With so much easily accessible information online, you would think everyone would be an expert in physical and mental health, diet, and fitness. However, medical professionals are seeing a huge number of worrying trends these days, and they are genuinely getting scared for the future of humanity.
Doctors took to a very candid online thread to list all the health trends they’re watching become increasingly common, and they’re getting worried. Take a look at what keeps these professionals up at night. It’s a good reminder to always prioritize your health and look after your present and future self.
#21
Dentist here, the ammount of people refusing to use fluoride toothpaste because it’s “the reason it causes cavities “ is a real big health thing promoted by influencers.
Also oil pulling, yeah, right. That will heal your ended pulp and treat the enormous cyst you have on the root.
Also also, blaming your poor hygiene on genetics. No miss, just buy a freaking toothbrush.
Also oil pulling, yeah, right. That will heal your ended pulp and treat the enormous cyst you have on the root.
Also also, blaming your poor hygiene on genetics. No miss, just buy a freaking toothbrush.
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22points
#23
Primary care drifting from real primary care and more into aesthetics. So many PCP's have signs on their offices offer botox injections, vitamin infusions, etc.
Some folks here mentioning GLP-1s, but I personally think they're game changing meds for the better. I have had so many patients come of insulin and lose 100s of lbs thanks to these once a week injections. The halo of benefits is incredible. A colleague in nephrology recently told me the hemodialysis industry is terrified of GLP1s because it will likely reduce the amount individuals needing dialysis.
Some folks here mentioning GLP-1s, but I personally think they're game changing meds for the better. I have had so many patients come of insulin and lose 100s of lbs thanks to these once a week injections. The halo of benefits is incredible. A colleague in nephrology recently told me the hemodialysis industry is terrified of GLP1s because it will likely reduce the amount individuals needing dialysis.
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21points
#24
I was at a kids' birthday party the other day, and this "dad" brought his 7 year old kid. The hostess (mom of the birthday boy) said "You look tired little Billy, everything okay?" He just had this kind of dazed stupefied look and said "yeah, I'm okay, just tired." His dad says "don't worry, I brought some Red Bull for him."
I looked at the dad to see if he was joking, nope. Kid chugged a Red Bull and was off the rails for the next 3 hours.
I looked at the dad to see if he was joking, nope. Kid chugged a Red Bull and was off the rails for the next 3 hours.
20points
#25
Influencer medicine …
What I cannot fathom is how readily people trust, “I’m oBsEsSeD with this XYZ,” “my hair/skin/sleep has never been betterrrrr,” delivered in a haze of vocal fry by someone with a financial incentive, whose last obsession was 15 minutes ago and whose next one is already on deck being negotiated.
We routinely struggle to convince people with large, independently funded, multicentre, double-blind trials involving thousands of participants. As if all they hear is one person’s recommendation. Yet an N=1 anecdote from a stranger with a discount code and the speech affectation of an adolescent seeking belonging cuts straight through. Psychologists have known for decades that vivid stories are more persuasive than statistics, and that confidence often masquerades as competence. We are wired for anecdotes, not evidence. And for those who forego their logical brains and give in to that “wiring” as feels and vibes in some preferential fashion of a truth test, it can be absolutely exhausting to attempt to challenge their literally baseless pointless belief system.
I will admit, I understand how difficult it is. We spend countless hours teaching even medical residents how to critically appraise research. And to those without knowledge, complex machines and thoughts can appear as magic. But the growing rejection of the scientific method is deeply troubling. Science is not a belief system. It is a process designed to find the truth, test it, challenge it, replicate it, and keep testing it again.
A civilisation that loses faith in that process is not progressing. It is drifting back toward the dark ages, one influencer recommendation at a time with their cancel culture and attacks on science being no different that past inquisitions. A fitting punishment would be to have every tool and comfort provided to them by science removed ….
