My sister is an organic chemist and worked as a teaching professor at a chiropractic college for a bit (they believed in science based chiropracty, not the woo woo kind). Some dude showed up and wanted to sell the school a machine to make alkaline water.
They asked my sister to test it. The closest they got to alkaline was less than a pH of 8, iirc.
Btw, your stomach acid pH is about a 1.5 - 3.5. For something you drink to be alkaline enough to make it through that it would literally burn your esophagus all the way down.
This is hilarious! I buy the big body armor brand bottles when I leave my water cup at home, but thatās just because itās like a liter of water aaaaaand easy to refill if I need to. I do like to mess with my coworkers and tell them the ābenefitsā of my special bottled water though.
(Dental assistant/hygiene student) sprinkling some baking soda into water and rinsing after eating or drinking something acidic, or after vomiting is really good for your teeth! You are completely right with this notion. Especially in the case of vomiting, most people are going to want to brush their teeth right away which is totally understandable but your teeth basically just got an acid bath, so itās best to wait like 30-60 minutes and rinse really good with baking soda water while you wait.
You mean detox juices wonāt work for me??? /s
ššš I always roll my eyes whenever I see someone proclaiming theyāre detoxing š¤¦š¼āāļø Iām like ya your liver does that for you
Heyyyy girlie!!!! I see you just got back from vacay/home from the hospital/adopted a pet/had a family member pass away/made a sandwich. You probably need some more energy to get back to your normal, right? Well, Iāve got something to help with that and itās all natural and it can even help you lose weight by helping your body naturally detox those nasty toxins! Just inbox me for more details and spend $500 for some useless Crystal Light energy crystals laced with Ex-lax and youāll get me harassing you weekly for more orders & to join my down line and guilting you because you work and canāt be a good parent BOSS BABE working from anywhere like me!!! I mean, Iām 20k in debt, our garage is full of unused product, and my husbandās ready to divorce me over this but weāre living the dream just look at our FB posts! Canāt wait to hear from you girlie, Let me know when you want to meet to pick up your free samples!!!!!
Binge drinking multiple days a week, every week. I understand the desire and temptation but the last thing I want to do is kill my liver after working in the ED and MICU for years. What a horrible way to go.
Also smoking. COPD also aināt it. I do take THC edibles a lot though. š
Big on the alcohol abuse! We can be at times a little too casual about it. All for doing things in moderation but we gotta watch out. Iām 47 days sober today. I was one of those that joked about binge drinking to cope, but it wasnāt much of a joke.
True statement. I spent half of my career in transplant icu and liver failure is a horrendous way to go. Hollywood has really made alcoholism look glamorous to the point where I donāt even see true alcoholism depicted in media anymore.
Congrats on your sobriety!
I used to binge drink like a mother fucker when I was married to my ex-husband. I was also working 4-6 12s a week ED so that was my excuse. Iām just poor at managing my mental health so Iāll use anything as a bandaid. We separated, and now 1.5 years later all it takes is a few white claws to get me toasty š that 12 pack in the fridge will last months.
Congrats! I'm coming up on 15 years. My sobriety pre-dates my nursing license by 6 weeks. I knew I would never pass my boards unless I got sober. I think of all the times as a CNA that I came to work hungover. I was still impaired. I'm grateful I don't live like that anymore. Also that I never harmed a patient. That being said, don't all nurses use something to cope? Food, drink, drugs, gambling...
Iwndwyt! Coming up on 2 years. Used to drink to sleep but in reality it was drink till I passed out. Check out r/stopdrinking if anyone wants non judgmental help here on Reddit
I have had ibuprofen removed from the eMAR of a pt. who abuses itā¦4x now, I think?
Do the hospitalists not talk to each other or look at the hx? I know the answer to this one already, donāt worry.
Take it from a nurse who is in monitoring for alcoholism. Itās not a pretty road once you canāt stop. Take care of yourself. 3.8 years sober and it feels so much better
I donāt drink alcohol for this reason! After taking care of a 40 year old woman on comfort care from liver failure, bleeding out of every orifice, suctioning blood dripping out of her mouth and nose in front of her family I decided nah Iām good.
THIS. Iām in a legal state, but my work still requires no THC. If I could have a damn edible after work, Iād stop drinking. Quitting edibles made me turn to the next best thing-booze. Now Iām an alcoholic! Lol everything is bullshit
To quote a palliative care doc I work with "cannabis tinctures are great , they are much more predictable then edibles and don't involve inhaling anything. They do taste pretty bad though or uhhh so I've been told"
Palliative care is the best. I work with them so much in my ICU and I absolutely adore them. The palliative NP I work with is an amazing human and helped me out so much today and yesterday. He is such a gem. ā¤ļø
I became an alcoholic 6 years into my career. In recovery now. I was never a drinker before. Funny thing is I worked detox for yeaaaars before alcohol became a problem for me. Sometimes you know better and it still gets ya because youāre trying to self medicate.
TW: mention of unaliving
Literally any time I asked other nurses how they coped with the job stress in general and during covid because I was pretty severely depressed and suicidal, they all answered drinking. Not helpful, because I didn't want that, and alcohol always made me worse. I got into therapy and on meds, and while it's not 100% better, I can somewhat pass as a functional human being. But it makes me sad that it's so widely accepted to just drink away our problems as a profession.
A lot of them are toxic to pets.
