India is known for producing the second largest number of engineers and largest number of doctors, not to mention for providing the world with some of the greatest medical contributions of all time. We’re also a land of extreme polarization. However, here’s a quick fact for you: Although India produces the largest number of doctors, there is just one doctor for every 1700 people in India. Medical services are bleak and at a time where medical help is only available to a handful, the rest of the country is left to battle its own problems. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and thus these people turn to some of the cheaper options; some of which are downright strange and eccentric.

In today’s list, we take a look at some of the most mind-boggling and bizarre medical practices that are still (shockingly) prevalent in India.

I. Bloodletting
One of the goriest practices on the list, Bloodletting is the art of cutting through veins in the body using a blade, which allows small quantities of blood to flow out. The practice is said to cure various ailments and diseases. The procedure dates back to the ancient times, and is also mentioned in the Ayurvedic texts. The objective is to get rid of “polluted” blood, which helps in curing injuries to heart-related problems. Still very much rampant in India, Homegrown recently caught up with the man who runs a bloodletting clinic in India, and the story on the same can be found here.

II. Bone-setting
Bonesetting is the art of massaging the body with medicinal oil with the objective of speeding up the healing process. Now while this may seem normal, the concerned person is not a doctor, nor is he a chiropractor. He’s not a masseuse either – he’s just someone who has been doing this since he was a kid and you have to take his word for it. This method of healing has an incredible amount of followers, some of whom claim that their paralysis has been cured because of bonesetting. One of the most famous Bonesetters has a clinic in Kurla, Mumbai.  86-year-old Chacha Haji Qureshi has plenty of famous clients, some of whom are rumoured to be Mahesh Manjrekar and Shilpa Shetty.

III. The Bathini Gouds’ Asthma Cure
The Bathini Goud family claims to have the treatment for Asthma and swears by their 160 year old healing process. So what is this process? Well, it’s the simple matter of swallowing a live fish whole along with a “secret” medicinal ball which contains a “secret” blend of herbs. The procedure is then followed by a forty-five day strict diet (ordered by them, of course) and voila! Goodbye respiratory problems. The family claims to have cured over a million people using the method, but the Indian Medical Association doesn’t buy it. They plan to open a lawsuit against the Gouds family if they don’t reveal the components of their “secret” ingredients in the near future. Well, if the whole swallowing-a-fish bit does work, then that’s Jonah Hill’s asthma cured forever, right?

IV. Urine/Poop Facial Therapy
Acne is every teenager’s nightmare. To counter this, various companies come up with a plethora of products with all sorts of “natural” ingredients in them, all of which claim to prevent the persistent paroxysms of pimples. Well, little do people know that there are other “natural” methods to get rid of the problem. Yes, we mean the Urine/Poop facial therapy.

The procedure is simple: All you have to do is collect your early morning piss in a container, and well. Wash your face with it. If that doesn’t work for you, the other option is drinking it instead. And even if THAT doesn’t work for you, the other alternative is to collect your poop and apply it like a facemask all over your face, wait for it to dry, and wash it off with water. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy. While this may sound repulsive, it actually exists and is practiced by a few desperate souls, even today.

V. Yoga for Infertility
Yoga is a brilliant method to stay in good shape and health. But does it cure the problems of infertility? Well, that’s the word on the street. They say that infertility is caused due to stress and other fitness issues. If done correctly, various Yoga teachers claim that fertility can be boosted by calming the mind and body. While no theories or studies support their claims, the practice seems to be a huge hit among couples suffering from infertility issues. Probable? Well, your guess is as good as ours.

VI. Crazily Expensive Medicines With Traces Of Silver/Gold
There are certain Babas in cities like Mumbai and Delhi who claim to cure your maladies by offering their own, personalised medication. These medicines are incredibly expensive because they claim to contain traces of Silver and Gold. How exactly does Silver or Gold cure your diseases? No one knows. In fact, all these metals do is block your arteries, creating further problems. However, these medicines are still sold openly, without any restrictions, in various part of the city.

VII. Hijama

An ancient Islamic treatment, Hijama has been practiced for centuries. The word Hijama literally means “sucking”, as is the case when cups are used to create a vacuum in order to draw blood from small skin incisions. While it is often confused with bloodletting, the two practices are not synonymous – bloodletting opens veins and bleeds patients, whereas Hijama draws blood to a specific location with suction and extracts it by perforating the skin. This procedure, one of the oldest known medicinal practices in the world, is used even today with varying results.

VIII. Cow Urine Treatments
Growing up in India, we have all heard of cow urine possessing magical healing properties. Scientifically, cow urine is said to possess...a cow’s waste. However, cow urine is still used as a method of religious cleansing in various parts of India. Drinking cow urine is said to cleanse and purify the body. And it doesn’t just restrict itself to the cleansing – cow urine is often used as a form of antiseptic, and also as an aftershave.

IX. Exorcism
And finally, the much awaited Tantrik Babas. Because every medical condition ever known has only one treatment – exorcism. Headache? Must be a spirit. Injuries? Caused by spirits. Cancer? Yep, you guessed it. spirits again. The babas claim to get rid of these spirits in order to relieve the patients of their pain. Some of the more famous methods include beating the patient till they’re unconscious, touching various parts of their body with a red, hot, burning iron rod or beating them with a broom, all of this while chanting religious passages, of course. Exorcism is not restricted to just one religion either, and India being a multi-religious nation, various forms of exorcisms are rampant throughout the nation.