How about your favorite Old Wives Tales related to health?

IlovebabyfeetRN · Apr 07, 2009, 08:30 PM

Re: How about your favorite Old Wives Tales related to health?

L&D nurses will understand this one....a patient who lists pitocin on their medication allergies...better not go into labor or breastfeed then!! ;-0

We get a lot of Spanish families who curl a tiny string on the foreheads of their babies to protect them. Now that I understand why they do it, I have stopped finding them and going "why do I keep finding strings on baby's foreheads??" There are also families that request the umbilical cord stump when it falls off (ick ick ick).

qcumba · Apr 16, 2009, 03:55 AM

Re: How about your favorite Old Wives Tales related to health?

Originally Posted by gemcitygirl

Thank you for the great link! Interesting about the newborn hair and heartburn. My old Slovak Grandma in law was worried when I went to the zoo while pregnant,took my DH aside and told him to keep me away from the monkey cages or the baby would look like one!

My mom, first generation German, told me to drink good dark beer after delivery "to make milk for the baby". Maybe relaxation causes letdown reflex?
Don't know, I was scared to try it. Makes you wonder how many things we think we know today will be "old wives tales" to our grandkids.

- About the beer its the yeast that increases milk production so you can skip the alchohol and take brewers yeast or ginger beer.
- some of our old wives tales here are putting a piece of wet tissue paper on the forehead of a hicupping baby and before the paper is dry they will stop hiccuping,
- binding the umbilical stump with a piece of cloth, to prevent a belly button that bulges out,- causes major problems, it very often goes septic, damp umbilical cord + darkness + heat =

TuTonka · Apr 17, 2009, 10:46 PM

Re: How about your favorite Old Wives Tales related to health?

NurseyTonya Hmmmmmmmmmmm does that mean a virus thrives better in the cold or does our immune system react differently in the colder weather or does wet hair lower the body's heat which ummm might lower the immunsystem functions? It would be an interesting study don't you think? Just kidding with you... do not sweat the small stuff... no pun intended.

*BlueHenRN* · Apr 18, 2009, 08:30 AM

Re: How about your favorite Old Wives Tales related to health?

My Granny, God rest her soul, was a stubborn Pennsylvania Dutch woman who once knocked a would-be purse snatcher unconscious with said purse. Most of her old wives' tales had to do with things other than health, like the weather or animals, and are crazy and detailed. However, one I will never, ever forget...she claimed when a person develops a stye in his or her eye, it's because he or she once peed in the middle of the road. She had a hard life, Granny did. Maybe it made her a little cuckoo. But she said this one way before her strokes and age took their toll on her mind.

Morning-glory · May 15, 2009, 07:22 PM

Re: How about your favorite Old Wives Tales related to health?

Cold feet will make menstruation cramps worse. Wearing warm socks will ease the pain. Tried and tested. That is probably where this one comes from.

Originally Posted by moonischasingme1

Okay, I have a question. My boyfriend's Mother is an RN and they're from Bosnia. If it is cold and I don't have on socks and I step on tile, she will make me go stand on the carpet or put on socks. Now, you might think she just doesn't want my feet cold, right? NO, everytime she puts her hands over her lower abdomen and tells me I will have "problems"--reproductively. I have looked everywhere to see how cold feet could somehow "ruin" your reproductive system, but seriously, I have found nothing. Is this just an old wives tale she picked up from Bosnia? haha

futuremombabynurse · May 26, 2009, 01:52 PM

Re: How about your favorite Old Wives Tales related to health?

Originally Posted by ChayaN

I know a lot of people who swear by olive oil. Hey, it beats repeat rounds of antibiotics.

I never had antibiotics for an earache until well into my adulthood, thanks to the old country doctor my grandmother took me to. (One of the reasons why at 23 I can still take Amoxacillin.) His earache cure: equal parts white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide, dropped into the offending ear.

It WORKS. I had earaches at least once a month as a child, and this cured it every time. Other kids with the same problem ended up with tubes in their ears.

Some of my favorite old wive's tales:

If you say the word laxative, you won't need one anymore. (That's from my mom.)

Rubbing alcohol cures insect bites.

A red string on the forehead cures hiccups in babies.

meintheUSA · May 26, 2009, 07:45 PM

Re: How about your favorite Old Wives Tales related to health?

freind of my Mom swore by the overnight acne: Filled an iron skillet with night crawlers and simmered them until she made a slimy, stinky paste. Rubbed it on face at night time. NO THANK YOU... I'll put up with my zits.......

New To Site	Need Help	Quick Links
Create An Account General Site Map allnurses.com Journals Terms Of Service Privacy Policy Testimonials Meet Our Staff Advertising Information	Information Center & FAQ Boards of Nursing How-To Video Tutorials Did you forget your password? Compare Membership Contact allnurses.com Text Version Mark All Sections As Read	United States Nursing International Nursing Nursing Specialty Advanced Practice Nursing Critical Care Nursing Nursing Specialties Get In Touch... Find Us On Facebook Follow Us On Twitter

How about your favorite Old Wives Tales related to health?

Nursing News

Interesting article on ThedaCare's Collaborative Care Model

Possible breakthrough regarding MS

16th Philly area hospital to stop delivering babies: Mercy...

Really interesting article on Indian open hearts

High-Tech Pump Does What Her Heart Can't

Air Force RN Found Not Guilty

California Imposes Stricter Rules Regarding Drug Abuse In...

Are older nurses being forced out of the profession?

An outlook in California?

Australian surgeons successfully separate conjoined twins

Nursing Articles

Society Needs Care Too

Why am I doing this, anyway?

Nurse Heal Thyself

My Papa, why I am the nurse I am today.

I made it through

An angel's gaze

A Sister Never Forgets

Ruby's Marbles

What Do Operating Room Nurses Do?

My Little Old Jedi

I love this job......

"I hear voices"

Preventing FRUTI (Foley Related Urinary Tract Infection) in...

Error and Attitude

It's Just a Shower

Available Topics (tags)