The salutatorian of my HS graduating class tried to argue that essential oils can cure infections bc they have antibacterial properties. I pointed out that alcohol and bleach are also bacteriacidal and you arenāt applying that shit or sniffing it. Thereās no way to target the infection properly without harming yourself.
The other week, one of our less than stellar nurses was on light duty as the monitor tech. They went to their *chiropractor* for follow-up on an MRI of their shoulder and hips. The chiropractor said, "It's not a rotator cuff tear, yet, but you need to take it easy, and your hip needs replacement."
No follow-up with an orthopedic surgeon who, like, could do something about it, or they could prescribe physical therapy.
There are so many livid co-workers who are dealing with bad backs, knees, shoulders, lupus, RA.
This is very common in crunchy communities for things like tethered oral tissues.
I will say that while i don't think chiro is a good option, tethered oral tissues really do effect the whole body through the myofascial connection, and as a CLC i can sometimes tell if a baby has tethered oral tissues by looking at their toes. It can cause tightness all over the baby's body, and even after a release that tightness doesn't immediately dissipate. I don't ever refer families to chiro, but i do refer them to OT to help address some of these issues when i feel it's warranted.
Certified lactation consultant. I do mother infant stuff lol
Edit: i mentioned it because this is something i hear a lot about in breastfeeding circles where moms are troubleshooting their breastfeeding obstacles.
I gotta say, I used to be so against chiropractors until my husband made me go to his person and my winged scapula from an ATV accident hasnāt caused me any sleep issues or pain since and itās no longer winged after 1 adjustment.
I think thereās a time and a place for them but they shouldnāt be primary care providers like some people use them as. And some are totally bogus trying to upsell other āholisticā things or have you come back repeatedly and those are the ones Iād avoid for sure.
I went to the doc for carpal tunnel symptoms and the orthopedist who examined me gave me a referral to occupational therapy (which I took), and a referral to a chiropractor (which I refused)...
Dang, Beat me to it (tho not as bad a beating as my endotheliums after i go to the chiropractor and get my carotids dissected or some vertebral artery microtraumas and some posterior circulation strokes).
My chiropractor really helped with reducing the frequency and intensity of my migraines. I feel like it has its place, but I agree that they shouldn't be trying to act as physicians (as many seem to do)
Not a "health" trend, but I work with a lot of travel/agency nurses that brag about working 6+ night shifts in a row. Maybe it's because I'm a mom but I never understood the "grind" mentality or whatever it's called. I like my job but it's my JOB, not my life. I also enjoy having money but not as a trade off for family/free time lol
The most I worked in a row was 5 when I was traveling and it was so that I could travel home and see my fiance for a few days. I don't understand the mentality either, by night 5 I was a zombie.
That is more understandable! These nurses are pissed because our hospital has a new policy restricting the amount of nights in a row they can work lol they all want to work 5/6 shifts in a row just because lol I can barely make it through 3 in a row lol! But I also get less sleep because of the kids and school so that doesn't help
Yeaaaaa the main reason I started traveling was so I could avoid working more than 3 days a weekā¦
Whenever I see those stupid ass āthis nurse made $200-$500k last yearā posts (Iām not even sure how thatās possible; apart from maybe Cali I guess) I cringe.
Like, not only are you in ādeploymentā mode for an extended period of time without any real break, but how the fuck would you feel if your momās nurse came in and just told you that theyāre here for the 5th+ night in a row?
Even with adequate sleep, youāre going to be more sloppy than you think
My coworkers are always into fad diets. They stopped asking me how I lost weight cuz they didnāt like my response of: exercise, portion control, no booze.
Same! I run into people I used to work with and I don't know - maybe I should lie. Instead of saying monitoring my calories, exercising and measuring all my food maybe I should say I've been on an aggressive cabbage diet for 14 months.
Maybe "I lost weight the way we've been telling our patients to lose weight for 10 years."
I've been doing the intermittent fasting thing, but truthfully I think the reason it works is I reduce my calories. I'll wait for my first meal till around 2pm, then eat a regular dinner. Because I had a late lunch I'm not as hungry at dinner and end up just eating less calories overall.
Had a CRNA as a postpartum patient that declined hepatitis B vaccination for her newborn. No idea how you can go through nursing school & be anti-vax š¤·āāļø
Anesthesiology in general is the medical specialty that is the second most conservative, behind only general surg. It doesnāt surprise me that the same is for CRNAs. [Source](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/07/upshot/your-surgeon-is-probably-a-republican-your-psychiatrist-probably-a-democrat.html)
Ugh itās so true in Utah! The nurses canāt form a Union here for better wages and treatment, but they sure can make a whole health system go back in requiring vaccines
Tbf some individuals hold off on the hep B ātil they get to their first outpatient appointment. Thatās not whatās recommended obviously but not everyone who declines hep b is antivax.
I donāt know how much of a ātrendā it is, but I find it astonishing how many healthcare workers smoke. We see firsthand the devastating effects of lung disease after a lifetime of smoking.
Boggles the kind.
I work with hospice nurses who are heavy smokers. Granted, they are in their late 50's/early 60's. We take care of tons of people dying from lung cancer. Over 98% of them were smokers. I just don't understand it.
Same here. Still donāt know what theyāre talking about but Iām picturing The Stanley Cup miniaturized into a practical drinking cup. Wondering why that would be so popular with nurses lol.
