Real-life vampires

In the heart of the United States, there is a "vampire" community that regularly drinks blood from those willing to donate.

Stories about the vampire community are real in life

In the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, John Edgar Browning prepares to participate in "blood donation" . In terms of operation, this process is like a medical procedure. First, Browning's new friend cleaned a small area on his shoulder blades with alcohol. Next, the friend uses a disposable knife to slit in that position and squeeze until the blood starts to drain. Touching your lips on the wound, Browning's friend enjoyed the dark red liquid. "He drank my blood several times, then cleaned up my wound and bandaged it , " Browning said.

What shocked Browning was that his blood did not match his friend's taste."He said my blood has no metallic taste, so he was a bit disappointed , " Browning recalls. Obviously, drinking water and blood groups can make a small difference in taste. After the bandage was over, the couple went to a charity party to support the homeless.

Confessing himself to "fear of needles", Browning never thought of donating blood. "I'm really scared when something sharp hits the skin , " Browning said. But as a researcher at the University of Louisiana, he is willing to go through this process to implement the latest project: studying the "real-life vampire" community in New Orleans.

The New Orleans vampire community distributed food to the homeless during an event in 2013. (Photo: New Orleans Vampire Association).

Before meeting the "vampires" , Browning suspected they were only confused between reality and illusion. "I used to think these people were psychotic and read too many novels," Browning said.

However, when Browning expressed his will to become a blood donor, Browning changed his mind. Many real "vampires" do not believe in occult phenomena and have almost never read related novels. They also do not suffer from mental illness. Instead, they acknowledge themselves with a strange disease - fatigue, headache, severe stomach pain - and they believe the only treatment is to drink human blood.

"In the United States alone, there are thousands of people who do this, and I think it's not a coincidence or an odd hobby , " Browning said. Their symptoms and behavior are a real mystery.

For many people, sucking blood is taboo. For the past few decades, the blood-sucking phenomenon has been linked to horrifying murder crimes such as the criminal Rod Ferrell in the United States, a murderer obsessed with role-playing games.

"When it comes to individuals who claim to be vampires, scary images often appear in our minds. Therefore, this community is self-contained and often suspects outsiders. The result of discrimination As vampires that I contact online often ask me to use a nickname in the article, ' said DJ Williams, a sociologist at Idaho University, USA.

Historically, we have been able to find cases of human blood that are considered a true cure. At the end of the 15th century, the Pope Innocent VIII's doctor was thought to have withdrawn the three boys' blood and let this dying man drink warm blood in the hope that their youth would pass on to the Pope.

In later periods, human blood is used to treat epilepsy. The patient is encouraged to surround the execution station and drink warm blood down from criminals who have just been executed."Blood is an intermediate environment between soul and body , " Richard Sugg, a researcher at Durham University, explains. According to Sugg, through drinking the blood of a healthy young man, drinkers can absorb his soul and heal all diseases that affect the mind. This treatment only prevailed after the Enlightenment period (17th-18th centuries).

However, drinking blood still exists in a small community. Before the Internet age, they lived almost separately. Today, through their own websites, they have developed a wide underground network."Most of the major cities in the world have a vampire community , " Williams said.

Due to the fear of being exposed, these communities were cleverly evading, a barrier that Browning encountered at the start of the study."This population doesn't want to be spotted," Browning said. Currently, Browning lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, only an hour's drive from New Orleans. New Orleans is famous for its regional culture and Browning sees an opportunity for him to meet a real "vampire" here.

Historically, human blood was regarded as a true healing method.(Photo: BBC).

Wandering day and night on the street, Browning started heading to places "vampire" can gather. From the beginning, he was not afraid of those who were about to meet."A height of 1.93 meters and a weight of 100kg really help , " Browning said. In fact, what he cares about most is not his own safety but vampires. "You can expose them, making their personal and work life dangerous," Browning said.

Browning shared the project with a clothing store owner, who pointed to the woman standing with her two children in a booth. Browning timidly approached and talked about the study with the woman."Finally she smiled and said," Maybe I know some people, " Browning recalls. Thanks to the help of a woman named Jennifer, Browning had a good relationship with a large group of regular vampires. Interview them.

The deeper he studied, the more Browning discovered many aspects and colors of vampires. Although some people wear canines and sleep in coffins, most people are not interested in movies and books. They have different jobs such as serving bars, secretaries and nurses, a number of church goers while others follow atheism. In general, they live very altruously.