What I cannot fathom is how readily people trust, “I’m oBsEsSeD with this XYZ,” “my hair/skin/sleep has never been betterrrrr,” delivered in a haze of vocal fry by someone with a financial incentive, whose last obsession was 15 minutes ago and whose next one is already on deck being negotiated.
We routinely struggle to convince people with large, independently funded, multicentre, double-blind trials involving thousands of participants. As if all they hear is one person’s recommendation. Yet an N=1 anecdote from a stranger with a discount code and the speech affectation of an adolescent seeking belonging cuts straight through. Psychologists have known for decades that vivid stories are more persuasive than statistics, and that confidence often masquerades as competence. We are wired for anecdotes, not evidence. And for those who forego their logical brains and give in to that “wiring” as feels and vibes in some preferential fashion of a truth test, it can be absolutely exhausting to attempt to challenge their literally baseless pointless belief system.
I will admit, I understand how difficult it is. We spend countless hours teaching even medical residents how to critically appraise research. And to those without knowledge, complex machines and thoughts can appear as magic. But the growing rejection of the scientific method is deeply troubling. Science is not a belief system. It is a process designed to find the truth, test it, challenge it, replicate it, and keep testing it again.
A civilisation that loses faith in that process is not progressing. It is drifting back toward the dark ages, one influencer recommendation at a time with their cancel culture and attacks on science being no different that past inquisitions. A fitting punishment would be to have every tool and comfort provided to them by science removed ….
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20points
#26
Diseases from tick bites. Use to get a tick bite, pulled it off and didn't give them another thought, now find a tick, freak out and go to doc for lab work. These things can mess you up for LIFE.
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20points
#28
Erosion of public trust in medical professionals- it’s coming from a lot of sources, but Sick-Tok, other social media, pretty much every news source and of course, our fearless government leaders are spreading misinformation way too fast to overcome by educating our patients, and vilifying doctors along the way. It makes it impossible to build a therapeutic relationship and counsel patients about their health effectively because they either don’t trust us, think they know better than us because they asked Chat GPT, or both.
And also, colon cancer in very young patients.
And also, colon cancer in very young patients.
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19points
#29
I had a discussion on a related topic with my GP. He had added a PSA check to my labs and didn't want to "scare me" into thinking he suspected prostate cancer.
Then out of nowhere, he mentioned that he had a lot of older patients who were refusing to get routine cancer checks like colonoscopies or endoscopies (or PSA level checks). But the justification wasn't that they didn't want the procedures. It was that
"didn't want to spend money on treatment because they needed to leave it to their kids and grandkids."
In essence, Boomers are refusing to even *check* for cancer because they don't want to spend money on treatment because their kids and grandkids are struggling financially.
Someone in the hospice industry is going to figure out how to capitalize on this trend. I guarantee it.
Then out of nowhere, he mentioned that he had a lot of older patients who were refusing to get routine cancer checks like colonoscopies or endoscopies (or PSA level checks). But the justification wasn't that they didn't want the procedures. It was that
"didn't want to spend money on treatment because they needed to leave it to their kids and grandkids."
In essence, Boomers are refusing to even *check* for cancer because they don't want to spend money on treatment because their kids and grandkids are struggling financially.
Someone in the hospice industry is going to figure out how to capitalize on this trend. I guarantee it.
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18points
#30
Fear of vaccination. Please please do not pass of completely preventable causes. We spent years trying to perfect technology to ensure our children are healthy. Please don't put them at risk by not vaccinating them.
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18points
#31
Family doc here.
General distrust of medicine.
I recommend starting a statin to reduce cholesterol and lower heart attack/stroke risk? “Oh, I read online statins cause cancer, I’ll just try to eat better, doc” (spoiler: they never do)
I recommend getting pneumonia/shingles vaccines now that you’re over 50? “I don’t trust that stuff, do you know what they put in them?”
Then in the same breath they’ll ask for a GLP-1 but not want to actually make any lifestyle changes.
General distrust of medicine.