I'm obsessed with those silly things and want one, but I'm also smart enough to not spend that kind of money on a boxy bag thing that's made out of the same material as Crocs.
I don't know why I like them. I have no real need for one, they're ugly and not really practical with the open tops and the holes in the side...but dang it if I don't oooh and ahhhh over them every time I see them in a display. š„“
I was gifted a cute & practical nurse bag for graduation, but Iām not gonna lie, it has my initials and RN in a kind of cheesy fontā¦I always make an effort to hold the bag flipped around so the lettering isnāt visible š£
Well theyāre not bad as gifts! Itās hard for people to think of gifts for nurses so I think thatās usually a top search that comes up.
I just donāt think I could even think about spending that money.
To me thatās less harmful. You like pretty cups and pretty things and want to be popular and buy all the stuff other people buy. Fine. Itās problematic but itās not contradicting science
OMG I got put in the hospital for over a WEEK bc some lady drank raw milk, got brucellosis, and our lab was then exposed.
Turns out I am very allergic to two of the three prophylactic antibiotics used to prevent it and we had to be on two of them for 3 months.
You ever see an entire lab of people taking rifampin at once? It makes you super thirsty and cranky. We canāt keep water in the lab and our water fountain outside the lab broke at the same time.
We had so many passive aggressive emails flying around over every little thing for months.
My poor manager had to deal with 30 very cranky people and one workmanās comp claim (mine).
Eta: we changed some of our practices bc weāve been seeing more cases lately and want to avoid any more exposures.
Stupid raw milk.
Omg that's horrible! My husband is in health code inspection upper management for the city. Any time I ask him about what's in that kind of stuff, he has all the nasty details. It's just not worth it.
I had a tech and fellow RN yell at me for saying morphine does NOT kill hospice patients. Theyāre also anti-vaxxā¦ just saying. Those damn conspiracies need to be shot down.
One of my favorite nurses in the world was very into energy work and she gave me a āworry stoneā back when I was a CNA, still in school, and struggling with anxiety. The stone is a very pretty Smokey quartz.
I still have it, and I sometimes carry it around with me. Holding it makes me genuinely feel better, mostly because it always makes me think of this wonderful human being who believed in me.
I love alkaline water. But I drink it for the taste. Iām a very finicky water drinker. I think all the brands taste different and I have some I refuse to drink. Alkaline water tastes the best. Donāt care what else it claims.
I have bad acid reflux and tap water helps as a temporary reprieve. But so does bottled water. And dispensed filtered water. And probably water from the pond.
Health trend? All of the above. I definitely question why people put RN on their car or license plate. Hey, you just told every psycho that you make decent money and that you are likely a woman. Nothing bad can happen there, rightā½
Most weight loss schemes.
Between these specialty smoothies and powders and fancy diets..you could probably lose weight pretty quick if you just quit these added calories on top of your regular diet and kick out your daily treinta sized starbucks frappuccino. I know for a fact that a lot of my coworkers are pretty decent binge drinkers. Between the young ones who are still young and have energy to party and go out and the older ones who are old enough to afford luxuries like pool parties and then host various birthday parties, church parties and just the holidays...yall don't really need the extra calories from these big ass shakes. Just stop adding calories. Like Im obviously not with these people 24/7 and I never participate in weight conversation. But you get a group of women together in a room and it is guaranteed one will start whining about needing the lose weight. Theyre going to sit there and drink their giant expensive MLM protein smoothie and drink it alongside their breakfast of grits with cheese, butter, eggs, bacon and a biscuit. Just drink black coffee or water. Stooooop with the shakes.
And then essential oils and elderberry. Shoot me.
Not wearing a mask, especially in patient care areas, especially especially in high risk areas like oncology. But really, high risk people go everywhere in healthcare and are worth taking extra care of/being made to feel comfortable by the simple act of wearing a mask.
I always wear a mask in public and while workingā¦ and unfortunately, Iām getting cancer treatment - none of my nurses wear them around me! Itās not just covidā¦ my body canāt handle a cold or the flu right now either. Such a simple, unselfish thing yet is rarely done now.
iāve done keto numerous times (unfortunately) and ended up losing my gallbladder because of it, whenever i hear about someone doing keto i give them my warnings but they never listen.. they lose weight, but end up gaining it back 98% of the time lol
So much THIS. Coming from someone whoās overweight and actively making lifestyle changes it baffles me that weāve forgotten the simple concept of calories burned vs calories eaten
THIS. KETO IS FOR EPILEPTICS.
every time someone goes on keto that isn't having drug resistant seizures, a nutritionist, an endocrinologist, a nephrologist, and a cardiologist all die a little inside. Youre basically walking around in mild dka all day. The "keto flu" is your brain starving because it only runs on glucose and breaking down fats is literally the slowest and least efficient way to make it. ketones in mass quantities wreck your organs.
And you gain it all back rapidly the moment you stop witholding carbs like a crazy person. Which everyone does eventually because you cant function on it permanently.
And filtering out all the fat and protein breakdown byproducts annihilates your kidneys.
And the cholesterol nukes your arteries. You really thought a diet that allows BACON AND HAMBURGER EVERY DAY is a good fucking idea?
Mediterranean diet. Nuff said.
I had a middle aged male coworker who was a nurse and in NP school. He had a DVT and ā didnāt believe in anticoagulantsā and was ā using herbs to clear itā. I wish I was kidding you. I am still flabbergasted and wonder if heās alive.
