People who work in medical professions, like doctors, nurses, and EMTs, often see firsthand what can happen to the human body in a worst-case scenario. Recently on Reddit, they shared the daily habits they’ve changed as a result of working with their patients, and they had so many great tips to share for a healthier, safer life. Here’s what they had to say:1. “I will never go to a chiropractor or ever recommend anyone else to see one.”Abraham Gonzalez Fernandez / Getty Images2. “I primarily see people in long-term care facilities, so I get to see the long-term effects of people’s life decisions. The worst usually involve any combination of excessive drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and poor diet and exercise. I can’t tell you how many people I have seen using oxygen tanks and still craving a cigarette.”—AreYouOkay123″We literally had a patient light themselves on fire at one of my clinical sites when I was a student. They lit up a cigarette while on high-flow oxygen.”—ACaffeinatedWandressRelated: “17 People Are JUDGING The “Hygiene Habits” That Are Truly Revolting”3. “I started using earplugs at concerts. Seeing older folks struggle with their hearing makes me want to protect mine.”Klaus Vedfelt / Getty Images4. “I’m a paramedic. When I started my career, I was in my late 20s, and I was drinking a lot of alcohol (every weekend). Then, dealing with drunk people on a daily basis made me realize how bad it is. Starting with hangover, traumatic injuries, mental health issues, family problems, long-term effects of drinking – hypertension, liver/pancreas issues, and decline in brain function. I cut down massively in the first few years, then stopped completely and have not drunk for the past 2 years.”—Stouler”ICU nurse here. There are plenty of horrific ways to die, some more than others. To me, liver failure is one of them. Easily in my Top 10 of worst ways to go, probably even Top 5 if we’re talking about ‘general’ disease processes overall and not freak accidents/outliers.”—NurseRatchettt”I worked in a skilled nursing facility and had lots of interactions with people who essentially drank themselves to death. Working at an ambulatory surgery center now, and I’ve genuinely had people hooked up and ready to go for surgery and going through the discharge instructions with them, and I’ve had people straight up cancel themselves and walk out because I tell them they can not drink alcohol for the next 24 hours. TWENTY FOUR. That’s it, and they literally get up and leave and say they won’t be doing that. Absolutely crazy.”—MinimumHelicopter8255. “Dental hygienist here. I didn’t start flossing until hygiene school. I also use interdental brushes and sometimes a Waterpik. Most people, including other healthcare professionals, don’t grasp the connection that the bacteria (and fungi, viruses, etc.) in our mouth have to our overall health. Our mouth is not an isolated petri dish; we swallow and inhale that bacteria, and it also has the ability to enter our bloodstream easily when there is an infection in the gums.”PeopleImages / Getty Images6. “I will not live to work. I work in elderly care (think geriatrics, but not in the US), and I’ve yet to meet a patient who tells me they wish they worked more. I’m lucky to work somewhere where I earn a decent wage while working what’s essentially a 9-5, so I can still focus on myself and my family. Sure, I’m not in what’s considered an ‘exciting’ field, but I’m happy with my little life and the genuine connection I still have with what makes me, me.””I could’ve picked a lot of other fields that would’ve made more money or prestige, but I’m not here for that. I would’ve had to give up the things that make me who I am, and the regret I see in my patients’ eyes when they talk about how that happened to them is reminder enough that I should be very, very grateful.”—TheSmilingDoc7. “Focusing on preventative medicine. I see a lot of people who are like, ‘I only go to the doctor when I’m sick, why would I go other than that?’ People act like preventative medicine doesn’t exist in the US, but it absolutely does. Going to a primary care physician every year and getting a physical with labs is exactly that. As well as exercising, being food conscious, getting a colonoscopy at 45, a Pap smear, getting a mammogram at 40, getting vaccinated, etc. All preventative medicine.”mediaphotos / Getty ImagesRelated: “People Are Confessing Their Most Embarrassing Hygiene Mistakes”8. “Orthopedic nurse here, falls are no joke at any age. Even from standing height, a simple slip and fall can lead to multiple fractures, surgery, physical therapy, etc. So don’t climb on random items to reach a lightbulb, remember to salt your icy walks in the winter, and please check on your elderly friends/neighbors/relatives daily so they’re not lying with a femur fracture for days before someone finds them.””Also, go see your orthopedic provider when you start having joint pain instead of letting it go on for years (if you can, American healthcare is a capitalist hellscape). There are interventions that are less invasive than a total joint replacement that can be an option as long as your body hasn’t sustained too much damage from trying to power through.”