I'm a pre-nursing student and I'm trying to figure out if nursing is right for me. I have been a massage therapist for 5 years and I love it. Unfortunately, the area I live in is saturated with therapists and it's hard to make a living at it. I also work as an elderly caregiver, working mostly with people with dementia or at hospice levels. I love helping people in any capacity and I have a passion for anything health related.
I grew up in a family that was very health conscious/holistic. We believe that vaccines and medications in general are not great and often harmful and we have no faith in the FDA. We know that the best way to be be healthy is to eat organic non-processed foods and being active.... to avoid microwaves, plastics, msg, artificial sweeteners, aluminum antiperspirants, sodium laurel sulfate, etc.. We practice Reiki and use aromatherapy or a little pot if we are in pain. I'm going into specifics to try and paint a picture instead of just saying 'I'm holistic'. I should also say I'm not an extremist with these beliefs/knowledge, but I do try to generally follow these guidelines to be healthy and proactive.
For a few years now, I have also been in the role of patient advocate for a couple of family members with their many health issues. Our journey has made my family's confidence in the Western health system plummet. My grandmother's kidney dr. told her that it was not important to drink water. Her lung dr. gave her an inhaler that is not meant for people with high blood pressure, even though she has that condition. It sent her into seizures and to the ER. We saw him at a follow up appt and he offered her another inhaler that he assured her would be okay... when we got it home, I read the pamphlet, and again he had given us one not meant for people with hight bp. Her neuro dr. put her on a medication for epilepsy... she has seizures occasionally, due to a chemical exposure, not epilepsy. The meds aged her 20 years within a week. She slept 15 hrs a day, couldn't take care of herself anymore and her hair started falling out. When we spoke to the dr., I told her we wanted to wean her off the meds. She tried to use fear to keep my grandma on them... We finally got the doc's okay after arguing and then low and behold, she got better and thankfully can take care of herself again. I could go on and on about the incompetence of messed up paper work for important blood tests for another family member and how we had to figure out the diagnoses for her ourselves, because teams of drs. did nothing.
All of this lit a fire under me. I wanted to change the system from the inside. I wanted to become a Doctor of Osteopathic medicine so that I could be a primary care provider, educate people on preventative health and help to slow down the over medicating of people. I wanted to be a DO so I would still be in the Western medicine system, but have an education that was more preventative/holistic-minded. I started on that path last year and then did the math ... I am 28 now and I would be 41 by the time I got out of residency. I decided I didn't want to spend my entire 30's broke, stressed and unable to reasonably consider starting a family. I re-evaluated and decided that becoming a nurse and eventually a nurse practitioner would get me to the same primary care role. I also like the flexibility to work 3 or 4 days a week as an RN and ultimately I would have much of the direct patient care that I enjoy.
My concern is that, as an RN, I may end up butting heads with drs. and nurses that are very 'traditional western medicine minded' in the process of trying to help people. I know that overall the system is becoming steadily more accepting of 'alternative' or 'natural' medicine, but I'm still not sure I'll fit in okay. Even though I'm not a fan of vaccines, as a nurse, I understand that it will be my job to give those to people and I am okay with that. In that role, I don't believe it is my duty to share my opinions/knowledge as to why that is not great... that is what the NPs or drs are for. When and if I become an NP in primary care, that is where it is my duty to offer up that information to educate my patients. I am not against all meds. There are definitely times where they are appropriate, but the prescribing doc should take a moment to make sure the meds don't conflict and that there isn't a simpler option available. I would however, have trouble serving the horrible hospital 'food' to sick patients. Chicken boullion with msg, sugary jello and other things with minimal nutritional value... We're trying to heal people, but aren't giving them nutritious foods to heal with.
I help my elderly folks with toileting and bathing with no problems. I love helping people feel better, and educating on health issues. I feel drawn to share the knowledge I have and want to help prevent the overwhelming errors I've seen. I'm sorry this post is sooo long, but I wanted to paint a full picture of who I am and what is motivating me.
So I guess my question is, if I go into nursing, I am going to be the odd duck out and be frustrated by everything I see? I don't want to spend my career biting my tongue. Are any of you similar to me in beliefs and how are you doing in this work environment? Are there certain areas of nursing that may be a better fit for me than others? In addition to primary care, I'm interested in L/D, urgent care, women's care, NICU, home care and hospice. I am in the Northern Colorado area and I know location can have a lot to do with the environments. Where I am it seems to be a little progressive, but not as much as a place like Boulder.