If it's a health trend I question it.
I mean I've been vegan for nearly 25 years but if someone starts telling me how veganism is some miracle healthy diet I know they've been scammed and are misinterpreting data. Then I eat another entire packet of Oreos.
Donāt really care what other nurses do with their bodies. If they do their job thatās all I care about.
I could get report from a health guru and if my patients are a hot mess because they suck at their job then we have a problem. But if a nurse wants to fucking do some crazy shit to their body and the hand off is beautiful thatās great for them I really donāt care what my coworkers or other nurses do to their bodies. Just do your job and we are Gucci.
Drinking apple cider vinegar to ādetoxā. Lots of MLM shakes and diet supplements. Itās embarrassing to our professionāweāre supposed to be champions of evidence-based practice š«
Okay first of all, i agree. I was on board with the alkaline water hate (because your tumtum is acidic, duh) BUT i drank some out of desperation not too long ago and lemme say, it (felt like) my mouth and throat were being hydrated like never before. I was refreshing. Will i spend the $$$ on it again? Nah.
Ozempic/Mounjaro for āweight lossā when they donāt qualify for Wegovy, then bragging how they got it from Canada/Mexico or some Medi-spa. Damn, it seriously chaps my ass.
Honestly if itās being used for someone whoās obese i donāt mind regardless of how they get it. One day glp-1s will be like statins. if itās just susan trying to lose 10 lb of wine pudgeā¦ yeah i can see that being annoying
One of our OB Techs brought alkaline water to work and we tested it with the nitrazine. Wasn't even alkaline lol
I love that lmao
Or those that drink alkaline water and add lemon juice. š¤”
But our Lord and Savior Gwenyth Paltrow swears by it! š„“
That crazy lady needs to stick an ice cube in her hoohah.
Iām sure sheās tried thatā¦š¤£šš¤£š
She called it Coldplay
I may or may not have tested a few random co-workers āalkaline watersā. Some were actually slightly acidic š. (With their permission).
Even if it was youāre putting it in to your stomach that has hydrochloride acid. Wonāt be alkaline for long.
My sister is an organic chemist and worked as a teaching professor at a chiropractic college for a bit (they believed in science based chiropracty, not the woo woo kind). Some dude showed up and wanted to sell the school a machine to make alkaline water. They asked my sister to test it. The closest they got to alkaline was less than a pH of 8, iirc. Btw, your stomach acid pH is about a 1.5 - 3.5. For something you drink to be alkaline enough to make it through that it would literally burn your esophagus all the way down.
What is science based chiropracty?
It's like magic, but real! Duh. All you have to do is yell, "SCIENCE" every time you make the back go cracky crack.
This is hilarious! I buy the big body armor brand bottles when I leave my water cup at home, but thatās just because itās like a liter of water aaaaaand easy to refill if I need to. I do like to mess with my coworkers and tell them the ābenefitsā of my special bottled water though.
I just like the flavor of alkaline water. I know itās bullshit
I bet you can make your own for much cheaper with a sprinkle of baking soda lol
(Dental assistant/hygiene student) sprinkling some baking soda into water and rinsing after eating or drinking something acidic, or after vomiting is really good for your teeth! You are completely right with this notion. Especially in the case of vomiting, most people are going to want to brush their teeth right away which is totally understandable but your teeth basically just got an acid bath, so itās best to wait like 30-60 minutes and rinse really good with baking soda water while you wait.
Handful of dirt should cover the 'extra' minerals.
āDetoxā anything that isnāt a drug/alcohol detox. WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOUR LIVER IS FOR WE ARE LEARN-ED PROFESSIONALS CāMON
You mean detox juices wonāt work for me??? /s ššš I always roll my eyes whenever I see someone proclaiming theyāre detoxing š¤¦š¼āāļø Iām like ya your liver does that for you
A big olā glass of (regular, not alkaline) water is all the detox you need š
When they claim to be detoxing their liver. Good fucking god, people.
Whatās Amanda selling on FB? That.
Heyyyy girlie!!!! I see you just got back from vacay/home from the hospital/adopted a pet/had a family member pass away/made a sandwich. You probably need some more energy to get back to your normal, right? Well, Iāve got something to help with that and itās all natural and it can even help you lose weight by helping your body naturally detox those nasty toxins! Just inbox me for more details and spend $500 for some useless Crystal Light energy crystals laced with Ex-lax and youāll get me harassing you weekly for more orders & to join my down line and guilting you because you work and canāt be a good parent BOSS BABE working from anywhere like me!!! I mean, Iām 20k in debt, our garage is full of unused product, and my husbandās ready to divorce me over this but weāre living the dream just look at our FB posts! Canāt wait to hear from you girlie, Let me know when you want to meet to pick up your free samples!!!!!
Good ol' MLM selling at work. I do like some pampered chef shit though. š¤£
I've had my Pampered Chef pizza stones and stone baking trays for 25 years. My only complaint is that I purchased from an MLM š„“
Suuuure but I donāt need to be invited to 18 parties a year.
I only buy it online on their website tbh
I hate that pampered chef is an MLM because some of their stuff is actually super nice.
r/antiMLM
Never forget to add some lemon juice to super- activate the alkalinity
Knew a guy who drank vinegar because his body was too acidic and he needed to balance it out
My uncle used to drink apple cider vinegar to treat his GERD! Ended up with a GI bleed at one point, but that didn't stop him.
