Vegan yoga master says he hasn't had a cold in 20 years because he snorts his own urine

All of us, in some form or another, make conscious efforts to look after our health. Maybe we visit the gym a few times a week, or do our best to get our five fruit and veg a day, or even just pass up on alcohol or cigarettes.

But Sam Cohen, a 41-year-old yoga master, has a slightly different approach... He snorts his own urine.

Here's Sam, and friend Kelly, snorting their urine and explaining their bizarre reasoning for taking part in the practice:

For decades, the Taoist Buddhist has been engaging in the practice of "nose drinking", and he claims that it's prevented him from getting a cold for the past 20 years.

Cohen, who is from London, engages in this practice almost every time he urinates, even in public, and says that he will sneak a cup into a bathroom (or sometimes a phone booth) if he's out somewhere. He claims that he discovered the technique just under 20 years ago with a friend, but later discovered that "old Chinese masters" had been practising for centuries.

And he doesn't just limit himself to urine. He also drinks water, red wine, and juices through his nose - sometimes with a small group of friends, who together call themselves 'The Merkaba'.

"The feeling - it's like a cleansing feeling because you're cleaning your thoughts because you're concentrating on the emotions via your urine or your water or your fruit drink. You feel like a euphoria from it. You feel calm, you feel relaxed. You feel like you've elevated yourself.

"Urine is the best one because you get all the qualities of your emotions taken to your brain."

Cohen's friend and fellow member of The Merkaba, 48-year-old Kelly Saliba, likened the practice to rainwater trickling down from the top of the mountain down to its base. By consuming his own urine, he believes he is transferring that "golden water" back to the beginning of its journey.

"If you have a good diet and look after yourself then your urine is going to be the best, even if you're not so healthy then it's going to be very good for you," he said.

Credit: 2505

But it's not just battling against the common cold that Cohen's strange practice has helped him with. According to him, it's also helped to improve his sex life by making him feel younger and allowing him to "last longer".

There are no proven health benefits to consuming your own urine, and - seeing as it's mostly waste products expelled by the body - most doctors would recommend against drinking/snorting your own fluids.