We recently wrote a post where doctors and nurses shared the medical “lies” people should stop believing. In the comments, even more medical professionals shared surprising health misconceptions. Here’s what they had to say:
Note: Some responses were pulled from this Reddit thread.
1.“Your water breaking is RARELY like on TV. Most folks don’t wind up with a giant puddle. You might feel a pop (or not), you might think you peed yourself, and when you move or have a contraction, it’ll usually keep leaking until you deliver.”
“It’s also NOT an emergency! Don’t freak out and drive like a bat outta hell. Yes, if your water breaks, we’d like you to head to the hospital, especially if your labor hasn’t started on its own, because you might need help to get it going in a timely fashion. But unless you’re bleeding, or the fluid is greenish/brown, or the baby hasn’t been moving like normal, it’s ok to grab your go bag at a safe, normal pace. No screaming, speeding, or ambulances required.
2.“Pharmacist here. Please don’t confuse side effects with allergies. Weight gain with prednisone is a side effect. Nausea and itching with codeine and morphine are side effects. A documented allergy to a medication on your chart will trigger an alert with any similar medication.”
“Can’t get codeine? Better not order vicidin or percocet for that patient!”
3.“People believe ‘if you are an organ donor, emergency crews are less likely to save you if you are badly injured so they can get your organs.’ No. Stop it.”
4.“When you have an IV site, there isn’t a needle in your arm. There is a tiny, flexible, plastic catheter, and it’s not going to tear through your veins and skin if you bend your elbow.”
5.“Wearing high heels is not harmless and can lead to foot problems. When wearing sneakers, your weight is distributed all over your feet in a healthier, more comfortable pattern. When you’re on high heels, that redistributes your weight in a way that can damage your heel.”
6.“I’m a surgeon. ‘We can’t find anything wrong with you’ does NOT mean ‘nothing is wrong with you.’ Medicine is not nearly as advanced as most people think. There was a time we had no idea what multiple sclerosis (MS) was. So, all those people suffering from MS were told, ‘We don’t know what’s wrong with you. Our tests all came back normal.'”
7.“Reading in the dark won’t make your vision worse. It just affects the type of light entering your eye; it doesn’t change anything within the organ itself. You may feel a little uncomfortable and deal with some eye strain, but there’s no long-term problem.”
8.“Doctor here, but I need to say this: Your doctor/provider may not know best. Get a second or third opinion when dealing with a difficult diagnosis or a diagnosis that will need potential surgery. Specialists and surgeons will have different approaches to the same disease.”
“Keep your medical records organized: copies of recent labs, imaging studies, medications, etc. This will reduce duplicate studies and labs and help inform your doctor/specialist while keeping costs down. Always get a CD/film of your imaging study, and take it to any relevant doctor visit — unless they are in the same system.”
“We will never, EVER mind if you ask for a second opinion. If your case is difficult, we have probably already gotten multiple other doctors’ opinions.”
9.“Mostly for older people: If you have a catheter in your urethra, you do not need to pee; it’s peeing for you.”
10.“Taking 1000 mg+ of vitamin C a day isn’t necessary. Your body only absorbs a certain amount and pisses the rest out.”
—Anonymous
11.“That ‘pulling the plug,’ as seen on every TV show, is shenanigans. It drives me up the wall to see people unplug an IV, only to watch a person choke to death. They’re battery-powered.”
12.“Don’t stop taking medications just because you ‘feel better.’ This includes antibiotics, but I’m talking about all meds (psych, blood pressure, insulin, and steroids). You feel better because the medicine is working and doing its job! (Duh). Even if you legitimately don’t need them anymore, many meds can cause bad side effects if stopped cold turkey. You need to wean off.”
“Also, make sure you research HOW the medications should be taken. With or without food? At night or in the morning? Can they be taken with other medications, or will they be more effective if taken alone? These little things are important.”
13.“Parents with kids over 18: No, I cannot give you health information on your child after they turn 18. It’s called HIPAA. Also, ethics.”
—Anonymous
14.“If you’re clinically dead and are brought back to life, there’s a good chance you won’t last long afterward. You don’t just get up and get back to life; you probably suffered brain damage from a lack of oxygen for X amount of minutes.”
“I’ve been a trauma nurse for two years and can definitely confirm this. I have seen 672 patients require CPR. Of the 672, only 23 lived.”
—Anonymous
15.“Clinical assistant for an urgent care here. Masks are NOT just for COVID. They were used in clinical settings before then and will continue to be used. We don’t care if you’ve tested negative for COVID; you could carry another highly transmissible virus, like strep or the flu.”
“If we ask you to wear a mask because of your symptoms, either take it and put it on or go wait in your car.“
16.“A defibrillator isn’t used to restart a heart that has stopped beating. It is used to stop the fibrillation of the heart and will ‘reset’ it to its normal rhythm. Thanks to TV shows and movies, many people have this misconception about what the device will do and what it’s meant for.”
“Also, when the shock is administered, the patient won’t spasm violently. The muscles in the chest area will contract, but it’s nowhere near as violent as often portrayed.”
17.“So many people have weird ideas about losing weight that involve weird dietary restrictions and only eating certain food groups. If you want to lose weight, you need to watch what you eat and reduce calories. Don’t starve yourself. You’ll be miserable and have lots of cravings. Instead, try to find healthier alternatives to what you currently buy.”
18.“A few air bubbles in the IV line or a syringe will not kill you. In fact, it takes a WHOLE lot of air to be injected into you even to affect you.”
And finally…
19.“[There is a proper way to wash your hands.] Do you actually wash your whole hand when washing? Between the fingers and all around…”
“There are specific, numbered steps to hand washing that we are tested on, and if we do it incorrectly, we fail and have to retest the next time they can give us a date. This even includes how to dry your hands and wrists after washing. It’s also why many CNAs/LPNs/RNs can’t wear fingernail polish at work. It’s a health concern because bacteria can get between the polish and the nail, and washing your hands is harder.”
Fellow doctors and nurses, what are some other medical “lies” people should stop believing? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.