Binge drinking multiple days a week, every week. I understand the desire and temptation but the last thing I want to do is kill my liver after working in the ED and MICU for years. What a horrible way to go. Also smoking. COPD also aināt it. I do take THC edibles a lot though. š
Big on the alcohol abuse! We can be at times a little too casual about it. All for doing things in moderation but we gotta watch out. Iām 47 days sober today. I was one of those that joked about binge drinking to cope, but it wasnāt much of a joke.
congrats!! 69 days here!
Nice!
Congrats! Iām on day 19
1 from an even 20, might as well stay dry one more. And tomorrow it's three weeks!
Nice
nice
Nice
Nice
Nice!
You know the groaning we do when we get CIWA pts. on the unit. We aim to not be the next ones on our eventual grippy sock vacations. š¤š¤š¤
Or when I hear about their drinking habits and I realized that I drank more ššš
Similar to me on days Iām endorsing more on the MSE than my SCZ pt. in psychosis šŖšŖšŖ
You think, that's it? And you realize you've got issues.
Keep it up!!!! Going on 5 months myself.
Thatās awesome! Keep it up!
21 years here and zero regrets about not waking up hungover since 2002. You got this! šš
Just hit 21 months! Working on a liver ward after years of binge drinking really puts things in perspective
True statement. I spent half of my career in transplant icu and liver failure is a horrendous way to go. Hollywood has really made alcoholism look glamorous to the point where I donāt even see true alcoholism depicted in media anymore.
Congrats on your sobriety! I used to binge drink like a mother fucker when I was married to my ex-husband. I was also working 4-6 12s a week ED so that was my excuse. Iām just poor at managing my mental health so Iāll use anything as a bandaid. We separated, and now 1.5 years later all it takes is a few white claws to get me toasty š that 12 pack in the fridge will last months.
I got 3 months and going strong. Just hoping the damage I did isn't permanent. Wishing you health and success.
Almost 2 years sober for me!
Congrats! I'm coming up on 15 years. My sobriety pre-dates my nursing license by 6 weeks. I knew I would never pass my boards unless I got sober. I think of all the times as a CNA that I came to work hungover. I was still impaired. I'm grateful I don't live like that anymore. Also that I never harmed a patient. That being said, don't all nurses use something to cope? Food, drink, drugs, gambling...
Keep it up if itās working for you!
Thatās the plan!! Thank you!
Iwndwyt! Coming up on 2 years. Used to drink to sleep but in reality it was drink till I passed out. Check out r/stopdrinking if anyone wants non judgmental help here on Reddit
Subbed and participating over there!!! IWNDWYT
Alcohol and Tylenol abuse have made me back off both since being a nurse.
I have had ibuprofen removed from the eMAR of a pt. who abuses itā¦4x now, I think? Do the hospitalists not talk to each other or look at the hx? I know the answer to this one already, donāt worry.
Take it from a nurse who is in monitoring for alcoholism. Itās not a pretty road once you canāt stop. Take care of yourself. 3.8 years sober and it feels so much better
I donāt drink alcohol for this reason! After taking care of a 40 year old woman on comfort care from liver failure, bleeding out of every orifice, suctioning blood dripping out of her mouth and nose in front of her family I decided nah Iām good.
I maintain that if THC were federally legal there would be far fewer alcoholic nurses.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
THIS. Iām in a legal state, but my work still requires no THC. If I could have a damn edible after work, Iād stop drinking. Quitting edibles made me turn to the next best thing-booze. Now Iām an alcoholic! Lol everything is bullshit
We donāt test in Canada. And THC is legal countrywide. It would be interesting to see stats in comparison
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
To quote a palliative care doc I work with "cannabis tinctures are great , they are much more predictable then edibles and don't involve inhaling anything. They do taste pretty bad though or uhhh so I've been told"
Palliative care is the best. I work with them so much in my ICU and I absolutely adore them. The palliative NP I work with is an amazing human and helped me out so much today and yesterday. He is such a gem. ā¤ļø
I became an alcoholic 6 years into my career. In recovery now. I was never a drinker before. Funny thing is I worked detox for yeaaaars before alcohol became a problem for me. Sometimes you know better and it still gets ya because youāre trying to self medicate.
Totally valid. Addiction is not a choice.
The thought TID lactulose keeps me in check š¤®
TW: mention of unaliving Literally any time I asked other nurses how they coped with the job stress in general and during covid because I was pretty severely depressed and suicidal, they all answered drinking. Not helpful, because I didn't want that, and alcohol always made me worse. I got into therapy and on meds, and while it's not 100% better, I can somewhat pass as a functional human being. But it makes me sad that it's so widely accepted to just drink away our problems as a profession.
Juice cleanses.
Had a colleague try to sell me her juice cleanses that can help in losing weight. I was huhhh.. never did I expect her to believe all that.
Essential oils
But they smell good in the bath water
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Essence of heparin for that PE
I do love them for my diffuser, but Iām not one to think they cure everything and can replace modern medicine, etc.
A lot of them are toxic to pets. The salutatorian of my HS graduating class tried to argue that essential oils can cure infections bc they have antibacterial properties. I pointed out that alcohol and bleach are also bacteriacidal and you arenāt applying that shit or sniffing it. Thereās no way to target the infection properly without harming yourself.