Thanks so much for your time and any advice you can offer me.
there is bi polar disorder, and bi polar 2 disorder, both of which have different symptoms, and can be treated in their own way. i have bpd 2, i am unsure if you are aware of the differences..
i am 5'6, 128 pounds. i do an hour of cardio a day, and do weights 3-4 times a week for another 45 minutes. i do not eat anything refined, fried, or anything with hfcs in it. i also do not add salt to my diet, nor do i eat foods with added salt, yet i have high blood pressure that can become dangerously high unless i take my dyazide.(a bp medication)
i believe it is best to use evidence based medicine first, then if you are not relieved you might wish to seek alternatives.
i certainly would never advise a bpd patient that eating well will help their symptoms, but i advise everyone to eat well and exercise because it is good for your body and overall health. being on my medications allows me to work, attend school, and function normally.
you can be very physically healthy, but if your neurotransmitters do not work properly, then you can still have major mental health issues. no amount of healthy eating can fix everything that ails us..
Hi, I haven't read all the replied here but just wanted to share that I, too err on the "holistic" side of things. (In quotes because I'm not exactly sure what qualifies as holistic.) My family has not had health insurance for about nine or ten years, so I was sort of forced to find alternatives. I knew seeing a doctor every time something was wrong with me would drive my parents to the poor house. I have become a pretty heavy tea drinker and am adamant about the health benefits it has. I try to take preventative measures by living a healthy, organic lifestyle. I would not say i ma steadfast about it but I make the effort. I had never gotten the flu vax until this year; I've never had the flu-hardly EVER get a sniffle (unless I'm very stressed out). I think my family has been successful in avoiding drugs and surgeries.
My brother has some health issues, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. (I too, have arthritis which is not very bad so I just deal). Anyways, back to my bro-when he was a TEENAGER he visited a doctor and explained to him that his joints were extremely painful and asked what his options were. The doctor wrote him a prescription for VICODIN! I was shocked, to say the least. You want to start a nineteen year old on vicodin for a chronic pain disease?? Needless to say, our entire family agreed he could do without heavy painkillers. (I think it was vicodin, although it could have been some other narcotic.) Now, marijuana is legal in california but my brother is choosing to bear through the pain which has been in remission for a while (thankfully!!)
I'm sure we could have used someone at the doctor's office to tell us we had other options such as acupuncture or exercise to help the pain.
I'm a pre-nursing student and I'm trying to figure out if nursing is right for me. I have been a massage therapist for 5 years and I love it. Unfortunately, the area I live in is saturated with therapists and it's hard to make a living at it. I also work as an elderly caregiver, working mostly with people with dementia or at hospice levels. I love helping people in any capacity and I have a passion for anything health related.
I grew up in a family that was very health conscious/holistic. We believe that vaccines and medications in general are not great and often harmful and we have no faith in the FDA. We know that the best way to be be healthy is to eat organic non-processed foods and being active.... to avoid microwaves, plastics, msg, artificial sweeteners, aluminum antiperspirants, sodium laurel sulfate, etc.. We practice Reiki and use aromatherapy or a little pot if we are in pain. I'm going into specifics to try and paint a picture instead of just saying 'I'm holistic'. I should also say I'm not an extremist with these beliefs/knowledge, but I do try to generally follow these guidelines to be healthy and proactive.
For a few years now, I have also been in the role of patient advocate for a couple of family members with their many health issues. Our journey has made my family's confidence in the Western health system plummet. My grandmother's kidney dr. told her that it was not important to drink water. Her lung dr. gave her an inhaler that is not meant for people with high blood pressure, even though she has that condition. It sent her into seizures and to the ER. We saw him at a follow up appt and he offered her another inhaler that he assured her would be okay... when we got it home, I read the pamphlet, and again he had given us one not meant for people with hight bp. Her neuro dr. put her on a medication for epilepsy... she has seizures occasionally, due to a chemical exposure, not epilepsy. The meds aged her 20 years within a week. She slept 15 hrs a day, couldn't take care of herself anymore and her hair started falling out. When we spoke to the dr., I told her we wanted to wean her off the meds. She tried to use fear to keep my grandma on them... We finally got the doc's okay after arguing and then low and behold, she got better and thankfully can take care of herself again. I could go on and on about the incompetence of messed up paper work for important blood tests for another family member and how we had to figure out the diagnoses for her ourselves, because teams of drs. did nothing.
All of this lit a fire under me. I wanted to change the system from the inside. I wanted to become a Doctor of Osteopathic medicine so that I could be a primary care provider, educate people on preventative health and help to slow down the over medicating of people. I wanted to be a DO so I would still be in the Western medicine system, but have an education that was more preventative/holistic-minded. I started on that path last year and then did the math ... I am 28 now and I would be 41 by the time I got out of residency. I decided I didn't want to spend my entire 30's broke, stressed and unable to reasonably consider starting a family. I re-evaluated and decided that becoming a nurse and eventually a nurse practitioner would get me to the same primary care role. I also like the flexibility to work 3 or 4 days a week as an RN and ultimately I would have much of the direct patient care that I enjoy.
