“Never trust the Internet with health advice,” people say. When I think of how many times a visit to WebMD has given me a cancer scare, I’d agree. 54% of American consumers say they see food and nutrition content on their feeds regularly.
Yet Baby-Boomers are the most skeptical: only 59% trust the food and nutrition content on social media, compared to 71% of Gen X, 68% of Millennials, and 76% of Gen Z.
One netizen wanted to hear from true medical experts on the internet about the everyday things we need to look out for if we want to stay healthy. So, they decided to ask: “Medical professionals, what are some of the most mundane reasons most people are unaware of that make them sick?”
And the medical professionals of Reddit delivered, reminding us why such simple habits like brushing our teeth, washing our hands, and taking our meds are so important.
We got in touch with the netizen who addressed the medical professionals of Reddit. r/chickencaesar8 kindly agreed to share his thoughts on healthy living with us. Read our short conversation below!
#1
Psych nurse here. Don’t stop your meds because you’re “feeling better”. Why do you think you feel better.
In the age of the internet, lots of people look for health advice online.The CDC reportsthat 58.5% of Americans admitted looking for medical information online in 2022. R/chickencaesar8 tells We that one of the reasons he started this thread was because of his partner’s recent health issues.
“Lately, my partner has been getting these itchy rashes all over his body and we don’t know where they’re coming from,” the Redditor shared. He says that he often turn to Reddit to find out the answers to random questions or ideas when there’s no one else who could answer them.
“I also think that medical professionals will have better knowledge in answering the question through their expertise/experiences in their field,” r/chickencaesar8 says in regard to this particular thread.
#2
Finishing antibiotics.
Always finish the full course you are prescribed. You think k you are better. But the bacteria may not be dead and it’s gonna come back stronger.
#3
People don’t realize how their partners make them mentally sick.
With so much information available to us, we might think that we’re more health-conscious than ever. For example, when it comes to nutrition, 77% of Americansclaimthey would like to be eating healthier.
r/chickencaesar8 doesn’t spend that much time thinking about his health. “I have never considered myself health-conscious as I enjoy eating all kinds of food though I always know when to stop,” he shares.
“I guess I consider myself a sensible eater. I also do not smoke, I drink enough water and sleep around eight hours a day.”
#4
Ok so this is not related to sickness but injury – after a certain age (different for everyone) you should get rid of every slippery pair of socks, uneven area rug, or any other tripping hazard in your house. It’s very easy to trip and fall in the dark trying to get to the bathroom and a lot of people have major complications trying to recover from a broken hip or other leg injury. Small trip hazards in your house may not seem like a big deal, but they could lead to an injury that you never recover from and it’s a very common problem.
#5
Not brushing your teeeeeth, mouth bacteria can lead to a hundred different head to toe issues and can even k**l you.
#6
If you have sudden unexplained weight loss PLEASE go get checked out. I can not begin to count how many people (especially middle aged and older) I’ve triaged for some other symptoms drop a random ‘oh yeah and I’ve lost xx amount of lbs in a month’ and more often than not it turns out to be CANCER. You’re not turning into a skinny legend, it’s cachexia 😭.
“My partner and I love going for walks, play badminton occasionally and play board games. I would say we have a relationship that’s full of laughter, nice conversations, adventures with a bit of drama every now and then,” r/chickencaesar8 adds.
If you think the habits the Redditor listed don’t count as a healthy lifestyle, think again!A 2023 studyof lifestyle behaviors identified the healthy habits that can prolong our lives by 24 years.
And what are those magical tips? Mostly things we’ve all probably heard before: a healthy diet, regular exercise, less stress, getting enough sleep, and positive social relationships.
#7
Listening to influencers who are not medically trained.
I’ve watched ads on TikTok where an influencer will pour two packs of liquid iv into a cup to make a new flavor. Or whatever the hell the raw milk and unpasteurized nonsense is. You can’t lemon and cayenne water your way out of hyperlipidemia, but you can erode your gastric lining.
