A doctor issuing a warning against people injecting themselves with semen wasn’t exactly what I had envisaged writing about this week, but here we are.

If you hadn’t noticed, the world is a place of ever-changing trends and fads, those that are spread easier than ever thanks to the influence of social media and the internet as a whole.

Over the years, we’ve seen some fairly wacky trends take hold. We’ve seen crazy, we’ve seen comical, we’ve seen the dangerous and the downright difficult to believe. What we hadn’t seen – until now, at least – is a warning being sent out by to prevent people from injecting themselves with sperm.

Now, anyone who’s ever sought medical help in the US can tell you just how jaw-droppingly expensive things can get. Stellar insurance plans and crowd-funding can take you so far, but it’s hardly a surprise that some people turn to experimental treatment they can perform on themselves at home, rather than using a healthcare system that promises to financially bleed them dry.

Yet what makes the case we’re about to talk about all the more bizarre is that it didn’t take place in the US. Rather, it involves a man from Ireland, where – last I checked – healthcare doesn’t cost a penny more than whatever is paid for in taxes.

Having experienced considerable back pain, the man in question decided to begin injected himself with… semen.

Eventually he ended up in hospital with “severe, sudden onset lower back pain”, and it was there that doctors learned he had been self-medicating for 18 months.

During their examinations of the patient, they noticed that his arm was red and swollen, with a subsequent X-ray showing a build up of semen in the muscle where he had been injecting.

As per reports, the man was diagnosed with subcutaneous emphysema, a condition that occurs when air gets trapped under your skin. Needless to say, he required medical attention for both his back and his arm before being discharged.

One doctor, Dr. Asim Cheema, an Internal Medicine and Cardiology Specialist at Your Doctors Online, labeled the case ‘deeply concerning’.

Speaking to online outlet UNILAD, Dr. Cheema shared: “This is a deeply concerning example of how misinformation and desperation can drive individuals to take extreme, dangerous measures to manage chronic pain.

Injecting non-sterile bodily fluids like semen, particularly without medical supervision, is not only ineffective but also poses serious health risks. Complications can include infection, inflammation, embolism, and subcutaneous emphysema, as seen in this case.

“This behavior borders on self-harm and highlights a wider issue — people with chronic conditions increasingly turning to unverified, anecdotal remedies online instead of seeking evidence-based medical care.”