Doctors And Nurses Are Calling Out The Health “Lies” You Should Stop Believing, And It’s Shocking

We recently wrote a post where doctors, nurses, and other medical workers revealed the health “lies” people should stop believing, and their answers were eye-opening. In the comments, other medical professionals shared the health myths and misconceptions that more people should know. Here’s what they had to say:

1.“As a Paramedic/EMS Director, working in the 911 and private sectors, one myth is that if you call an ambulance, you will be seen faster in the emergency department. This is not the case. If you call for something that could be handled at an urgent care or primary physician’s office, or didn’t need care at all, you will be sent to the waiting room and triaged.”

“You will wait until it is your turn based on the severity of your symptoms.”

—Anonymous, 36, Virginia

“Taking an ambulance WILL NOT get you seen faster, and depending on your complaint, you may actually wait LONGER for a bed because you are with a medical attendant. I have waited with a patient on my stretcher for over eight hours, waiting for placement in the ER. It’s one less ambulance to run emergencies. And if I’m waiting, other crews are waiting, taking multiple crews off the road to run other emergencies. Also, yes, we can and do put you in the triage/main waiting area.”

—Anonymous, 46

2.“‘Dirty-looking urine’ or an abnormal urine test does NOT mean you have a urine infection unless you’re having fever or other symptoms to go with it. Similarly, a shadow on a chest X-ray or CT is NOT necessarily pneumonia, unless you have a fever or breathing symptoms.”

“There are also many skin conditions that aren’t ‘cellulitis’ or infections. Most Emergency Departments give patients swimming pools worth of unnecessary antibiotics every year.”

—Anonymous, 40, Midwest

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3.“This may shock you, but ‘high blood pressure’ without other symptoms is not a medical emergency. Unless you are pregnant, bleeding out, or having a heart attack, your blood pressure needs TO BE OVER >220/115 before we do anything emergency-related to treat it. Because it’s dangerous and unnecessary to intervene (we can lower it now, but you’ll be right back in here, after you faint at home and hit your head). Save the trip for your primary care doctor.”

—Anonymous, 47, Florida

4.“ER Doc here: Please do not come in for back pain, shoulder pain, ankle pain, etc., without having tried Tylenol, Advil, or other over-the-counter pain meds. Otherwise, when you come to the ED, that is exactly what we will give you; you will most likely feel better, and then you will get a huge bill.”

—Anonymous, 32, Georgia

5.“Allergist/immunologist here. Not every rash is caused by an ‘allergic’ reaction. The immune system is complex and constantly adapts and responds to our environment. This means that rashes can be due to all sorts of things, including viruses and other infections. If you have a rash or even hives for a day, you do not need to immediately see an allergist! Take some antihistamine (like Zyrtec), and give it a few days. Most rashes or acute hives clear up on their own once the immune system is no longer triggered.”

—Anonymous, 36, Texas

6.“People, PLEASE stop googling symptoms and coming in with what ‘you think is what you have.’ Just tell us, and we will treat you accordingly. Is Google helpful for something? Yes, but when symptoms have been going on for weeks or months, see your PCP (primary care provider), or go to an urgent care. Google is not helping you; if anything, it’s making you think there’s more wrong with you. Just go to the doctor, and please stop telling us, ‘Well, Google said…'”

“Doctor Google doesn’t do anything but make us frustrated. Google doesn’t have the schooling or the degree — we do!”

—Anonymous, 24, Florida

7.“When dealing with an open skin wound, do not remove a dressing to expose it to drying-out air. Grandma was wrong when she told you to ‘let air get at the wound.’ The body exists in a wet environment, and drying out open skin will not make it heal faster. Keep the wound covered, the surface moist, and the body will heal.”

—Anonymous, 79, Wisconsin

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8.“Myth: Developmental disorders like autism and ADHD are being overdiagnosed now. Fact: The increase in diagnosis of these disorders is due to the increase in research and understanding of how such disorders present, FULL STOP. The majority of research is often conducted using white, male participants. As research has expanded to include a wider variety of individuals, we now understand these disorders can present in women compared to men.”