#8
Leaving a tooth infection without treatment. It can cause so many bad things.
#9
Not drinking water. So many people feel like s**t but only drink coffee, Coke, and Corona. People like this live live on a onife edge of minor dehydration where the tiniest bit of exertion feels impossible. If you actually drink the water your body needs, it fixes all sorts of minor issues.
R/chickencaesar8’s thread did reveal some things some of us do that may cost us our health in the long run. For the Redditor,the answer about men not wipingwas the one that stood out the most.
This may surprise you, but even a quite recent YouGov pollshowedthat not all people wipe with toilet paper after a bowel movement. 86% of the respondents said they always use toilet paper. 14% claimed they go for wet wipes. Let’s just hope everyone uses one or the other every time!
#10
NOT a medical professional but so far there’s been three entirely unrelated people in my life who have casually gone Pants On Head Crazy and then found out they had black mold in their homes.
For the love of god, if you start noticing somebody’s lost the plot, lovingly convince them to do black mold testing. If it’s not that, their thyroid may have gathered its little coat and hat and suitcase and headed out the door.
#11
If your toes start turning black from untreated diabetes, it’s not going to get better on its own, it will only continue to get worse, and lead to irreparable damage including the loss of the foot entirely.
idk if people also realize that aspirating things (something “going down the wrong tube” as most people say) causes pneumonia.
also idk if this counts but i can say that after multiple months doing xray at an inner city level 1 trauma hospital, i will never ever get on a motorcycle, four wheeler, atv, dirtbike, none of that. nope no thanks im good.
#12
Pharmacy technician here. Don’t stop taking your blood pressure meds. If your blood pressure is good, now is not the time to stop your meds. They are working.
So, Pandas, let’s all wash our hands, brush our teeth, floss, finish our meds, and wipe after going to the toilet! That way, we can live healthier and, hopefully, longer lives.
If we have any medical professionals here among our fellow Pandas, be sure to share any mundane things that make people sick in the comments, too!
#13
1. Drinking. Cirrhosis is very very mean.
2. Wash. Your. Hands. I don’t mean a little squirt of soap and then immediately rinse it off, I mean the whole 20 seconds. Noro/sapovirus, C. Diff, trust me, you don’t want it.
#14
Derm PA here- please moisturize your skin. Wearing lotion is not only a “girly” thing to do. Dry skin can lead to itchy skin, which can lead to chronically itchy skin, which can lead to intense scratching and can leave open wounds and sores.
Itchy skin can drive a person bonkers. I see it everyday. The easiest way to prevent this is to wear lotion.
#15
I’ve had so many male patients with rectal problems because they will not wipe after using the bathroom. One guy told me it’s gay to touch your butt. Another said he just don’t do that wipe thing. Another said he didn’t care. Totally preventable disease state.
#16
I could go to a doctor with an axe in my head and the first things he would tell me are: Don’t smoke, exercise more, eat healthier.
Whats often overlooked is I think is: Sleep more, work less.
#17
Not. Enough. Fiber.
#18
Vaping. I have pts that repeatedly see allergists/pulmonary bc they “don’t know why i’m wheezy all the time and it feels like i can’t breathe.” Nasal sprays, antihistamines, allergy pills, 3-4 different nebs…all while denying they vape. It’s gross.
#19
Not following a doctor’s advice to cut something from your diet. For example, people who say, ‘Doc told me to stop eating gluten and dairy. So I had pizza for dinner, but it’s ok because i took a lactaid.’ Just..no. That’s not how that works. That’s not how any of that works.
#20
Untreated sleep apnea is absolutely terrible for you. Over time it can lead to heart problems, diabetes, stroke, and even shorten your lifespan, to say nothing of what chronic lack of quality sleep can do for your immediate mental and psychological health. Snoring all night every night is not normal. Get over yourself and use the CPAP.