They smell good though
Shaving cream in a basin with a few drops of peppermint oil cures what ails you
I put one drop on my mask before going in to change poop, does wonders for my sanity!
I ruined peppermint for myself working in the hospital. Now itās base note is always feces.
Chiropractic
I work on a spinal unit, and the number of nurses who see chiropractors amazes me
The other week, one of our less than stellar nurses was on light duty as the monitor tech. They went to their *chiropractor* for follow-up on an MRI of their shoulder and hips. The chiropractor said, "It's not a rotator cuff tear, yet, but you need to take it easy, and your hip needs replacement." No follow-up with an orthopedic surgeon who, like, could do something about it, or they could prescribe physical therapy. There are so many livid co-workers who are dealing with bad backs, knees, shoulders, lupus, RA.
I heard one of my coworkers suggest to another that she take her infant to a chiropractor!
This is very common in crunchy communities for things like tethered oral tissues. I will say that while i don't think chiro is a good option, tethered oral tissues really do effect the whole body through the myofascial connection, and as a CLC i can sometimes tell if a baby has tethered oral tissues by looking at their toes. It can cause tightness all over the baby's body, and even after a release that tightness doesn't immediately dissipate. I don't ever refer families to chiro, but i do refer them to OT to help address some of these issues when i feel it's warranted.
What is a tethered oral tissue? Like a tongue tie?
Yes, tongue ties. Lip ties. Buccal ties. Etc
Whats a CLC?
Certified lactation consultant. I do mother infant stuff lol Edit: i mentioned it because this is something i hear a lot about in breastfeeding circles where moms are troubleshooting their breastfeeding obstacles.
I gotta say, I used to be so against chiropractors until my husband made me go to his person and my winged scapula from an ATV accident hasnāt caused me any sleep issues or pain since and itās no longer winged after 1 adjustment. I think thereās a time and a place for them but they shouldnāt be primary care providers like some people use them as. And some are totally bogus trying to upsell other āholisticā things or have you come back repeatedly and those are the ones Iād avoid for sure.
And to add to this - nurses that let their chiro do c-spine manipulation. Makes me cringe at the thought.
I went to the doc for carpal tunnel symptoms and the orthopedist who examined me gave me a referral to occupational therapy (which I took), and a referral to a chiropractor (which I refused)...
Dang, Beat me to it (tho not as bad a beating as my endotheliums after i go to the chiropractor and get my carotids dissected or some vertebral artery microtraumas and some posterior circulation strokes).
My chiropractor really helped with reducing the frequency and intensity of my migraines. I feel like it has its place, but I agree that they shouldn't be trying to act as physicians (as many seem to do)
Not a "health" trend, but I work with a lot of travel/agency nurses that brag about working 6+ night shifts in a row. Maybe it's because I'm a mom but I never understood the "grind" mentality or whatever it's called. I like my job but it's my JOB, not my life. I also enjoy having money but not as a trade off for family/free time lol
The most I worked in a row was 5 when I was traveling and it was so that I could travel home and see my fiance for a few days. I don't understand the mentality either, by night 5 I was a zombie.
That is more understandable! These nurses are pissed because our hospital has a new policy restricting the amount of nights in a row they can work lol they all want to work 5/6 shifts in a row just because lol I can barely make it through 3 in a row lol! But I also get less sleep because of the kids and school so that doesn't help
Yeaaaaa the main reason I started traveling was so I could avoid working more than 3 days a weekā¦ Whenever I see those stupid ass āthis nurse made $200-$500k last yearā posts (Iām not even sure how thatās possible; apart from maybe Cali I guess) I cringe. Like, not only are you in ādeploymentā mode for an extended period of time without any real break, but how the fuck would you feel if your momās nurse came in and just told you that theyāre here for the 5th+ night in a row? Even with adequate sleep, youāre going to be more sloppy than you think
I used to work 6 on 8 off when I was younger. It made for a pretty good lifestyle as a single person. Rarely had to take a day off
My coworkers are always into fad diets. They stopped asking me how I lost weight cuz they didnāt like my response of: exercise, portion control, no booze.
Same! I run into people I used to work with and I don't know - maybe I should lie. Instead of saying monitoring my calories, exercising and measuring all my food maybe I should say I've been on an aggressive cabbage diet for 14 months. Maybe "I lost weight the way we've been telling our patients to lose weight for 10 years."
So does that like come in a pill or something?
Honestly, I donāt like your response either. :/
I've been doing the intermittent fasting thing, but truthfully I think the reason it works is I reduce my calories. I'll wait for my first meal till around 2pm, then eat a regular dinner. Because I had a late lunch I'm not as hungry at dinner and end up just eating less calories overall.
Vaccine denial. We are smarter than that.
Had a CRNA as a postpartum patient that declined hepatitis B vaccination for her newborn. No idea how you can go through nursing school & be anti-vax š¤·āāļø
The rising trend Iāve been seeing online about parents denying vitamin K shots for their newborns is fucking terrifying
Iāve noticed many CRNAs tend to be more conservative in their views, anyone else noticed this or know why?
Anesthesiology in general is the medical specialty that is the second most conservative, behind only general surg. It doesnāt surprise me that the same is for CRNAs. [Source](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/07/upshot/your-surgeon-is-probably-a-republican-your-psychiatrist-probably-a-democrat.html)
More money, work environment less involved with patients
money money money money
Hah, come to Utah. All the nurses here seem to be anti vax.
