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10 Horribly Unhealthy Things People Used To Think Were Good For You

When you think of practices used during Medieval times or even later than that which even goes beyond WWII, you cringe. That is because you knew that there was very little known back then when it came to medicine and proper treatments of things. And you may really want to be curious about some of the unhealthy and cringe-worthy practices that were used in the old days! In fact, it will make you grateful that you are alive nowadays instead of back then. Are you ready to hear about the horribly unhealthy things people used to think were good for you? Let’s go over 10 of them now.

Cutting Tongues Was Believed To Be The Cure For Stuttering

Cutting Tongues Was Believed To Be The Cure For Stuttering

Stuttering and stammering is an embarrassing problem that many people deal with and fortunately today, there are various forms of compassionate speech therapy to help those with the condition. However, back in 1841, there was no compassion for those who stuttered. A Prussian surgeon who was known as J.F. Dieffenbach would cut out a triangular wedge from the tongues of those who stuttered and no anesthesia was administered. Over time it was found that not only did it cause trauma to the stutterers but it was not effective and it no longer is a thing. Thank goodness.

Goat Testicles Were Believed To Improve A Man’s Performance

Goat Testicles Were Believed To Improve A Man’s Performance

Men who have erectile dysfunction or low libido are thankful for the existence of Viagra. That is because back in the early 20th century, a goat doctor with the name of John Richard Brinkley removed the testicles of men that had sexual performance problems and transplanted goat testicles to them. However, in 1941, Brinkley’s faulty practice came to a halt and he went into bankruptcy. But his victims, both the men and the goats continue to suffer sadly.

Rest Cure Sounds Like A Dream If You Have No Idea What It Means

A rest cure sounds like a vacation for those who are overly stressed with work and family responsibilities. Who would not go for sipping a margarita on the beach for a day and keeping their laptops closed as they relax? But a rest cure was not that. You were literally restrained by being forced to lie down and you were strapped to the bed. This practice was used in the 1800s whereas men did it to women who were anxious or free-thinkers. They were forced to be strapped in onto the bed which meant that when they had to go to the bathroom, the nurses took care of that. They were force-fed fatty dairy foods and family members were not allowed to visit them. The treatment was meant to go on for six to eight weeks. Humanitarian Charlotte Perkins Gilman was prescribed this as well.

Tobacco Paste Was Once Toothpaste

You need to brush your teeth at least twice a day in order to keep your mouth free of infections and rot, but modern-day toothpaste was nothing like toothpaste from the past. In India, for the longest time, the last century used tobacco powder in toothpaste as it was believed to keep teeth clean. But, over time it found that not only was it worsening teeth but those who used it were becoming addicted to it as tobacco is addictive. It ceased back in the 1990s.

Teething Babies Had To Have Their Gums Cut

Teething Babies Had To Have Their Gums Cut

Teething is one of the most painful things that anyone goes through and it happens in babyhood for a reason. You won’t have a memory of it. And back in the 1500s, teething practices were barbaric as the gums of infants were cut so it allowed the teeth to come through. Thankfully that practice ended in the late 1700s but was replaced by placing leaches behind the ears of infants instead. That is all so cringeworthy and we have come a long way, thankfully.

Nazis Used Meth To Wake Up

Nazi Germany was corrupted as it was and they had their own medicine to use to stay alert. They were given a prescription medication known as Pervitin to wake up which they added to their coffee. Pervitin was actually crystal meth and that meant Nazis were a bunch of meth heads which explained their madness. The same definitely applied to Hitler.

Tapeworm Diets

Tapeworm Diets

Losing weight for health is important but many people who want to attain it do it because of appearances. They also prefer not to go by utilizing the healthy route with diet and exercise. Therefore, they were given pills that contained tapeworm cysts, and then the tapeworm lived in their stomachs to suck in the calories and nutrients. But it did not help with weight loss. It caused brain damage, vomiting, headaches, anemia, and other nightmarish illnesses. Fad diets will always be in but keep away from that.

Birth Control Methods From The Past Are Unfathomable

Birth control has been practiced for centuries and there have not always been IUDs, the pill, condoms, and even sterilization practices such as tubal ligations and vasectomies (done in a humane way that is). Back in the Dark Ages, women put severed testicles from weasels around their necks. They also wore earwax amulets from mules. Let’s not forget about women putting honey on crocodile excrement into their wombs as that was their definition of an IUD or a diaphragm. And condoms made with intestines were used in the 1500s as well until the 1800s when rubber condoms became a thing.

Insulin Treatment For Schizophrenics

Insulin Treatment For Schizophrenics

Those who have schizophrenia are on medication and are in therapy in order to function as well as they can in society. However, back from the 1930s to the late 1950s, schizophrenics were given injections of insulin daily to keep them in a coma which means their blood sugar levels plummeted to dangerous levels. This practice was known to be problematic in 1953 and not long after that, it stopped.

Lobotomies

Lobotomies
Rovigo, Italy – August 15, 2019. Multisensory exhibition on psychiatric hospitals hosted in the former psychiatric hospital of the town. Skull representing lobotomy on patients. Source: shutterstock.com / Gaia Conventi

You hear about lobotomies in horror movies but they really did happen in the early part of the 20th century. Those who had mental illnesses were subject to lobotomies as they had their brains carved which caused them to either die, go into a vegetative state, or caused other brain damage. In the mid-1950s, lobotomies came to an end and humane treatments for mental illnesses started to develop. The frightening thing is that England and the US have not completely banned lobotomies. However, it is rare they are ever used.

Now you must be grateful to be living nowadays even with the challenges happening around. At least you will never have to deal with horrifying treatments that were once used!

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