My concern is that, as an RN, I may end up butting heads with drs. and nurses that are very 'traditional western medicine minded' in the process of trying to help people. I know that overall the system is becoming steadily more accepting of 'alternative' or 'natural' medicine, but I'm still not sure I'll fit in okay. Even though I'm not a fan of vaccines, as a nurse, I understand that it will be my job to give those to people and I am okay with that. In that role, I don't believe it is my duty to share my opinions/knowledge as to why that is not great... that is what the NPs or drs are for. When and if I become an NP in primary care, that is where it is my duty to offer up that information to educate my patients. I am not against all meds. There are definitely times where they are appropriate, but the prescribing doc should take a moment to make sure the meds don't conflict and that there isn't a simpler option available. I would however, have trouble serving the horrible hospital 'food' to sick patients. Chicken boullion with msg, sugary jello and other things with minimal nutritional value... We're trying to heal people, but aren't giving them nutritious foods to heal with.
I help my elderly folks with toileting and bathing with no problems. I love helping people feel better, and educating on health issues. I feel drawn to share the knowledge I have and want to help prevent the overwhelming errors I've seen. I'm sorry this post is sooo long, but I wanted to paint a full picture of who I am and what is motivating me.
So I guess my question is, if I go into nursing, I am going to be the odd duck out and be frustrated by everything I see? I don't want to spend my career biting my tongue. Are any of you similar to me in beliefs and how are you doing in this work environment? Are there certain areas of nursing that may be a better fit for me than others? In addition to primary care, I'm interested in L/D, urgent care, women's care, NICU, home care and hospice. I am in the Northern Colorado area and I know location can have a lot to do with the environments. Where I am it seems to be a little progressive, but not as much as a place like Boulder.
Thanks so much for your time and any advice you can offer me.
I understand that you don't believe vaccines have value for you...and that you know you may well have to give them as an RN....but, education is the other big part of being an RN. Do you think you could give a patient the scientific evidence showing the efficacy of vaccines? Educating patients as to why vaccination is important is an RN function.
If you research the origins of medical and nursing schools in this country, they were created and funded by pharmaceutical companies. Those companies also created much of the curriculum, so of course, that's what western medicine in this country focused on.
I'd love to see some references for this information. It seems to be absolutely contrary to my school's curriculum (actually, all the school's I looked into's curriculum as well).
there is bi polar disorder, and bi polar 2 disorder, both of which have different symptoms, and can be treated in their own way. i have bpd 2, i am unsure if you are aware of the differences..
i am 5'6, 128 pounds. i do an hour of cardio a day, and do weights 3-4 times a week for another 45 minutes. i do not eat anything refined, fried, or anything with hfcs in it. i also do not add salt to my diet, nor do i eat foods with added salt, yet i have high blood pressure that can become dangerously high unless i take my dyazide.(a bp medication)
i believe it is best to use evidence based medicine first, then if you are not relieved you might wish to seek alternatives.
i certainly would never advise a bpd patient that eating well will help their symptoms, but i advise everyone to eat well and exercise because it is good for your body and overall health. being on my medications allows me to work, attend school, and function normally.
you can be very physically healthy, but if your neurotransmitters do not work properly, then you can still have major mental health issues. no amount of healthy eating can fix everything that ails us..
you seem offended. you only seemed to read part of what i said. i specifically stated: "not that this applies to you" and "again, this approach will not fix everyone, but it's a great place to start to give the body a fighting chance to self-regulate." i also said to you in my previous post: "i think it's wonderful that you have found what works for you, regardless of which 'side' it comes from. i think i have stated several times in this thread that i am not completely against meds and i do think they can serve well when needed and prescribed responsibly." so i don't know where this defensiveness is coming from. i'm not attacking or judging you and i'm truly happy for people that find peace in whatever form. i'm tired of fighting these battles with you guys. i don't think i could be more diplomatic in my postings.
that is awesome that you take such good care of yourself. it sounds like you are on the perfect path for you and that is wonderful. the issue that i was addressing was one particular instance in which diet improved the condition. there are many people living on mt. dew and slim jims (i apologize to people on here that love those and are now going to be offended) ...people who never drink any water or exercise. a crappy diet can sometimes be the thing that tips someone over the edge into illness, mental or physical and if you get a body the nutrients it needs for synapses and cells to work properly, that can fix a lot of problems. if a person is on a reasonably healthy diet, then yes sometimes medication is needed to help a person feel good and function well. but jumping to medicating people without checking to see that they are getting some basic nutrition and water, i feel is unnecessary and irresponsible.