—speedystring9. “I will not ride a motorcycle.”10. “A la carte doctoring. I see many patients who use private telehealth services to get prescriptions for things they want. The issue is that those telehealth docs don’t know your whole history, don’t see you in person and take vital signs, and don’t really care about follow-up. Several people end up in dangerous situations and end up coming to their GP. Just go to your family physician and explain what you would like and that you prefer to have them manage everything and keep the trust in your relationship. Also, old school GPs need to realize that they have to be more open to discussing weight loss Rx, mental health, perimenopause, and skin care. Otherwise, your patients will seek private care.”—TurquoisySunflower11. “I won’t have large dogs as pets. I’ve seen so many elderly people come to the ER for bad injuries related to their large dogs, accidentally causing them to fall.”Elena Medoks / Getty ImagesRelated: “People Are Exposing The Gross Habits Way Too Many Of Us Are Guilty Of”12. “Not wearing sunscreen. Skin cancer is no joke.”—Comfortable_Cup4185″Hard agree. I’m a melanoma widow.He was diagnosed in his early 30s and dead by 40.”—BestLingonberryPie13. “Physician. For me, it’s got to be not exercising and allowing weight, limited mobility, and lack of strength to persist and worsen over time. So many patients just accept it as part of getting older. It doesn’t have to be an inevitability.”MoMo Productions / Getty Images14. “I’m a neurologist. A struggle I’m currently having is the knowledge that using my phone all the time is likely to have long-term consequences on my focus (and I see the issue in the ‘lifers’ of the younger generations, too), but damn is it addictive.”—DoctorOfWhatNow15. “Health policy researcher, it sounds really simple, but you will never catch me without my flu vaccine (or any vaccine available to me). I saw the fear in my colleagues’ eyes last year when they talked about the flu stats and the risk of running out of treatments and space in hospitals. Then I saw the stats on how many children last year’s strains were killing (think like 5-15 year olds, the exact group you’d expect to have robust immune systems).”16. “Wanting to do sports like a professional as an amateur. People don’t realize in what bad shape some joints, the spine, can get into from what first starts as a minor injury. Some professional sportsmen are in reallyyy bad shape after they retire or even before. I learned that true, healthy results come from normal exercise and consistency.”—Substantial_Raise914″I always say that adult men’s softball is the most dangerous sport in the world. Take a bunch of 30-40-year-olds that used to be good, don’t warm up properly, swing, aka ROTATE, as fast as possible to hit something, then SPRINT to first base.”—50yoWhiteGuyRelated: “Women Are Sharing The Hygiene Habits They Wish They’d Known Sooner”17. “When I was a teenager, no one wore helmets. I was stupid too, but I was at least always careful and not a fan of high speeds. I now work in orthopedics, and I will never bike without a helmet ever again, and I sure as hell won’t get on another electric scooter without one either (and I will ensure my kids are smart enough to do the same… hopefully…).The horrific injuries I’ve seen due to the lack of helmets are no joke.”Halfpoint Images / Getty Images18. “I have had to remove an ID card on a neck lanyard from someone’s chest when the airbag went off. Won’t wear anything around my neck while driving now.”—Loltima19. “Orthopedic RN here. Skipping stretching and mobility work, ignoring injuries, and not wearing proper footwear are all things I stopped doing after working on my unit. You only get one body, and you will pay in pain for ignoring its needs throughout your life.”20. And finally, “Aside from the obvious ones like eating and drinking too much and moving too little, I also think trying to do everything right is problematic. Everybody can get a terrible illness and die from that. The patients that always followed the rules (exercise, healthy weight, no drugs of any kind, lots of vegetables, no junk food…) had a lot of trouble accepting their illness, which made it hard for them to manage it and often gave them some serious psychological damage.””I’m not saying everybody should be a hedonist and not take care of their health at all, but living healthy is no guarantee for a long, healthy life. Take it easy sometimes and drink that beer you crave on the first warm day of summer. It’s okay.”—MarchepaneIs there anything you would add? Let us know in the comments!Your daily brain workout: Think You’re Smart Enough To Crack This Mini Word Chain In Less Than 60 Seconds?Also in Health: “People Are Calling Out The Everyday Things We Do That Are BIG Hygiene Mistakes”Also in Health: “Women Are Sharing The Physical Changes That Have Shocked Them As They’ve Gotten Older”Read it on BuzzFeed.com
