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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Melissa Davey Medical editor

‘Western arrogance’: how the wellness movement co-opted an Amazon frog toxin with deadly effects

A leaf frog is stretched out and prodded to extract the kambo
A leaf frog is stretched out and prodded to extract the kambo, which is used in traditional Amazon cleansing ceremonies. Photograph: Pawel Bienkowski/Alamy

It was unusual enough for a previously healthy 37-year-old man to suffer from a sudden perforated oesophagus, an uncommon and potentially fatal condition usually caused by prolonged, forceful vomiting.

But even more strange was that the man, who was also suffering from severe abdominal and chest pain when he arrived at a Sunshine Coast hospital, had three small, dark burn marks in a line on his left shoulder.

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