I'd love to see some references for this information. It seems to be absolutely contrary to my school's curriculum (actually, all the school's I looked into's curriculum as well).
I have read several historical books on the origins of medical schools in the US. Info from that far back is hard to quickly find online, but how about more current evidence of it...
Alright, I am done. Thank you for all of your input, but having to explain myself over and over again is exhausting and I did not start this thread to back up my beliefs or debate them. I have enough going on in my life right now that is much more important to take care of.
Thank you so much to all of you that offered supportive suggestions and sincere assistance as to what I was needing to explore. :)
If you research the origins of medical and nursing schools in this country, they were created and funded by pharmaceutical companies. Those companies also created much of the curriculum, so of course, that's what western medicine in this country focused on.
I have read several historical books on the origins of medical schools in the US. Info from that far back is hard to quickly find online, but how about more current evidence of it...
Your original statement was that pharmaceutical companies "created and funded" medical and nursing schools in the US. None of the sources you post comment on anything other than recent involvement/influence of Big Pharma in medical schools, which is well-known. No mention of Big Pharma involvement in nursing schools (which makes sense, since they are only interested in the people who can Rx their products). Also, "pharmaceutical companies" as we know them now didn't exist when many of the medical schools (and nursing schools) in the US were being organized, so I fail to see how much influence they could have had in "creating" them. If you do happen to come across any references that support your earlier statement, I'd be glad to see them ...
Your original statement was that pharmaceutical companies "created and funded" medical and nursing schools in the US. None of the sources you post comment on anything other than recent involvement/influence of Big Pharma in medical schools, which is well-known. No mention of Big Pharma involvement in nursing schools (which makes sense, since they are only interested in the people who can Rx their products). Also, "pharmaceutical companies" as we know them now didn't exist when many of the medical schools (and nursing schools) in the US were being organized, so I fail to see how much influence they could have had in "creating" them. If you do happen to come across any references that support your earlier statement, I'd be glad to see them ...
You also said "It seems to be absolutely contrary to my school's curriculum (actually, all the school's I looked into's curriculum as well)." .... why would you expect that any school's curriculum talk about that if it is still an issue??
Investigate yourself... go read historical books on who created 'traditional' medicine in this country. I'm done explaining!
Investigate yourself... go read historical books on who created 'traditional' medicine in this country. I'm done explaining!
I have -- I've read quite a lot over the years on the history of medical and nursing education in the US, which is why I was surprised by your statement. But maybe you have access to some "special" information that the rest of us don't.
Have you looked at the Journal of Holistic Nursing? That is an entire medical journal, chock full of research and scientific study, that is devoted to holistic nursing. You should check out the AHNA, the Association of Holistic Nurses. I think you'll be pleased. :) And you definitely aren't the only one out there!
ITA about the recommendation about the AHNA but wanted to point out that the Journal of Holistic Nursing, while it is a peer-reviewd journal that publishes original research on complementary and alternative therapies, is a nursing journal not a medical journal. Have to admit to a bit of a personal peeve here when nurses refer to complementary and alternative MEDICINE because, as nurses, we don't practice medicine. We practice NURSING.
You seem to have a good head on your shoulders and even if not everyone agrees with everything you do I believe you are going to be just fine. If you come on a board like this you are going to always find people who are going to try to talk you out of your dreams. Please don't let anyone take away what you want because I think you are great. Good luck!
Junebugfairy
337 Posts
there is bi polar disorder, and bi polar 2 disorder, both of which have different symptoms, and can be treated in their own way. i have bpd 2, i am unsure if you are aware of the differences..
i am 5'6, 128 pounds. i do an hour of cardio a day, and do weights 3-4 times a week for another 45 minutes. i do not eat anything refined, fried, or anything with hfcs in it. i also do not add salt to my diet, nor do i eat foods with added salt, yet i have high blood pressure that can become dangerously high unless i take my dyazide.(a bp medication)
i believe it is best to use evidence based medicine first, then if you are not relieved you might wish to seek alternatives.
i certainly would never advise a bpd patient that eating well will help their symptoms, but i advise everyone to eat well and exercise because it is good for your body and overall health. being on my medications allows me to work, attend school, and function normally.
you can be very physically healthy, but if your neurotransmitters do not work properly, then you can still have major mental health issues. no amount of healthy eating can fix everything that ails us..