Q.In a recent column a reader suggested urinating on the feet to remove offensive odors. You replied, "This is definitely the most unorthodox home remedy we have come across."

Here is a related practice. A woman named Martha Christy wrote a book called "Your Own Perfect Medicine" (Futuremed Inc.). She advocates drinking your own urine to cure many conditions. I can't attest to its effectiveness, but I think it should be high on the unorthodox-treatment scale.

A. Drinking urine may seem weird to most Americans, but it is an established practice in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine. Some Europeans advocated its use in the 18th and 19th 'D centuries. Healthy urine is sterile and has been used for wound healing on the battlefield.

Proponents of drinking urine claim it bolsters the immune system, with benefits for a variety of ailments. We can't say for sure whether urine therapy works.

Write to the Graedons in care of The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, Md. 21278, or e-mail to pharmacindspring.com.

King Features Syndicate

Pub Date: 11/15/98