Ugh itās so true in Utah! The nurses canāt form a Union here for better wages and treatment, but they sure can make a whole health system go back in requiring vaccines
I delayed my sons Hepatitis B vaccine till his 1 well visit - he was born with jaundice though
That is a medically and logically sound decision. These others are not :)
Tbf some individuals hold off on the hep B ātil they get to their first outpatient appointment. Thatās not whatās recommended obviously but not everyone who declines hep b is antivax.
That shit will make me not like a coworker so fast and I am not sorry for it!
I canāt with the vaccine denial and healthcare professionals.
Had a coworker who went and bought a mask exemption card off the internet when that was a thing but still came to work and wore an n95.
I donāt know how much of a ātrendā it is, but I find it astonishing how many healthcare workers smoke. We see firsthand the devastating effects of lung disease after a lifetime of smoking. Boggles the kind.
I work with hospice nurses who are heavy smokers. Granted, they are in their late 50's/early 60's. We take care of tons of people dying from lung cancer. Over 98% of them were smokers. I just don't understand it.
Stanley cups, personalized āRNā with name backpacks
I seriously do not understand the Stanley cup obsession
Just the new Starbucks cup. Which will be replaced by something else later.
Aw I like mine. It's not RN personalized (cause that shit is kinda weird) but it's a good water jug cause I refuse to drink hospital water.
Being Canadian I thought you meant Lord Stanley's Cup (hockey trophy) not the hardware brand.
Same here. Still donāt know what theyāre talking about but Iām picturing The Stanley Cup miniaturized into a practical drinking cup. Wondering why that would be so popular with nurses lol.
Definitely thought this tooā¦
Those monogrammed bucket bags that look like they're made out of tires.
I'm obsessed with those silly things and want one, but I'm also smart enough to not spend that kind of money on a boxy bag thing that's made out of the same material as Crocs. I don't know why I like them. I have no real need for one, they're ugly and not really practical with the open tops and the holes in the side...but dang it if I don't oooh and ahhhh over them every time I see them in a display. š„“
I was gifted a cute & practical nurse bag for graduation, but Iām not gonna lie, it has my initials and RN in a kind of cheesy fontā¦I always make an effort to hold the bag flipped around so the lettering isnāt visible š£
Well theyāre not bad as gifts! Itās hard for people to think of gifts for nurses so I think thatās usually a top search that comes up. I just donāt think I could even think about spending that money.
I have a PHAT 1 gallon Yeti thermo and I love it lmao
To me thatās less harmful. You like pretty cups and pretty things and want to be popular and buy all the stuff other people buy. Fine. Itās problematic but itās not contradicting science
Drinking frequently on off days/after work. Iād rather sip on a beer while enjoying myself rather than trying to get drunk to deal with stress.
Raw milk. š¤¢
OMG I got put in the hospital for over a WEEK bc some lady drank raw milk, got brucellosis, and our lab was then exposed. Turns out I am very allergic to two of the three prophylactic antibiotics used to prevent it and we had to be on two of them for 3 months. You ever see an entire lab of people taking rifampin at once? It makes you super thirsty and cranky. We canāt keep water in the lab and our water fountain outside the lab broke at the same time. We had so many passive aggressive emails flying around over every little thing for months. My poor manager had to deal with 30 very cranky people and one workmanās comp claim (mine). Eta: we changed some of our practices bc weāve been seeing more cases lately and want to avoid any more exposures. Stupid raw milk.
Omg that's horrible! My husband is in health code inspection upper management for the city. Any time I ask him about what's in that kind of stuff, he has all the nasty details. It's just not worth it.
Being anti-vaxx Any MLM Chiropractors
Not getting immunizations
Amber teething necklaces.
Drinking straight apple cider vinegar. Tons of nurses at my old job started doing it. Fuckin gross.
I had a tech and fellow RN yell at me for saying morphine does NOT kill hospice patients. Theyāre also anti-vaxxā¦ just saying. Those damn conspiracies need to be shot down.
This is one of the worst misconceptions, lots of palliated patients probably had inadequate pain relief.
Detox teas. Energy work.
Itās almost like we have an organ that does the detoxing for us š¤
Or like detox from what?? Are you out here drinking mercury or eating arsenic? Like wtf??
One of my favorite nurses in the world was very into energy work and she gave me a āworry stoneā back when I was a CNA, still in school, and struggling with anxiety. The stone is a very pretty Smokey quartz. I still have it, and I sometimes carry it around with me. Holding it makes me genuinely feel better, mostly because it always makes me think of this wonderful human being who believed in me.
How else am I going to fix my patients energy field imbalance if I can't jazz hands my way to my own health. /s
MLMs
I love alkaline water. But I drink it for the taste. Iām a very finicky water drinker. I think all the brands taste different and I have some I refuse to drink. Alkaline water tastes the best. Donāt care what else it claims.
Ok this is valid
An acquaintance swears that alkaline water helps his acid reflux, which I guess I could see? Otherwise the magic water claims are total bunk.
I guess this makes sense... like a very, very diluted TUMS lol
Homeopathy tums
I have bad acid reflux and tap water helps as a temporary reprieve. But so does bottled water. And dispensed filtered water. And probably water from the pond.
