Alright blog world- in honor of nurses week I thought I would post some of the things that really grate my nerves to hear. Sometimes I grin and bear it, others times not-of course if it could cause harm I'll speak up. We all know that old wives tales/myths/that's what my mom told mes outweigh the textbook knowledge that has strong clinical evidence right? So I thought I would dumb some things down and make what some make so complicated easy to digest.
(1) URI (upper respiratory infection)- aka the common cold, is caused by a virus (usually the Rhinovirus to be exact) that someone has come in contact with. To be brutally honest, if you contract a cold, you have either inhaled some one's respiratory droplets, touched some one's dried "snot" from where they wiped their nose and then touched that grocery cart/door knob etc...Make a mental note that hand washing is very important. This eliminates the following causes: sleeping under a fan, walking around with wet hair, being outside with no shoes in cold weather, etc... The normal course of these things can be 7-10 days. This brings me to my next ranting.
(2) Antibiotics are used to treat bacteria and are ineffective on viruses. Bacteria and viruses are not the same in that viruses cause problems until they die on their own (run their course) and bacteria will live and cause problems until killed with antibiotics. When you have the sniffles or an uncomplicated cough you need only to drink plenty of fluids to thin that "snot" I referred to above right out. (Have fun harkin' that up by the way!) Use some good ole' decongestants , you know some inexpensive over the counter products will help. BUT keep in mind...you will not be cured over night (see above for the normal course of a URI). If after that 7-10 days...then you may need something stronger (that's another lesson for another day- stay tuned). Take home message: *antibiotics do not treat colds* *No one should ever have any "left-over" antibiotics- if they do they didn't take them properly and are setting themselves up for trouble later on. So don't go ask Aunt Susie if you could borrow some of hers.* If you have taken antibiotics for a cold and swear they worked...this is probably what happened. You suffered with cold symptoms for 4 or so days until you couldn't stand it anymore, you stole from Aunt Susie's medicine cabinet and then in a few days you were miraculously cured. Guess what in those 7 days you were sick...your RhinoVIRUS was running its normal course and by day 2 or 3 of your unecessary antibiotics your cold was resolving on its own. Can you tell I deal with this almost daily?
(3) The textbook normal body temp is 98.6. This does fluctuate, however a fever is not considered a fever until its over 100.3 and that's even a low grade temp. When someone says they have a temperature because their thermometer read 98.6 and their reason is because their normal body temp is 96.0- I just smile because I know that is what they learned in childhood. Truth: if your normal body temp is 96.0 you might need to get evaluated for hypothermia.
(4) Allergies to medications are NOT inherited. Just because your mom or dad had an allergic reaction to penicillin does not mean you will. Everyone has their own unique immune system that acts independently.
(5) You are perfectly allowed to drink milk if you have a fever. The only time I would warn someone to avoid dairy in relation to a fever is if the fever is due to a stomach virus. That can cause further stomach upset due to the acid in milk...not because it may curdle in the belly.
(6) Last but certainly not least...I never mind giving anyone medical advice *pinky promise*. I don't pretend to know it all (I'm sure Jason will get a laugh out of that one). I can only give you my educated opinion.
Please keep in mind this is a post in honor of nurse's week and some much needed humor in my life- not to offend anyone. I won't laugh at your beliefs or teachings...but I do promise not to intentionally withhold information that could be detrimental to your health.
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