And ladies and gentlemen, this story perfectly encapsulates that sentiment.
In the region of Xinghua, nestled in East China's Jiangsu Province, a man faced the dilemma of constipation and resorted to an utterly unconventional remedy: introducing a substantial live eel into his rectum.
Astonishingly, against all odds, he not only survived this bewildering ordeal but also lived to tell the tale.
From IFL Science:
The man had become constipated and eschewed (or wasn't aware of) usual medical advice on relieving constipation, opting for the folk remedy of ramming an eel up there and letting it do its thing.
Unfortunately, its thing was to travel up his rectum and into his colon, where it bit a hole in the colon wall and made its way into his abdomen.
The man was in pain but was "too shy to see the doctor," according to the Global Times. After a day, he finally gave in and sought medical help at a local hospital, where doctors told him he could have lost his life.
The unnamed patient was operated on to remove the 20-centimeter (8-inch) eel. Remarkably, the eel had also survived its adventure and was still alive when surgeons pulled it out of him. The lesson about not putting live eels into your anus was learned the hard way.
This "folk remedy" has struck others in recent times. In 2017, a man had a 50-centimeter (20-inch) eel removed from his stomach following his own attempt to relieve constipation.
In June 2020, a man in his fifties also inserted an Asian swamp eel into his anus, which also entered his abdominal cavity. Following the injury, feces and pus entered the cavity, giving him a severe infection.
The utter perplexity of this situation leaves one questioning the rationale behind such actions.
Before embarking on the perplexing endeavor of introducing a living creature into one's rectum, wouldn't it be prudent to explore more conventional alternatives, such as laxatives or seeking professional advice from a doctor?
This line of thinking defies all semblance of logic.