I recommend starting a statin to reduce cholesterol and lower heart attack/stroke risk? “Oh, I read online statins cause cancer, I’ll just try to eat better, doc” (spoiler: they never do)
I recommend getting pneumonia/shingles vaccines now that you’re over 50? “I don’t trust that stuff, do you know what they put in them?”
Then in the same breath they’ll ask for a GLP-1 but not want to actually make any lifestyle changes.
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16points
#32
Everyone buying the $500 vitamin supplements that do nothing.
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16points
#33
Married to a family nurse practitioner. Her main gripes seem to be how easily people are swayed by misinformation and how stubbornly they cling to their beliefs.
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16points
#34
Not a Dr., but I have noticed that Orthoexia Nervosa is growing really quickly in both male and female and the concerning part, a lot of the "healthy" and "clean" food is based on fudgey science. Carnivore Diet is definitely in this mix.
Plus, you gotta eat some junk food once in a while. Candy in moderation is all good.
Plus, you gotta eat some junk food once in a while. Candy in moderation is all good.
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16points
#35
I’m a dentist and have worked in both rural areas and urban areas.
When I see kids whose parents refuse fluoride because of some woo-woo science (and there’s more and more of them) and X-rays, and the kids end up needing treatment under general anaesthetic to pull multiple teeth out, I feel like screaming.
It’s not like they are improving their diet, or even making the kids brush better.
This is happening more in urban areas.
Most of my patients in smaller towns/rural areas are so much more aware of the benefits of both fluoride and regular checkups and X-rays, because they have experienced first hand how both have improved dental health in just once generation.
When I see kids whose parents refuse fluoride because of some woo-woo science (and there’s more and more of them) and X-rays, and the kids end up needing treatment under general anaesthetic to pull multiple teeth out, I feel like screaming.
It’s not like they are improving their diet, or even making the kids brush better.
This is happening more in urban areas.
Most of my patients in smaller towns/rural areas are so much more aware of the benefits of both fluoride and regular checkups and X-rays, because they have experienced first hand how both have improved dental health in just once generation.
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16points
#36
Work in health tech and some of the notable themes coming through from our analysis work:
Referral to mental healthcare providers for work related stress
Output of templated letters for insurers and occupational health providers for stress leave attributed to the workplace
Referral to cardiologist/neuro specialists for high blood pressure, increased risk of cardiovascular disease and risk of stroke also attributed to workplace stress or sedentary lifestyle
Turns out that employers telling workers to “do more with less”, coupled with hybrid or fully remote work, as well as the general fear around the current job market has led to intense stress and burnout and the physiological and psychological impacts are brewing right now.
Referral to mental healthcare providers for work related stress
Output of templated letters for insurers and occupational health providers for stress leave attributed to the workplace
Referral to cardiologist/neuro specialists for high blood pressure, increased risk of cardiovascular disease and risk of stroke also attributed to workplace stress or sedentary lifestyle
Turns out that employers telling workers to “do more with less”, coupled with hybrid or fully remote work, as well as the general fear around the current job market has led to intense stress and burnout and the physiological and psychological impacts are brewing right now.
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15points
#37
Nicotine patches on children!!!! I’ve been sounding the alarm on this in the UK for months but a growing number of parents of ADHD and Autistic children are using nicotine patches as a ‘cure.’
There is hundred of Facebook groups led by a chiropractor who popularised this insidious treatment.
There is hundred of Facebook groups led by a chiropractor who popularised this insidious treatment.
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15points
#39
Vaping. Really starting to get common in teens and young adults. We just don’t know what effects they will have. Its possible we are going to see a lot of ILD in 20-30 years but who knows honestly .
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14points
#40
The whole "only need 4 hours of sleep and a monster to function" thing is wild, like congrats on the badge of honor but your heart's about to unionize and walk out. anti-vax stuff terrifies me too, especially the parents who skip the basics and just gamble with their kid's life for clout. and honestly the burnout pipeline from work straight to a cardiologist is way too real, we're all just ignoring the warning signs until something pops.
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14points
