The Quiet Confessions of a Health Professional
I have a confession to make. It’s a bit of a shameful one for someone in my line of work. I’m a health professional and outside of work I am a coward. A big, terrified coward.
I don’t tell people they’re talking nonsense about their health when I am ‘out of uniform,’ even when I know they are. I just can’t bring myself to do it. Not worth the hassle.
It’s a common problem, I’ve found. You’re at a dinner party, a family gathering, or just chatting with a friend, and someone drops a health-related bombshell they read online. The logical, professional part of your brain screams,
“That’s not how it works!” but your social survival instincts kick in and you just… change the subject. 😶
Health Issues
A relative of mine is a classic example. For months, he was convinced his wrist pain was carpal tunnel syndrome. He’d read about it online and because his doctor had mentioned it as a distant possibility months ago, it became his definitive diagnosis. He had all the “typical” symptoms—which, it turns out, are not typical at all. He had none of the classic indicators like numbness in the thumb or first two fingers. He’d just say,
“Oh, my carpal tunnel is acting up again.”
I tried, I really did, to explain it wasn’t a catch-all for wrist pain, but he was completely dug in. It was easier to just let it go. Sure enough, after a series of tests, the real culprit was his neck and shoulder. I bit my tongue and didn’t utter those three sweet words: I told you so.
Another example: a friend enthusiastically telling me she was allergic to
“Paracetamol but could tolerate Panadol!” she said, with all the conviction of a late-night infomercial host. On the inside, my brain screamed,
“They are both the same tablet, just a different brand and a generic name.”
But what could I say without sounding like a know-it-all?
“They are both the same you know.” I mumble.
I knew I was right, but without spouting a full scientific treatise, and making them look stupid, you end up sounding just as unscientific as they do. It’s a losing battle.
The Power of Belief (and the “Internet Specialist”)
Some of these examples are pretty harmless, but the bigger the issue is the genuine fear and misinformation that circulates ( think moon landings?!)
Think about the discussions around chiropractors, physiotherapists, and the “ergonomic” standing desks and don’t get me started on wrist rests that very few people use correctly. I’m not saying don’t use them, but use them properly or they do more harm than good.
People forget a fundamental truth: everybody is different.
If you sit still all day and don’t do regular exercises, you’re going to have muscle and joint problems. A physio will tell you to exercise and you’ll do that for a couple of days. But if you don’t do the exercises, your problem will return, and you’re out £120. Is that worth it?
Is that you? 😉
I hear this kind of stuff constantly. People talk to me because I’m a health professional, and come up with these “new bright ideas” no one has ever thought of before. I’ve heard self-diagnoses for everything from foot drop to broken ribs. It’s frustrating because the reason I keep my mouth shut is that it feels like I’m getting nowhere. After all, they’ve Googled it!
Sources for Health Professionals
I’ll occasionally mention the placebo effect or the Hawthorne effect, where people get better just because they believe they will or because they’re being observed. But these days, it seems I’m losing more and more ground to the “Internet specialists” and their one-click cures. The truth is, sometimes things get better on their own—a concept called regression to the mean. But that doesn’t sell a product or a scare story, so it rarely gets a mention.
It’s hard to stand your ground when your friend and close family has “evidence” from their favourite social media influencer. But maybe the real superpower isn’t knowing all the answers; it’s just being the person who encourages others to think critically.
I always try to mention reputable sources like the NHS site (UK) (for health conditions) or NICE (for the correct pathway in illness) and tell them to look it up there.
It’s the best I can do without getting in a shouting match ; thinking about it, maybe that’s not a bad ‘off-duty’ health professionals (coward’s) way out after all.
What ridiculous theories have your friends/relatives swear ‘cured them?’ Be good to know it’s not just me…
