Horrifying medical quack info on the Internet

[brownbook]

Because an Allnurse posted about medical bloopers on the movie Meg..."the patients gases were dropping"...."what all of them?" the poster responded.

I got to thinking about ABG's. I've been out of acute care for about 17 years. That, plus getting old, I was embarrassed how little I remembered about ABG'S, pH, etc.

So I look it up on the Internet. I got about 20 bogus hits for every one medical scientific answer.

There were articles about how critical your pH is to your health. Selling test strips to check your urine or saliva's pH. Then of course diets or supplements to buy to adjust your pH.

I could not believe all this s**t was out there. Shouldn't the FDA be shutting these down?

Thankfully there were a few valid articles so I could refresh my memory.

[caliotter3]

What bothers me is that some sites that I used to think were legitimate sources for medical information have turned into "sappy" wastes of bandwidth. Sort of like when you read a Yahoo article, "now I just waded through that, what did it say?" "I wasted my time reading that."

[Sour Lemon]

They always have some sort of disclaimer, and a segment of the population will always bite the hook. It falls under "let the world be the world".

[Guest219794]

A little off track,but...

While in the supermarket, I heard a woman, in all seriousness, explain to another that putting a cut onion in a jar will "absorb all the bacteria in the air" to keep from getting sick. She stated this as factually as if she was reporting, well, a fact.

Apparently this made the rounds on Facebook

[doodlebuttRN]

Sorta off topic, but I just finished the book Meg that the movie was based on. It had a lot of interesting evolutionary science stuff (don't know how accurate it was, but it sure sounded interesting), and was a really good read. I hate to see movies based on books I enjoy enough to reread, because it pollutes my mental image of the story. Now there's another good reason not to see it.

[Daisy4RN]

Yes, it is sad how much bogus info is out there. I have even had members of my own family ask me for clarification of things they have read, so I tell them this/that...only to have them not believe me..but it said on the internet...Really?? why even bother to ask me

[brownbook]

Sorta off topic, but I just finished the book Meg that the movie was based on. It had a lot of interesting evolutionary science stuff (don't know how accurate it was, but it sure sounded interesting), and was a really good read. I hate to see movies based on books I enjoy enough to reread, because it pollutes my mental image of the story. Now there's another good reason not to see it.

Thanks, something good came out of this. I am running out of books to read. I will probably still see Meg when it's on Netflix. I love disaster movies, even though most of them are pretty bad.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

I could not believe all this s**t was out there. Shouldn't the FDA be shutting these down?

Thankfully there were a few valid articles so I could refresh my memory.

There is no way the FDA has the manpower to monitor the internet. Not to mention, the FDA is only an American regulatory agency, which has no power internationally.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

There was someone on the radio in my neck of the woods. He was a chiropractor, but one who treated everything--with homeopathic treatments. I don't want to get into a debate on homeopathy, but things he said: "warfarin is a poison. There is not reason you need to interfere with you blood's natural clotting mechanism." "Your a fib will respond to [insert wacky supplement]. You can buy it in my office without a prescription! There is no need to take that medicine your cardiologist prescribed. He only prescribes it so pharmaceutical companies make money." "You're heartburn is a result of a condition called hiatal hernia. Some doctors will try and talk you into an unnecessary procedure to cure your hiatal hernia. All you need to do is come to my office, and I can fix it with some simple manipulations in just one appointment." "The blood pressure guidelines are just a big hoax created by the drug companies. My pressure always runs in the 150s and 160s. I don't take anything, it is perfectly fine."

Apparently the "don't actually listen to my advice; talk to your PCP" disclaimer at the beginning of the program covers his whacky statements.

I do agree that some guidelines that are out there may be influences by drug companies wanting to make money, and some medications are likely way over prescribed (a different debate for a different thread). However, this man's advice was just plain dangerous, but he says whatever he wants.

[Kitiger, RN]

A little off track,but...

While in the supermarket, I heard a woman, in all seriousness, explain to another that putting a cut onion in a jar will "absorb all the bacteria in the air" to keep from getting sick. She stated this as factually as if she was reporting, well, a fact.

Apparently this made the rounds on Facebook

Facebook also had a piece about putting a slice of onion in your sock, against the sole of your foot, which - among other things - will "draw all the poisons out of your blood" while you sleep.

Oh, my.

[brownbook]

A little off track,but...

While in the supermarket, I heard a woman, in all seriousness, explain to another that putting a cut onion in a jar will "absorb all the bacteria in the air" to keep from getting sick. She stated this as factually as if she was reporting, well, a fact.

Apparently this made the rounds on Facebook

I love The Simpsons.... now I know why Abe Simpson always talks about when he wore an onion on his belt!

[Guest219794]

Facebook also had a piece about putting a slice of onion in your sock, against the sole of your foot, which - among other things - will "draw all the poisons out of your blood" while you sleep.

Oh, my.

Ridiculous.

That's what radishes are for.