Redditor u/bishinishii recently asked medical professionals in the Reddit community to share the health-related things everyone should be doing, but aren’t, and some of those answers might be a wake-up call. Here are the tips that the medical profession is asking everyone to consider:
1. “Increase your fiber intake, especially sticky fiber from oatmeal, chia, okra, etc. It helps lower cholesterol in more ways than one, plus you’ll poop easier.”
— Five-O-Vicryl
2. “Have an advanced directive and encourage your older relatives to have one as well. Far fewer people would want to become a full coder if you saw us doing CPR on your 90-year-old grandmother.”
— geek_fighter_
Related: ‘He was dead before he hit the ground’: Nurses reveal the most incredible patient death stories that haunt them to this day
3. “Schedule your preventive health exams and screening procedures as soon as you’re eligible (mammogram, colonoscopy, etc.) and always stretch.”
—Hot artichoke6317
4. “Brush your teeth!”
– The celebrity
5. “Wash. Your hands. Hand sanitizer doesn’t matter in most cases. Norovirus will hit hard and alcohol-based sanitizer won’t kill it. Use soap and water for at least 20 seconds.”
— qwertyuiko
6. “I’m in billing, but a lot of people don’t realize that you can apply for financial help with medical bills, especially from big hospitals. They make most of their money from insurance companies, so most hospitals have funding set aside for ‘charity’ – they just don’t really tell you.” I had a free hysterectomy at Vanderbilt. After you have received an invoice, you can send a billing service and send financial aid. some tax returns to prove I’m broke but it’s very easy if you’re qualified.
-sparkleytophat
Related: Women Share The Dumbest Things Men Have Said About Their Bodies, And Now I Need A Drink
7. “Breathe. Take deep, intentional breaths here and there. Pause for a second. Belly breathe (to engage the diaphragm). As long as you’re breathing, you’re alive. Living is good.”
— gypsy
8. “Dental floss”.
– fetus photographer
“We’re looking forward to this one. Dental health is essential to good overall health.”
Anderkimsen
9. “DON’T SMOKE. Don’t smoke anything. Just don’t. Your lungs, heart, blood vessels and everything else in your body will be much better.”
—casapantalones
10. “People should be involved in some kind of exercise program that they can tolerate and will participate in. Make it fun, like walking while listening to your favorite podcast. You don’t have to break records, just get your body moving. I tell people all the time that if exercise was a pill, everyone would be hooked.”
—thomport
Related: How Scientifically Confident Are You?
11. “Magnesium supplement. I’m an emergency medicine pharmacist, and most people are deficient in magnesium even if labs are normal, because that lab represents magnesium in circulation, not cells (which is where magnesium is needed the most). I take magnesium glycinate (highest absorption) and threonate. rare, but err on the side of caution.”
—tikosyn_daydreams
12. “As someone who works in an ambulance, know your damn conditions and meds. The number of times I pick up people who have a Ziploc full of pills mixed up or conditions they can’t remember is staggering. A very real conversation I had this month started with the question, ‘Do you have any medical conditions?’ They said, “No.” I asked, “Does he take medication?” They answered, “Yes, insulin.” FACEȚI-O dracu’ împreună!”
—ButtSexington3rd
13. “Clean any wound you have! Even if it’s just a paper cut, please wash it.”
—Advanced mode 9966
14. “From your 20s onwards, you actually start going to the doctor. Even if it costs you something, say $500 a year for a single visit, catching things early is invaluable. Second, start planning for retirement in a serious way. A moderate rainy day fund for old age means you’ll be able to get home and get decent care. 30.”
—Dr_Esquire
15. “Every person should know a proper amount of nutrition. Almost everything people are taught about it is wrong.”
—Firm_Ratio_621
Related: If you’ve ever been called an introvert, this quiz will reveal which of the four types you really are
16. “People should fight their own colds. You don’t get a sinus infection at the same time every year; you don’t need antibiotics because they won’t help a virus. Stop asking for antibiotics because you ‘know your body.’ You do know your body, but you probably don’t understand how bacteria vs. viruses, how drugs work, etc. You don’t need an antibiotic! The obsession with antibiotics in American medicine is wild. Patients think you are a hidden gem of medicine.”
—ImportantDetective34
17. Finally: “Everyone should fight for reform and Medicare for all.”
The Good Brigade / Getty Images
— reduced visions
BRB, scheduling a doctor’s appointment as we speak. If you’re a medical professional, what should everyone do but isn’t? Tell us in the comments or you can submit your advice anonymously using the form below!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Also in Goodful: Homeowners who found incredible hidden treasures in their new homes share their discoveries, and now I’m checking every inch of my walls for secret compartments
Also on Goodful: ‘NEVER BREAK THIS’: Women share the ‘urgent’ safety tips other women have learned and are essential to know
Also on Goodful: I’m not saying you hate Christmas, but if you can’t fill in the blanks for up to 75% of these Christmas lines… Well, it doesn’t look good
Read it on BuzzFeed.com