venom injecting guy!!!!!

[shaunyboy]

well folks i watched the programme.there was actually 3 guys from the states that inject venom.what follows is only my opinion

1.there was a guy who did it to build up an immunity to venom as he worked with over 300 hots per day.doctors backed him up and this made sense to me.

2.there was this imo idiot who thought it was cool to try and kiss a 14ft king cobra on the head.he also injected venom

3.the guy the programme was about.he believed it had medicinal propertys and a specialist checked his blood and thought there may be something good comes out of it.he said the guys blood that was full of venom actually killed a few nasty bacteria when they ran tests.for me this justified him doing it.if some good come out of it then all is good.

the first guy i back 100% but i'm afraid i think the other 2 were a pair of stupid guys looking for attention.yes it half justified the guy doing it for medical research,but he started doing it 20 years ago and is only now getting into the research side of it.

any hows thats pretty much what i thought.did anyone else from over here watch it,if so what did you all think ?

[infernalis]

They all sound mental to me.

[shaunyboy]

the first guy a doctor backed up he said it was benificial for him to inject venom to get his immune system used to it.then he would stand a better chance if he was bitten.imo he had a genuine reason.

but the other 2 especially the i can kiss a 14 feet king cobra guy were a pair of plonkers.....!!!

and yes mate, a tad mental.....!!!

[Will0W783]

Very interesting stuff. Venom is actually very popular in scientific research. My lab uses a lot of tetrodotoxin (puffer fish toxin) and conotoxin (cone snail venom) in isolating specific nerve cell currents. But clinically, venom is purified and a lot of good medicines are developed from it. This web site gives a good overview and run-down of various venoms and what they are used for medically. Venom as medicine (http://www.evolutionbites.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=83&Itemid=97)

[infernalis]

So OK, the first bloke has a legit reason, the other two......

http://www.ssnakess.info/forumfun/straight.gif

[percey39]

I do believe injecting venom would have no real health benifits to the individual if he wanted to build up an immunity. Often people that keeps hots get exposed to dry venom when cleaning cages and such, this often leads to antigens being produce as you are still collecting venom through the tiny particles entering the air and eyes, lungs and mouth. This is a problem as the toxins in venom are often still active, no one has recorded how long venom will last but i have heard of catchers getting caught out by taking their shoes off days after relocations and getting this dry venom in cuts on their hands.
As with building an immunity, it cant be done. Prolonged exposure through cleaning cages and catching venomous snakes can lead to an allergic reaction due to the venoms toxins, some have such an allergic reaction they have gone into anaphylactic shock. This can cause death within moments when bitten by a venomous snake. I have friends who all keep epi pens ( adrenaline shot ) with their first aid kit incase they show signs of this type of reaction.
I know they have been doing studies on venom to see if their is anything it can be used to help aid/cure some illnesses, but i cant see anyone being immune to venom. I would love to be in the room when these people did these injections and watch them come unstuck with their stupidity.

[shaunyboy]

percey mate,i have no knowledge of venom whatsoever.

the guy who worked with hots was building up the immunity (immunity might be the wrong word to use,more getting his system used too) started by giving himself 1 part venom to 1000 parts sterile water.over 2 years he now injects 1 part venom to 10 parts water.the doctor said if say i injected this amount i would most likely die.these guys got a bit of inflamation around the injection site.that faded after a few hours.the doctor definatley said it helped his immune system handle venom better.also that it was a way to excersise his immune system on a regular basis.i know doctors contradict each other all the time ,so i really dont know what to believe.they used 1ml injections,they injected it deep into the muscle on legs and arms.

the guy the programme was about thought it kept him younger.he got a doctor to back him saying when test results came back the results were of a guy 15 years younger than the he was.this was on a morning talk show the morning of the other programme.on the proigramme itself a doctor also tested his blood on healing various deadly diseases.it wiped out said bacteria no probs.so the doc had high hopes.

as said i have no knowledge of venom mate,i'm just trying to remember all that was in the programme.wish you could have seen it then heard your views on it.i'm sure like most tv they have bent and twisted the facts to suit the view they were trying to give.
cheers shaun

[emseeKAY]

im with wayne on this one, i think they all sound a little insane to me lol but as for medicinal purposes as kim stated, i think alot of good can come from studying the effects of the venom on the human body. just my two cents lol :)

[shaunyboy]

for the record, i thought they were all a tad nuts as well.i was just trying my best to explain what these nutters were doing and why they were doing it.
cheers shaun

[infernalis]

There was a guy named "Bill" on Animal Planet last night, he milks hots professionally, and he injects venom, they showed him taking a shot.

He's an older guy with white hair, he was milking cobras and rattlesnakes. He takes his shots so he can survive snake bites.

[emseeKAY]

thats crazy lol, never thought you would actually build up an immunity to venom, wonder how long it takes to build it up enough to take a significant bite? wouldnt wanna be a guinea pig lol

[infernalis]

They said he's been injecting for YEARS.....(I think they said 20)

[Lankyrob]

Just watched the program (FINALLY!!) - the main guy i think is pretty with it and knows what he is doing and hopefully his injecting will help the medical profession in a big way. The two american guys seemed to have no real purpose for injecting the venom and were less interesting. And the guy with the big king cobra was just a complete ****!!!