"Vampires do not always hide in cemeteries, engage in smashing nightclubs with blood feasts. There are vampires that bring food to the homeless, volunteering in animal relief groups or joining hands in all social projects, " explains a vampire named Merticus.

Some vampires seek spiritual energy to help them strengthen their strength, others believe they need blood simply for their physiological needs. When questioning the development of the disease, Browning discovered that the craving for blood seemed to appear at the beginning of puberty. For example, one of the first people Browning interviewed found himself feeling sick, unable to run and play sports at the age of 13 - 14. When playing a fight, he became a brother. they bleed, his mouth grazed the wound."He suddenly felt energized , " Browning said. The taste of blood at that time actually turned into an irresistible craving.

It is a common story that can be encountered in most other vampires. Not only prolonged fatigue, other common symptoms include headache and severe abdominal pain. For example, a vampire named CJ! often disturbed by intestinal irritation and this condition only ends after she drinks blood."After drinking a large amount of blood, our digestive system works smoothly", CJ! said.

Kinesia, you're CJ's! also met a similar situation . "I did not go to the bathroom for more than a week while I was hungry, and felt sick if I ate anything but blood," Kinesia said. "I feel much better after drinking blood; my spirit becomes clear. I can eat anything I want without having to run into the bathroom, no muscle aches or joint pain. This state lasts about two weeks, depending on how much I drink and how many times I drink ".

Finding people willing to donate blood is not easy. CJ! said her blood donor is often a close friend who understands her needs. Kinesia drinks her husband's blood twice a week. In other cases, blood donors are paid. According to Kinesia, vampires need to make sure the donors are always comfortable and ready.

Kits to draw blood from a vampire.(Photo: BBC).

Browning himself discovered that drawing blood is closer to a medical process than a passion. Usually, both donors and vampires need to check for infectious diseases in sexual health centers or blood donation centers. To make the blood drain, vampires use disposable knives or syringes. They took and cleaned the tools right in front of the donor and wiped the gauze on the skin before cutting. If they drink blood directly from the wound, they will wipe their lips, brush their teeth and rinse their mouths.

Vampires can be very knowledgeable about medicine. CJ's toolbox! Includes gauze bandages and syringes. Before taking blood, she gave the donor a small rubber mouse to grip, making it easier to find veins. If conditions permit, vampires will store excess blood in the refrigerator after mixing with antifreeze. In addition, some vampires also use tea and herbs to create a mixture that helps preserve blood longer.

After drinking blood, vampires do not seem to suffer any side effects. Although consuming a large amount of metal can be toxic, the amount of metal they absorb in one drink does not constitute a danger."None of the vampires I interviewed complained about the complications of drinking blood," Browning said.

However, researcher Tomas Ganz at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA, emphasized that vampires cannot avoid the full risk of infection."Tests in sexually transmitted clinics do not cover all types of infectious diseases that focus on common diseases like HIV or hepatitis B and C , " Ganz said.

The best way to assess the dangers is to study medical records. However, most vampires are very afraid of discrimination when telling doctors or social workers about their habits."One of us met saying that if a clinician found out she was a vampire, they would take her child away," BBC quoted Williams, who was studying the effects that stigma could have. impact on the health care of vampires.

Instead of drunkenness with the habit of drinking blood, most vampires Browning interviewed will accept to give up. They say doctors don't find any other way to relieve symptoms. However, the vampires are quite frank about the possibility that what they experience is neuropathy. For this reason, some people try to stop taking blood to see if the symptoms are self-losing, but not successful.

According to Ganz, blood recovery can be a psychological effect . Doctors are still learning how the brain controls health in a genuine way. "Eating bitter powder, drinking colorful colors, or other food with the shape, smell and taste of ordinary food, can bring about a strong reassuring effect. This effect is further enhanced. if the dining process is formal and personal feels special (like when drinking a rare and expensive wine) , Ganz said. In addition, blood is highly nutritious and is a natural laxative so it can provide temporary recovery for gastrointestinal and neurological problems.

The vampire community is now becoming more open to outsiders, so scientists can discover their problems and draw some answers. Whatever the outcome, the meetings taught Browning that we should treat vampires with respect as with other minorities."When I first studied, I thought I would meet weird people. But within a year, I realized vampires had no problem. We, non-vampires, It's just a matter of awareness, " Browning said.