Ignoring your education?

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Specializes in Tele, OB, public health.

Lately I've been troubled by the nurses I encounter here who seem to ignore their education- look at the holistic board, it's full of posts ignoring evidence-based practice, or a stunning ignorance of how to find a reputable study.

Many of these nurses have BSN or higher, so are they just straight up ignoring all their education?

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I have a co-worker who regularly advocates nonsense like dabbing lavender oil behind your ears to cure cancer. All I can do is shake my head and hope she's not giving her "excellent" advice to actual patients.

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Specializes in Hospice.
I have a co-worker who regularly advocates nonsense like dabbing lavender oil behind your ears to cure cancer. All I can do is shake my head and hope she's not giving her "excellent" advice to actual patients.

I like the smell of lavender, and find it very soothing. But to cure cancer?

No. Just no.

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Specializes in ICU.

Don't forget the placebo effect is a very well-documented thing. I don't believe aromatherapy, for example, is terribly scientific - but if you can convince a patient to believe lavender will help him calm down, and you have him smell some lavender, he might just calm down. Certain treatments/interventions can absolutely be useful and work even if they don't have hard science backing them up because of the placebo effect.

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I'm all for calming down and relieving stress with essential oils, but the heavier stuff should be left to the experts. To be fair, I made up the "lavender for cancer" thing. I forget what oil it was or where it was supposed to go ....I just remember feeling a little shocked to see an RN suggesting that type of "cure".

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Don't forget the placebo effect is a very well-documented thing. I don't believe aromatherapy, for example, is terribly scientific - but if you can convince a patient to believe lavender will help him calm down, and you have him smell some lavender, he might just calm down. Certain treatments/interventions can absolutely be useful and work even if they don't have hard science backing them up because of the placebo effect.

Calm down?? Absolutely. Cure cancer?? Not so much ...

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Specializes in IMCU, Oncology.

Maybe I missed it, but I only found a holistic nursing specialty board. I pursued it and found info over the last year mainly about becoming a holistic nurse and getting certified in that area. Nothing too crazy. Is there another board that I have yet to find?

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Specializes in Tele, OB, public health.
Maybe I missed it, but I only found a holistic nursing specialty board. I pursued it and found info over the last year mainly about becoming a holistic nurse and getting certified in that area. Nothing too crazy. Is there another board that I have yet to find?

Well there's this page with these gems .....

https://allnurses.com/holistic-nursing/should-i-try-652679-page6.html#post8692934

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I am not concernd that the poster (in the linked thread) embraces holistic therapies and eschews traditional medicine, the posts seem more tangential thinking than academic discourse.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

OP, this is not the first time you have posted here about posts from that forum. Generally speaking, "board dragging" is not great netiquette, and I would suggest, that if it causes you so much angst, maybe stop reading that forum?

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
Calm down?? Absolutely. Cure cancer?? Not so much ...

Right. Last year a lady from church invited us to her sister's Ponzi--I mean, multi-level marketing--essential oils party and gave me some samples. They did smell good, and I sometimes dab them on my temples when my kids start acting crazy...the nice smell I think helps me calm down, and possibly the physical act does something also -- like taking a deep breath and counting to ten.

But good night, that pamphlet that came with the samples!!! It had an A-to-Z list of conditions that can supposedly be helped by EOs. I'm not talking stress and headaches--I'm talking HIV, TB, hepatitis....

The thing that irritates me about some of the holistic posts is "holistic" means treating the whole person. It does NOT mean being anti-science, Big Pharma conspiracy theories, diet'n'exercise being the only public health measure we really need, and treating GMOs as poison.

I'd have to go over and look, but I'm pretty sure someone even advocated for colloidal silver as an anti-microbial. (I seem to remember posting a picture of someone with argyria in response; that's why I'm thinking someone advocated ingesting metal.) I truly don't get it. Encouraging the use of an unapproved product which has a known, disfiguring, and permanent side effect....but you can't "put chemicals in your body" -- meaning vaccines and pharmaceuticals???

What really frightens me though, is the possibility that these practicing RNs are including this bunk in their patient teaching. :no: We as a profession are generally trusted. What effect will these people have on pts' well-being and on our profession as a whole?

But what do I know, I have clearly drunk the Big Pharma Kool-aid. :sarcastic:

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I think some people have confused the words "holistic" with "homeopathic."

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