“Additionally, Black children are frequently viewed in a harsher light than white children for the same kinds of behaviors, and Black children/teens have historically been diagnosed with things like Conduct Disorder or Antisocial Personality Disorder when they were really presenting with symptoms of ADHD. As mental health as a whole begins to take ownership for the harms it has caused and moves to fix our bad practice and role in systemic racism and sexism, neurodevelopmental disorders are being diagnosed at the rate they should have been.”

—Anonymous, 33, California

9.“We do not control drug prices, insurance coverages or decisions, your co-pay, your bill, etc. The vast majority of us do not have ANY TIES to specific hospitals or pharmaceutical companies; in fact, we dislike them or the bureaucracy as much as you do. Because private insurance companies in the US are part of a capitalistic system, they operate based on what is best and most profitable to THEM, not on what is best for patients. Because of the flawed health care model and insurance companies, most of us don’t know and cannot consistently find out or keep track of how much our own services cost, and what’s worse, hospitals can change their fees and/or insurance companies can change what they will cover at any time.”

“The lack of clarity and transparency in the health care system is very frustrating for us, too, and we are on your side. Most of us will do whatever we can to get something approved or covered for you and/or find ways to lower your costs if we can.”

—Anonymous, 36, Texas

10.“A sore arm, slight fever, and/or feeling a little icky/tired for a day or two after a vaccine means your immune system is actually making antibodies to protect you in the future. It’s not an allergic reaction or a reason to avoid getting vaccines in the future. These symptoms are COMMON and are a good sign that the vaccine is effective. Similarly, inactivated vaccines cannot give you the disease they are created for — so, the inactivated flu vaccine does not give people the flu.”

“The mild symptoms many people experience after a vaccine, once again, are due to the immune system responding to the vaccine so you are protected long term.”

—Anonymous, 36, Texas

11.“Having an egg allergy is no longer a reason to avoid the flu shot. The manufacturing of flu vaccines has nothing to do with eggs or cultures from eggs anymore.”

—Anonymous, 36, Texas

12.“When I ask if you have any medical history, and you say no, and then list 15 medications that you are on…you have past medical history. If you aren’t connected with a health system, trust big brother, or don’t have a smartphone, write all your medications, medical history, and allergies on a piece of paper, and fold it to the size of a business card and stuff it into your wallet behind your ID.”

—Anonymous, 40, Pennsylvania

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13.“Being able to pee is not a sign that your kidneys are doing just fine; there are a lot of people on permanent dialysis who still pee every day. They just pee water, not urine (which is water plus toxins plus salts)!”

—Anonymous, 40, Georgia

14.“I work in an STI clinic, and I cannot tell you how many times we have patients coming to us in a panic, saying they had sex in the past 24 hours and now have XYZ symptoms and want to be tested. Not all STIs manifest symptoms within a few days, and testing may not be reliable within the first 10–15 days for some infections. So, no, the pimple that appeared on your private parts one day after having sex is likely either from a *pre-existing* STI you’ve had for a while or is just a pimple, AND, no, we cannot test you for all STIs one day after having sex.”

“That said, obviously some sexual health resources *are* urgent/time sensitive. For example, emergency HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and emergency contraceptives do need to be started within 72 hours of sex, ideally as soon as possible. So, I’m NOT saying you should wait to seek up — just don’t get mad at us if we say you will have to wait a few weeks to do your general testing. We can’t help it! It’s biology!”

—Anonymous, 36, Brazil

15.“Myth: People with schizophrenia are violent and can’t live fulfilling lives. Fact: There are many, MANY successful, bright, funny, creative individuals with schizophrenia who have never harmed anyone. Statistically, someone with schizophrenia is more at risk of being a victim of a crime than the perpetrator.”

