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The stink of detox
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by asud on March 6, 2009
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It's well established that kidneys, liver cycle venom out of the body, but how about the dermis? There seems to be a formal consensus that an envenomated mouse smells different; likewise, I've read anecdotes about overwhelming--i.e., worse than your worst hangover--body odors coming from individuals bitten by everything from Naja naja to Northern copperheads. Most people I've talked to seem skeptical. Any truth to the contention that bite victims detox through the skin and, in doing so, smell bad?
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RE: The stink of detox
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by supertiger on March 6, 2009
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A couple years back I took a bite from a broad band copperhead, other then the curdeling of my stomach contents and the pain there was no smell. The morphine did dull my sences but I got no complaints form anyone around me.
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RE: The stink of detox
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by earthguy on March 6, 2009
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Phoenix,
They may have been too polite to tell you that you reak while you were in the hospital in grave pain :-)
I know that skin is at least one means of getting toxins out of your body (alcohol is an excellent example). So I think that this is a plausible explanation.
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RE: The stink of detox
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by LarryDFishel on March 6, 2009
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It sounds plausible that some venom might be removed through the skin, especially if the kidneys are overwhelmed, but...I've never noticed venom to have much of a smell...
Of course, I've never tried spreading a thin layer of it all over my body, so who knows... :)
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RE: The stink of detox
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by Cro on March 7, 2009
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Adam, when a body is trying to rid itself of toxins, they will be broken down by the liver, and excreted.
However, it is very easy for the liver to be overwhelmed by a strong toxon.
If that happens, the body will use the path of least resistance to eliminate the toxins, and this can be through the skin.
It would not surprise me that broken down components of snake venom could be eliminated that way.
It is also possible that any odor involved might not be from the broken down venom itself, but, as a by-product of bacterial action on that broken down venom.
The same thing happens when folks sweat. Sweat by itself is odorless, however, when it accumulates in clothing or on the body, it is attacked by bacteria, and the resulting smell is a by-product of the bacteria feeding on it as a nutrition source.
Best Regards
John Z
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