#21
I had a Type 1 diabetic patient in medical school who stopped taking her insulin because it would help her lose weight quickly.
Her chronic high blood sugars instead shut her kidneys down and blinded her in one eye. .
#22
Physician:
1. Alcohol
2. Obesity
3. Indiscriminate over the counter supplement use
4. Motorcycles
5. Not wearing a helmet
6. Not treating your high blood pressure because “you feel fine.”
7. Not taking care of your teeth
8. Poverty.
#23
Swimming with contacts in. Every time I dispense fortified vancomycin and gentamicin (compounded by our IV room, strong antibiotic) eyedrops, in the chart it turns out that the patient was swimming with contacts in. They get super nasty infections.
#24
Not being especially cautious as you get older. About 15 years ago, when I became a nurse’s assistant, the nurse teaching the course told us that for many elderly people, a fall was the beginning of the end. Small falls that younger people deal with constantly can break a bone in an older person, and their body has to fight harder to heal when they’re older, which overdrives the immune system and makes it easier to get sick in other ways.
#25
Do NOT let your dog lick an open wound! Their mouth is full of bacteria, they don’t have “clean mouths” like we were told when we were kids. Also, please take your meds before coming to the hospital. Just let us know what you took. No reason to skip your BP meds… Bathroom injuries yall… I cannot tell you how many people come to the ER because they vasovagaled
on the toilet pushing too hard. ALSO make sure your toys have flared bases :D.
#26
I work at a dentist, people improperly taking or prematurely stopping antibiotics. When people start but don’t finish antibiotics (usually because they feel better), the surviving infection grows resistant to those antibiotics, so future courses become inefficient or don’t work at all.
#TAKE THE WHOLE COURSE.
Infections in your teeth and jaw have a short path to your brain, and leaving that infection untreated (especially if it’s asymptomatic or not causing pain) can cause bone loss, which can very much detrimentally impact things like implants and even your jaw strength.
#27
Pay attention when something changes or something new happens. Even minor issues that don’t go away or continue to get worse should always warrant a trip to the doctor.
I’m a medical student and I put off going to the doctor for embarrassing urinary symptoms for 6 months. I finally saw someone a couple weeks ago and they think I may have MS. I’m so mad at myself that, if I do have MS, I could’ve started treatment months ago and prevented ongoing nervous system damage.
#28
Not necessarily sick but long car rides without breaks can absolutely cause blood clots, which can possibly lead to a pulmonary embolism if left untreated.
#29
Please stop drinking energy drinks.. they are terrible for you!
#30
People with Congestive Heart Failure not checking labels for sodium content, and here in Louisiana, going to multiple crawfish boils.
#31
Poor social support and relationships. D**g misuse and abuse not thinking they’re abusing. Never opening their blinds or sitting in the sun.
#32
Just because the health condition is common in your family, doesn’t make it “normal” to have that condition.
eg young woman from a family all living with type 2 diabetes, gets diagnosed with gestational diabetes and pretty much ignores it because it’s “normal” in her family.
She’s told over and over to monitor her BGLs and keep them under x level with the insulin etc she’s been prescribed, as high sugars are not only harmful to her but also to her fetus. Lots of education given on all of this and specifically told that her baby could die if she’s not vigilant.
Still does her own thing and to no one’s surprise: stillbirth.
So senseless and avoidable.
#33
High humidity in a house causes mold. Not changing the air filter on your HVAC regularly causes mold/high energy bills.
#34
Consistently getting less than 7 hours of sleep, even if it’s 6.5 hours, is enough to suppress your immune system. This is because deep sleep is extremely important for T-cell function, the cells that seek out and destroy infected cells and cancer. Chronic short sleep leads to more frequent infections and it also takes longer to recover.
#35
Not washing hands before touching and eating food. Wanna grab those chips, wash your hands with soap and water or use a sanitizer.
Note: this post originally had 54 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.