“Another myth: If someone experiences hallucinations, they MUST have Schizophrenia. Fact: Hallucinations are just one symptom, and can be caused by a variety of mental and physical health issues, and stressors. Some examples include bipolar disorder (more often during manic episodes than depressive), PTSD (during flashbacks), borderline personality disorder, ocular tumors, Parkinson’s disease, drug intoxication, sleep deprivation, stress, sensory deprivation (as seen in solitary confinement, which is illegal to do 24/7 in many places), etc.”

—Anonymous, 33, California

16.“Food allergy is a serious diagnosis and means the person could die if they are exposed to the food. Food allergy is NOT the same as food intolerance, which is much more common. Food allergy means a person will experience symptoms of swelling, hives, difficulty breathing, and low blood pressure every time they are exposed to that food, and they will likely need emergency care. Therefore, if you had hives once around the same time as a meal but otherwise eat a normal diet and haven’t had more episodes of symptoms, you almost certainly don’t have a food allergy, and those hives were due to something else going on at the time that happened to coincide with a meal.”

“Food intolerance symptoms typically include abdominal upset, diarrhea, or constipation, which are not life-threatening. You should, of course, manage your diet so that you are happy, healthy, and comfortable, but please stop telling everyone you have a food allergy if you do not, because there are people out there who do have one. Please stop asking your doctor for an EpiPen unless you have a true food allergy diagnosis, because again, there are people out there who need them. A food allergy is difficult for many people because it may impact them socially, physically, emotionally, and/or financially. Alternative diets are expensive. Kids are bullied all the time for needing a specific diet due to a food allergy. Being different or needing special accommodations can be isolating and affect mental health. And as already mentioned, food allergy reactions are LIFE-THREATENING. People with true food allergies are often struggling silently in many ways, but may act like everything is okay.”

—Anonymous, 36, Texas

17.“Health care providers run late for all sorts of reasons that we can’t control, including other patients being late to their appointments (but still within an allotted grace period so they are still allowed to be seen), medical emergencies, unexpected situations or complex conversations that must be handled, outside requests that are time sensitive, such as calls from insurance companies, pharmacies, and more. We do not always have staff helping us handle these items. We also are NOT purposely making you wait 20–30 or sometimes more minutes to be seen.”

“If we are late seeing you, we have to take care of 10 other things during or between patient visits. We often delay or miss lunch, water breaks, or bathroom breaks to handle all our responsibilities on a given day. Please be patient and kind to your health care providers and be on time (or early) to your appointments!”

—Anonymous, 36, Texas

18.“Urgent care centers are not the place for head injuries, chest pain, or abdominal pain. I will send you to the ED for advanced imaging or lab testing to make a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.”

—Anonymous, 62, New York

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19.“You can’t ‘detox’ your body through your feet, with essential oils, or any drastic diet. That’s what your liver and kidneys are for, and they don’t care what snake oil you bought to do the job they were made to do!”

—Anonymous, 46, California

20.“Been an ICU nurse for 28 years. Nothing surprises me, but things still gross me out from time to time. If I tell the visitors to wait in the waiting room while I do a dressing change, maybe don’t think I’m hiding something. Seeing necrotizing fasciitis or maggots in a wound is pretty unsettling. I can’t pick you up off the floor and take care of your loved one.”

“Also, on a simpler note, no one died from not getting ‘fresh water.'”

—Anonymous, 60, Florida

And finally…

21.“Whoever told you wearing a seatbelt in pregnancy is dangerous and could kill your baby or rupture your uterus in an accident is a moron. Getting thrown into the dashboard or out of the vehicle is much more likely to kill you, your baby, or both. It’s important to have the lap belt across your lap, under the bump, and the shoulder belt above the bump, with neither going across the bump. Placing the shoulder belt behind you, which some people will advise you to do, may be worse than not wearing it at all.”

—mushycrocodile77

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals, what are some other health “lies” and misconceptions that more people should know? Tell us in the comments, or if you prefer to remain anonymous, you can use the form below.

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