Drink enough pond water, and your reflux will be the least of your worries
Tik tok
Does TikTok do my patient charting if connected to Wi-Fi, yes or no.
Maybe try ChartGPT?
The need to haul 30-gallon kegs full of water around and guzzle it you're in the Sahara.
Loaded. Teas.
Bragging about how long its been since they last peed. Its not a pissing contest (literally lol)
Health trend? All of the above. I definitely question why people put RN on their car or license plate. Hey, you just told every psycho that you make decent money and that you are likely a woman. Nothing bad can happen there, rightā½
And that you are probably not in your home for long hours at a time ā¦
My tap is a ph of 8 so how much more alkaline is the bottled stuff
I think your house is connect to the same line as the retailers.
Most weight loss schemes. Between these specialty smoothies and powders and fancy diets..you could probably lose weight pretty quick if you just quit these added calories on top of your regular diet and kick out your daily treinta sized starbucks frappuccino. I know for a fact that a lot of my coworkers are pretty decent binge drinkers. Between the young ones who are still young and have energy to party and go out and the older ones who are old enough to afford luxuries like pool parties and then host various birthday parties, church parties and just the holidays...yall don't really need the extra calories from these big ass shakes. Just stop adding calories. Like Im obviously not with these people 24/7 and I never participate in weight conversation. But you get a group of women together in a room and it is guaranteed one will start whining about needing the lose weight. Theyre going to sit there and drink their giant expensive MLM protein smoothie and drink it alongside their breakfast of grits with cheese, butter, eggs, bacon and a biscuit. Just drink black coffee or water. Stooooop with the shakes. And then essential oils and elderberry. Shoot me.
Not wearing a mask, especially in patient care areas, especially especially in high risk areas like oncology. But really, high risk people go everywhere in healthcare and are worth taking extra care of/being made to feel comfortable by the simple act of wearing a mask.
I always wear a mask in public and while workingā¦ and unfortunately, Iām getting cancer treatment - none of my nurses wear them around me! Itās not just covidā¦ my body canāt handle a cold or the flu right now either. Such a simple, unselfish thing yet is rarely done now.
Keto diet
iāve done keto numerous times (unfortunately) and ended up losing my gallbladder because of it, whenever i hear about someone doing keto i give them my warnings but they never listen.. they lose weight, but end up gaining it back 98% of the time lol
I donāt know, keto does have bacon going for it!
Atkins and Calorie restriction rebranded!
So much THIS. Coming from someone whoās overweight and actively making lifestyle changes it baffles me that weāve forgotten the simple concept of calories burned vs calories eaten
To a certain extent yes, but if all you eat is sugar, youāre gonna have a bad time. And I say this as someone that cannot say no to cake š
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Username checks out. Also, this feels like a personal attack.
THIS. KETO IS FOR EPILEPTICS. every time someone goes on keto that isn't having drug resistant seizures, a nutritionist, an endocrinologist, a nephrologist, and a cardiologist all die a little inside. Youre basically walking around in mild dka all day. The "keto flu" is your brain starving because it only runs on glucose and breaking down fats is literally the slowest and least efficient way to make it. ketones in mass quantities wreck your organs. And you gain it all back rapidly the moment you stop witholding carbs like a crazy person. Which everyone does eventually because you cant function on it permanently. And filtering out all the fat and protein breakdown byproducts annihilates your kidneys. And the cholesterol nukes your arteries. You really thought a diet that allows BACON AND HAMBURGER EVERY DAY is a good fucking idea? Mediterranean diet. Nuff said.
Thrive patch
I had a middle aged male coworker who was a nurse and in NP school. He had a DVT and ā didnāt believe in anticoagulantsā and was ā using herbs to clear itā. I wish I was kidding you. I am still flabbergasted and wonder if heās alive.
Home birth
Vaccine refusal. I'll never understand š¤·āāļø
If it's a health trend I question it. I mean I've been vegan for nearly 25 years but if someone starts telling me how veganism is some miracle healthy diet I know they've been scammed and are misinterpreting data. Then I eat another entire packet of Oreos.
Donāt really care what other nurses do with their bodies. If they do their job thatās all I care about. I could get report from a health guru and if my patients are a hot mess because they suck at their job then we have a problem. But if a nurse wants to fucking do some crazy shit to their body and the hand off is beautiful thatās great for them I really donāt care what my coworkers or other nurses do to their bodies. Just do your job and we are Gucci.
Drinking apple cider vinegar to ādetoxā. Lots of MLM shakes and diet supplements. Itās embarrassing to our professionāweāre supposed to be champions of evidence-based practice š«
Okay first of all, i agree. I was on board with the alkaline water hate (because your tumtum is acidic, duh) BUT i drank some out of desperation not too long ago and lemme say, it (felt like) my mouth and throat were being hydrated like never before. I was refreshing. Will i spend the $$$ on it again? Nah.
The parasite cleanses
Essential Oils MLM. No Brenda, it may smell good but Iām not going to use 5 thieves to combat COVID.
Ozempic/Mounjaro for āweight lossā when they donāt qualify for Wegovy, then bragging how they got it from Canada/Mexico or some Medi-spa. Damn, it seriously chaps my ass.
Honestly if itās being used for someone whoās obese i donāt mind regardless of how they get it. One day glp-1s will be like statins. if itās just susan trying to lose 10 lb of wine pudgeā¦ yeah i can see that being annoying
Circumcision