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Yep, you read that right.
By Sarah Gangraw — Written on May 30, 2020
Most people turn to face masks, topical solutions, and a healthier diet to clear up their acne. But one woman has a different solution — her dog's urine.
In 2018, Lynn Lew posted a controversial, not to mention vomit-inducing, video of herself swallowing a cup of freshly-harvested dog pee and claiming that it has multiple health benefits that the pharmaceutical companies don't want you to know about.
“Many of you have asked me how I always look so good, how my makeup always looks so perfect, or how I always have this natural glow," she says at the start of the vomit-inducing footage. "Here's my secret."
Lew then takes a cup and places it underneath her pet while it does its business on a nearby tree.
She puts the plastic cup, now full of what she calls a "cure" for cancer, acne, and depression, AKA dog pee, to her lips and drinks every last drop of the yellow liquid.
The young woman claims she was "depressed, sad and I had bad acne" before she began drinking her dog's urine.
"The pharmaceutical companies are keeping this secret out of the public eye," she captioned the video, which eventually went viral. "They pay lobbyists to get politicians to make you buy expensive pain medicine and chemo. This is the secret to cure cancer, alleviate pain, and prevent the swelling of joins. If you don't have your own dog, just steal one from a neighbor."
Although urine therapy was used by ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, health experts advise that you knock it before you try it.
Yes, urine contains a few vitamins and harmless enzymes, but it also has its share of herbicides.
"Herbicides have been detected in dog's urine, likely from herbicide-treated lawns, antibiotics, and hormones, so I really don't know that it's the safest choice," certified holistic nutritionist Joy McCarthy explained in a 2018 interview. "The only instance I can see when you may want to drink your dog's urine is if you were on an episode of Ultimate Survival Alaska and you couldn't find any safe drinking water."
According to experts, you won't die from drinking what your pet expels but, you guessed it, drinking urine isn't worth it. Despite Lew's claims, drinking her pup's pee isn't doing much, besides making the world sick.
“[T]here is no data showing that drinking your own urine will clear your acne. I personally recommend traditional acne medications. If over-the-counter options are not working, there are prescription topical or oral medications that are very effective,” Joshua Zeichner MD says.
This video makes me wonder how many other strange methods this woman has tried in the name of health. On second thought, I don't think I want to know.
"My take on this is there are far better ways to get healthy than drinking dog urine," McCarthy continued. "For instance, drinking lemon and water to stimulate the gastric juices for better digestion or apple cider vinegar in water has been touted for everything from weight loss to detoxification effects. Both of these health habits are far tastier and safer than dog urine. Well, actually, I can't confirm that dog urine is not tasty."
We're going to take your word for it, McCarthy. Please keep your pets out of your health care routines.
Sarah Gangraw writes about all things news, crime, and entertainment. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted in June 2018 and was updated with the latest information.