NOTE: Some replies were pulled from this Reddit thread by u/Sea_Fig1387 and u/setealemtresspasser.
1. “I’m a surgical assistant (PA). Don’t let abdominal pain persist for a week before seeking medical attention. For example, operating on a gallbladder that has been infected for a week will be more challenging than when you first started. It also puts you at higher risk for intraoperative complications.”
-anonymous
Manusapon Kasosoder/Getty Images
2. “Not taking care of your joints and not doing it the right way when exercising. It’s OK to push through discomfort. Pushing through pain is not – your body is trying to tell you something! Also, warming up and cooling down are essential, not optional!!”
—tlpg92
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3. “Eat too much processed food. Processed foods contain ‘hidden’ sugars and other harmful ingredients. Processed foods bypass your body’s really necessary ‘food processors,’ from chewing with saliva to fiber cleaning out the lower part of your digestive tract.”
—Fashion Squid 1271
4. “This is Internal Medicine PA. Not getting age-appropriate cancer screenings is just negligence. Early detection can save your life. Get a Pap smear, mammogram, yearly comprehensive skin exam, screening colonoscopy (or get a non-invasive colonoscopy and skip prep and surgery entirely; but if abnormal, you still need an endoscopy), and lung cancer screening if you meet the criteria.”
“Men, please discuss PSA prostate-specific antigen testing (ages 55-69) with your healthcare provider. See USPSTF screening guidelines.”
—Anonymous, 46, Minnesota
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5. “Brushing is only half the job. Flossing removes food particles between the teeth and gums. If left too long, they can break down and become acidic, slowly eating away at tooth enamel.”
“return, Brushing your teeth immediately after vomiting can aggravate the damage caused by stomach acid to your teeth. Rinse your mouth with warm water and 2-carb soda to prevent further damage! “
—u/tminor94
6. “I work in the emergency room. Actually follow up with your doctor: If I tell you to see someone, you need to do that. The reason your condition worsens is you don’t know anything about it, so you can’t tell when intervention is needed. That’s your doctor’s job, and that’s why I tell you to see them, even though you feel fine now.”
—u/YoungSeriously
7. “Not washing your hands after: A) blowing your nose; B) using the bathroom; C) handling pets, pet food, and litter boxes; D) cooking or eating, before and after; E) removing cleaning or medical gloves; F) administering any first aid, before and after; G) washing your hands again before and after visiting someone who is sick; H) coming home and touching public door handles, shopping carts, etc.; I) your hands are dirty.”
—Anonymous, 72, Texas
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Medical Vedder/Getty Images
8. “Skip vaccinations. There’s a reason certain diseases like polio disappear, there’s a reason people are living longer, there’s a reason cervical cancer and HPV-related oral cancers continue to decline.”
—gaba2191
9. “Just to emphasize the importance of not smoking, if you smoke and get lung cancer from smoking, the cancer will be more aggressive, have no actionable mutations and be less immunogenic, making treatment options more limited and less effective.”
—gaba2191
10. “I’m a first responder who works with medical professionals in the public safety field. For God’s sake, if you’re doing anything high-risk, wear a helmet. Getting into the bad habit of driving yourself and taking risks will eventually kill you. I’ve seen fatalities in 35 mph crashes without a helmet, and head-on collisions of motorcycles with helmeted minivans at 55 mph resulting in ‘she walked away, she needs a new helmet.'” You only have one skull, one brain, and one life. Don’t let ‘I need to feel the wind on my face’ or ‘helmets are for bad riders’ to be your reasons for not using a helmet. “
“My family was devastated when my mom’s brother hit another deer on his motorcycle and it ended up being an organ donation – his skull was destroyed. Wear a damn helmet. And a seat belt. Or a bulletproof jacket. Wear whatever protective gear is appropriate for your sport; your loved ones will thank you for it, and if you live into old age, your future older self will too!“
—Anonymous, 37, Wisconsin
Avriandi/Getty Images
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11. “No stretching. Even 10 minutes a day can do wonders for your health.”
—[redacted]
12. “If you are diagnosed with a chronic medical condition such as congestive heart failure, diabetes, kidney failure, etc., we spend a lot of time teaching you how to take care of yourself. Please, Do Please follow the instructions. If you don’t understand, please let us know so we can continue to work with you. Do these things so that you don’t get readmitted to the hospital again and again, because this will keep happening until one day you are wheeled out by the funeral home. We hate watching you slowly kill yourself. “
—[redacted]
13. “If you’re prescribed meds, take them on time. I can’t count the number of people who have a known problem and then another question comes up and when I ask them if they’re taking their meds, they say, ‘Well, I didn’t think I needed them, so I stopped.'” I don’t care if you feel fine; if your blood pressure is 200/110, you can go from ‘fine’ to ‘my brain is bleeding’ in a second. “
—u/YoungSeriously
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14. “When you take antibiotics, take them as prescribed and don’t leave any extra so you can ‘use them the next time you get sick.'”
“Also, if you’re told to follow up on something, you probably should follow up… We’re not going to come back for no reason.”
—u/alex_subo
15. “Ignore your irregular sleep patterns and overall lack of sleep!”
—Anonymous, 65, Arizona
16. “Always educate yourself on your health, medical conditions, medications, etc. It amazes me how many times people take prescriptions and don’t know what they are for, or don’t know the basics of what they are diagnosed with. ‘I don’t know’ has been a common answer. Why don’t you know? Why don’t you know what’s going on with your body?”
“The Internet is a huge research tool that you should have at your disposal, and there are many ways you can use it to help you understand your health and make informed decisions.”
——Wandering Storm
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at last…
17. “Medical nutrition students here. A healthy diet includes variety! Eat a variety of whole grains, nuts, legumes, fruits, vegetables and lean meats.”
——u/severebabyface
Lyudmila Chernecka/Getty Images
NOTE: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals, what are some other “bad” health habits that people don’t realize are seriously harmful? Let us know in the comments, or if you’d like to remain anonymous, you can use the form below.
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