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Snake Venom
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by Shadow_Man on December 10, 2004
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I was just wondering about taking snake venom as a kind of supplement. I saw a documentory on tv before about a professor who was studying the effects of snake venom. He had even come up with a cure for Polio with it, too late because there was already one out but still. But he was saying that he himself was taking snake venom for a few years and that he hasn't been sick in over ten years, also he has become immune to the snake venom. Not only that but he is over 90years old and is in a perfect mental and physical condition, he doesn't even have the shakes. I was wondering does anybody here know anything about this, or where I can get information. Thank you for any help you can give me.
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RE: Snake Venom
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by Snake17 on December 10, 2004
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There are pics here of this man. We all know him. His nurse/wife injects him with venom. The amounts were calculated. The effects can be devastating. He has become imune to the venom but his organs are trash. He said that. You can see pics of him on the site photo album. Snake venom is not a suppliment. There are a lot of drugs that come from snake venom but no one will ever subscribe you brute snake venom as a suppliment. Best regards, Alex S.
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RE: Snake Venom
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by Snakeman1982 on December 10, 2004
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Who is this guy? A real professor with a Ph.D in biology?
I would be very careful about such things. There are several people who "self-inoculate" themselves with venom and claim it is affective. But I wouldn't say that any of them are "venom-proof", including Bill Haast who has been bitten at least 168 times (last I heard from a show with him a few years back). I think that he has certainly survived a lot of bites that may be attributed to his medication methods but I would be careful before trying it and do tons of research on it.
Even if your body did become immune from many neurological or other effects of the venom, you may still get massive tissue damage from a bite. You just never know. Plus different snakes of the same species often have variations in venom composition.
There certainly can be some resistance to the venom if you continuously self-inoculate but also be aware of the chance of becoming 'hyper-sensitive'. This may cause an extreme allergic reaction to the venom if you get bit and you could go into anaphalactic shock. I know several herpetologists who are now allergic to their study animals, one who is very allergic to pygmy rattlesnakes. If they got bitten by a small pygmy rattlesnake, they would now be endanger for their lives, not from the venom but rather from their own bodies reaction to it.
You also don't have to be bitten to become hypersensitive. Many people become this way because of increased exposure to these snakes, their feces, shed skin, and on occasion small amounts of venom.
So you may be trying to become more resistant to venom and end up becoming more susceptible to it. Also, keep in mind that having resistance to one type of snake won't mean that you will have any immunity to a different species. If you were to inoculate or anything, you would need to do that with the species that you are concerned about, which could be many.
Basically, I would say that very few people should even consider trying to immunize themselves to snake venom. There are just way too many things that could happen. Scientists that extract venom from hundreds of snakes a week may want to look into this but few others. Most should not put themselves in dangerous conditions where they feel the potential for a bite. Proper care and caution when dealing with venomous snakes should keep you out of harms way. Many of the top snake biologists have never been bitten by a venomous snake (for example Dr. Harry Greene). They study rattlesnakes and other venomous snakes their entire career but do not get bitten because they aren't careless or take unnecessary risks. So they don't worry much about getting tagged. That should be priority one.
Hope this helps,
Robert
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RE: Snake Venom
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by ALA_herp31 on December 10, 2004
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I think that would be Mr.Bill Haast, from the Miami venom center, FL. I have learnd so much from that man. He is a true ground breaker (I think that most herpers would agree with me on that fact). Watching the way he handles and cares for hes snakes is a true expeariance. I have lots of respect for this man. I think he is probably the father of modern venom study.......We love ya Mr.Haast, keep up the good work like you have been for so long......Be safe ya'll..... Happy herping Wally
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RE: Snake Venom
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by Shadow_Man on December 10, 2004
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I just looked at the pictures on the site and I think thats him, I couldn't remember his name which made it so hard to find information on it. The benefits are excellent, especially if you can have a wide range of venom, but I'm not sure about the side effects, is there any known way of getting the up-side without the downside?
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