Posted: November 19th, 2023
Deviant Health Practices: Analyzing DIY Medical Procedures and Their Challenges
Deviant Health Practices: Analyze DIY medical procedures and deviant health practices facilitated by online communities and their challenges to public health and regulation.
Deviant Health Practices: Analyzing DIY Medical Procedures and Their Challenges
The internet has enabled the emergence and spread of various forms of deviant health practices, such as self-surgery, self-medication, biohacking, and alternative therapies. These practices involve the use of unregulated, untested, or illegal substances or devices to modify, enhance, or treat one’s own body, often without the supervision or consent of medical professionals. While some of these practices may be motivated by curiosity, experimentation, or personal preference, others may stem from dissatisfaction, distrust, or desperation with the conventional health care system. In this blog post, I will analyze some of the main types of deviant health practices facilitated by online communities and their challenges to public health and regulation.
Self-Surgery and Self-Medication
Self-surgery is the practice of performing surgical procedures on oneself, usually without anesthesia or sterilization. Self-surgery may be done for cosmetic reasons, such as removing moles, tattoos, or implants, or for medical reasons, such as treating infections, injuries, or diseases. Some examples of self-surgery include self-castration, self-appendectomy, self-amputation, and self-implantation of magnets or microchips. Self-surgery is extremely risky and can result in infection, bleeding, nerve damage, scarring, or death (Lee & Lee, 2016).
Self-medication is the practice of using drugs or substances that are not prescribed or recommended by a doctor to treat one’s own health conditions. Self-medication may be done for various reasons, such as convenience, affordability, privacy, or dissatisfaction with conventional medicine. Some examples of self-medication include using antibiotics, steroids, hormones, painkillers, stimulants, psychedelics, or herbal remedies. Self-medication can also be dangerous and can cause adverse reactions, interactions, dependence, addiction, overdose, or death (Santos et al., 2017).
Both self-surgery and self-medication are facilitated by online communities that provide information, advice, support, or encouragement to individuals who engage in these practices. These communities may also offer sources to obtain the necessary tools or substances for these practices. However, these communities may also spread misinformation, promote harmful behaviors, or discourage seeking professional help. Moreover, these communities may pose ethical dilemmas for health care providers who encounter patients who have performed self-surgery or self-medication and need further treatment or intervention (Lupton & Maslen 2020).
Biohacking and Alternative Therapies
Biohacking is the practice of using biotechnology or biology to modify or enhance one’s own body or mind. Biohacking may be done for various purposes, such as improving health, performance,