating, and can't imagine the pain you must be going through to take such extreme measures, it doesn't take someone with a PHD to realize that injecting your own sperm into your body probably isn't a good idea.
As reported by ABC News, an unnamed man from Ireland was hospitalized when he injected himself with his own sperm.
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The Irish Medical Journal (IMJ) explains how the man needed medical attention after he complained about "severe, sudden onset lower back pain" that was supposedly caused by "lifting a heavy steel object three days prior." His back pain was said to have been ongoing for much longer, but during a physical exam, the doctors noted that his arm was oddly red and swollen.
He then revealed he'd been injecting himself with his own semen for the past 18 months, using a hypodermic needle he'd bought online.
His current predicament with his arm was caused after he injected three doses into his blood and muscle at once.
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After undergoing an X-ray, he was told he was suffering from subcutaneous emphysema, which is a rare condition where gas or air is trapped under the skin.
To combat this, he was "immediately commenced on intravenous antimicrobial treatment."
When his back pain eased, he then discharged himself, and it's unknown what happened next. In the report, Dr Lisa Dunne reiterates that the patient was acting of his own accord, while searches for others using semen for pain relief turned up nothing: "Although there is a report of the effects of subcutaneous semen injection into rats and rabbits, there were no cases of intravenous semen injection into humans found across the literature.
"A search of more eclectic internet sites and forums found no other documentation of semen injection for back pain treatment or other uses."
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Of course, the IMJ warns against trying similar practices: "While it is the first-ever described case of intravascular semen injection and associated abscess in the medical literature its lessons can be applied on a broader scale.
"The dangers of venepuncture when carried out by the untrained layperson are highlighted as well as the vascular and soft tissue hazards surrounding the attempted injection of substances not intended for intravenous use.
"The case also demonstrates the risks involved with medical experimentation prior to extensive clinical research in the form of phased trials inclusive of safety and efficacy assessments."
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There are some weird and wonderful medical remedies from across the pages of history, although using your own semen to combat back pain sounds like it could be a one-off case.