A while back, a Reddit thread went viral where one user asked the internet, “Doctors and nurses of Reddit, what is the biggest health misconception people should know about?” Needless to say, their responses were incredibly informative and eye-opening. Here are some of the top-voted ones:
1.“When prescribed a course of antibiotics, it’s NOT okay to stop them when you feel better. At this point, you probably feel better because most of the bacteria have been killed, except for a few, which are naturally stronger. If you don’t finish your full course, these will then multiply, and you will have an even worse infection — which is much harder to get rid of.”
—u/cimd09
Trevor Williams / Getty Images
2.I’m not yet a nurse, but I just finished an MSc focusing on infections and sexual health and hope to start nursing studies soon: Douching — DON’T DO IT. A lot of people seem to think it’s OK to douche, and it’s really not; the pH of the vagina is extremely sensitive and differs from person to person, so feminine hygiene products and using stuff like vinegar or whatever are a waste of money and damaging to your regions. If anything, they are more likely to cause infections than prevent them.”
—u/Squid-bear
3.“Quite common, but crackling your knuckles does not give you arthritis.”
—u/Dr_Nope
Andreypopov / Getty Images
4.“It is okay if you do not poop every day as long as your schedule is at least two to three times a week and consistent.”
—Anonymous
5.“It’s true that grapefruit (and its juice) can cause many major drug interactions. It’s a very potent metabolic inhibitor; even a small amount shuts down the CYP3A4 liver enzyme for up to 24 hours. A drug that uses that pathway will persist in the blood far longer than specified, and you may essentially ‘double dose’ after taking the next dose on schedule. There’s a list of medications it messes with.”
—u/Oznog99
Cappi Thompson / Getty Images
6.“Do NOT try to cook a fever out of someone. You could get their temperature too high for the brain to handle, and you could make them suffer a…[CLICK TO CONTINUE READING]
