How about your favorite Old Wives Tales related to health?

[NurseyTonyaLPN]

Another post (about stupid things patients say) made me think about this, I don't know if it's been posted before. But I have an elderly family member who says these things (and will not hear otherwise):

1) Having a baby at 7 months is better than having it at 8 months. My doctor told me something happens in the 8th month and if the process is disturbed it's bad for the baby. (I told her I've learned that every day in the womb is better for the baby, but she insists that's not the case).

2) Her breastmilk turned "to water" when her daughter was 3 months old and it was no longer good for her to breastfeed (I mentioned that babies go through a growth spurt at that time, but she insists, her Dr told her the breastmilk turned to water).

Makes you wonder about these docs back then huh? I know they probably did the best with their knowlege, but some people won't accept any new advice, if their doctor said it in 1940 it must be true huh? Any other favorite wives tales?

Tonya

[NewPICURN]

4) My husband still believes that rubbing alcohol is the absolute cure-all. Whatever ails you, rub alcohol on it, pour alcohol into it, whatever. Except for an abscessed tooth -- then you pop the abscess with a needle and swish and spit with peroxide . Wonder where he got these ideas?

Actually, we did a lab in Microbiology concerning the resilience of bacteria to certain chemicals. We tested pine sol, listerine, peroxide, bleach and some others and nothing killed better than name brand pine sol, but that's beside the point. Of the things that you could gargle with the peroxide beat out the listerine and off brand antiseptic at killing bacteria.

ya for learning in lab!

[meintheUSA]

this one actually works...dark corn syrup...recommended by my son's pediatrician as a last ditch effort before using meds.

[color=dimgray]my younger brother was born in 1960. my mother never breast-fed. the "formula" then was: 1 can evaporated milk, 1 can cooled boiled water and 1/2 cup of dark kayro syrup. mix well and feed the baby. all 5 of us were started out with this formula.. we were healthy, non constipated babies...lol... :redpinkhe

[DMonRN]

copper does have anti-infective properties

[KaroSnowQueen, RN]

1) Having a baby at 7 months is better than having it at 8 months. My doctor told me something happens in the 8th month and if the process is disturbed it's bad for the baby. (I told her I've learned that every day in the womb is better for the baby, but she insists that's not the case).

Tonya

My grandmother believed this to the bitter end. Said when she was pregnant with my mom, her small town dr sent her to the city to see a specialist (circa 1944). She said the city doctor did "something" to her and it hurt like hell, and she went into labor two days later.

But she said she was always glad it happened THEN, in her 7th month, because both drs had told her a seven month baby would live and an eight month baby would die. And she would ALWAYS repeat that whenever she heard of a friend/neighbor/relative having pregnancy troubles.

[NurseRoRo]

My end-stage CHF patient swore that the only thing that would soothe her throat when she got coughing episodes was warm salt water. She'd drink a glass of it to calm her throat down and then call the doctor to say the Lasix prn doses weren't working. :smackingf

[justrissy]

When I was a kid grandma always told us to eat our carrots so we'd have red hair. I never did like carrots and am the only granddaughter without red hair. She also said the carrots would give us good vision so we wouldn't need glasses. (I got glasses when I was 10.)

Mom would have us put mud on a bee sting, it actually was really soothing.

My sister-in-law puts vicks on my nephews feet at bed time to calm his cough, swears it helps.

[cowgrrlRN]

Got one that hasn't been posted yet. Several of my LTC patients swore by WD-40 for arthritis. Yep, you spray it right on the affected joint!! Apparently the thinking was that it would lubricate joints the same as it will hinges...Had to confiscate more bottles of the stuff!!

My mother swears sitting on any cement floor will give you hemhorroids and of course going out without drying your hair causes colds!!

[Jessiedog, RN]

This one actually works...dark corn syrup...recommended by my son's Pediatrician as a last ditch effort before using meds.

Yep, sure does work. We have used it in our paediatric ward, even prescried by the paediatricians. Works on the similar principle to lactulose, the high sugar content attracting water into the large colon and softening the stools, thus making them easier to pass.

[Jessiedog, RN]

My grandma had a few theories about cheese that sound odd:

1)cheese makes you constipated

2)cheese makes your hair smell.

I can cope with the first one, as in her era, a diet of bread and cheese was fairly common. Eating such a diet regularly would limit the intake of dietary fibre, thus causing constipation. Cutting out the cheese would mean increasing other foods, possibly with higher fibre, and so the constipation would resolve. I'm still going trying to work out the second one, tho.

And how about telling lies makes you grow pimples on your tongue? We grew up with that one. Never had it happen, tho.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

My grandma had a few theories about cheese that sound odd:

1)cheese makes you constipated

2)cheese makes your hair smell.

I can cope with the first one, as in her era, a diet of bread and cheese was fairly common. Eating such a diet regularly would limit the intake of dietary fibre, thus causing constipation. Cutting out the cheese would mean increasing other foods, possibly with higher fibre, and so the constipation would resolve. I'm still going trying to work out the second one, tho.

And how about telling lies makes you grow pimples on your tongue? We grew up with that one. Never had it happen, tho.

i thought that cheese one was like you expressed,until i found out that some persons have a sensitivity to caesin, which can slow the peristalsis

[elizabells, BSN, RN]

I have two kind of sad ones...

A mom with hx of multiple miscarriages (who was an NP!) decided that a drink a day would relax her uterus so she wouldn't go into PTL. Didn't help - baby was born at 24wks with severe hydrocephalus and needed a shunt.

Another mom, 40wks 1d, tired of being pregnant, and a "friend" told her a line of coke would induce labor. That one worked... but it also caused baby's entire bowel to become ischemic and necrotized.

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

A mom with hx of multiple miscarriages (who was an NP!) decided that a drink a day would relax her uterus so she wouldn't go into PTL. Didn't help - baby was born at 24wks with severe hydrocephalus and needed a shunt.

Another mom, 40wks 1d, tired of being pregnant, and a "friend" told her a line of coke would induce labor. That one worked... but it also caused baby's entire bowel to become ischemic and necrotized.

Regarding #1, Ina May Gaskin's book Spiritual Midwifery contains stories wherein moms considered to possibly be in preterm labor, she advised them to drink a wine cooler, to see if that would stop the ptl. Sometimes it worked, but it was not a drink a day. Just one drink, one time. Not that I'm advocating it - just saying I read it.

Regarding #2....just plain sad.