The world’s most famous blue man, Paul Karason, also dubbed Papa Smurf, was born as a fair-skinned, freckled boy with ginger hair. In the 2000s, he became an internet sensation and made many TV appearances, openly talking about his condition. Let’s find out together why Karason turned blue and how he became a cautionary tale.
Paul Karason had a skin condition that made his skin flake, as well as acid reflux and arthritis. Doing his own research in order to improve these ailments, he found out about a solution of silver in water, also known as colloidal silver.
Colloidal silver was widely used as an antibiotic back before penicillin was invented in the 1930s. It was banned in 1999 in over-the-counter medications after scientists found that it can severely damage internal organs.
The late Paul Karason and his wife, Joanne
Karason drank what he believed was a miracle cure for over 10 years. Moreover, he even began to apply a silver preparation directly to his skin; he claimed his acid reflux and arthritis just went away. “I had arthritis in my shoulders so bad I couldn’t pull a T-shirt off. And the next thing I knew, it was just gone,” he shared.
Due to the silver accumulation in his skin, he started to turn blue and suffered from a permanent and rare condition called argyria. Only when Karason met an old friend who asked him, “What have you done to yourself?” did he begin to realize he’d become blue.
Karason claimed his blue skin had many advantages — he never got sunburns or had to wear sunglasses. There were some side effects he did not appreciate, however, such as folks “being less than polite” to him. Moreover, Karason confessed he couldn’t get a job because of employers’ resistance to hiring “people that are blue or that are noticeably different.”
Sadly, Paul Karason passed away in 2013 when he was 62 years old due to heart complications.
Papa Smurf’s story serves as a valuable lesson about the importance of being careful when it comes to at-home remedies. While it’s natural to want to find easy solutions to health problems, it’s important to be aware that such remedies can sometimes pose serious risks. It’s always better to consult a doctor and follow their advice for a safe and effective treatment.
Preview photo credit Inside Edition / YouTube
12 People Share the Things Men Can Do Freely but Women Are Typically Judged For
It was in 1920 that, after a century of marching, women finally gained the right to vote in the United States. Following this, many other countries around the world agreed to provide this right to women. This marked a significant change in history, however, there is still much to be done. We dug deep into Reddit to learn what opinions the community has regarding the differences in freedom between men and women, and these are some of their responses.
1. “Eating large amounts of food at a restaurant”
2. “Not shaving”
3. “Going topless”
4. “Aging”
5. “Weightlifting”
6. “Being overweight”
7. “Late-night parties”
8. “Wearing the same clothes for multiple occasions”
9. “Arguing. I’ve seen times where the man is flying off the handle, but a not even raised voice retort from a woman, and she’s called emotional.”
10. “Deciding not to have children”
11. “Shaving their head”
12. “Dating a younger partner”
Double standards can be really annoying sometimes. But there are some differences between men and women that even science agrees with.
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