15 of The Most Strange Addictions

15. Addiction To Television:

Diagnosing someone with this condition is a tricky business because researchers have yet to draw the exact line between normal TV watching hours and that of an addict.It is true that some people have a genuine addiction to watching television and these people have trouble falling asleep or leading normal lives because they watch so much TV!

14. Addiction To Internet:

Someone can be labelled with “Internet Addiction Disorder” when internet use is interfering with her/his daily life. This disorder has been associated with playing video games, online shopping, social media, adult content, and other types of entertainment that can be found online.

Hours after hours spent online ruin internet addicts’ lives as time spent online can interfere with work, school, and personal routine. Health and physical problems like obesity, heart disease, atrophy, and repetitive stress injury are very common among internet addicts because of spending days or weeks online at a time without any real physical activity.

13. Addiction To Ice Chewing:

Amazed? Yes addiction to chewing the ice is real and for some people chewing ice has become such a serious addiction that they have to seek treatment. There are various theories about why people develop ice chewing addictions that range from sexual frustration to an iron deficiency in their blood. Why to take this addiction so seriously? Well it can interfere with jobs as well as social lives, and it can lead to dental problems.

12. Addiction To Lying:

Yes! its true that there are some people out there who are addicted to lying. They can’t control telling lies, even if they have nothing to gain from lying. There are three types of lying addicts: chronic, pathological, and compulsive liars. They all lead to serious problems ranging from disturbed relationships with family and friends to jail time.

11. Addiction To Eating Dirt (Pica):

People suffering from pica, a psychological disorder, have compulsion to eat things without any nutritional content. The items that are eaten by these addicts range from earthy things like dirt, mud, and clay to more hazardous things like coins and buttons. One of the major causes of pica is Anemia or iron deficiency. People with pica can get seriously sick or die from either malnutrition or swallowing dangerous items like nails and tacks.

10. Addiction To Animal Hoarding:

You must have heard of hoarders, but have you ever heard of animal hoarders? Animals hoarders collect lots of animals usually in their homes and they often hoard inanimate objects as well. Animal hoarders are often people who are not fit to care for themselves, much less dozens of animals and they often live in crowded living conditions that are equally unfit for both animals and humans.

9. Addiction To modification In Body Structure:

Pain and the aesthetics of body modifications like tattoos and piercings are very strong addictions for some people who can sometimes render their faces and bodies unrecognizable through body modifications in as little as a year.

There is another similar addiction known as plastic surgery addiction. These addicts will spend a lot of money trying to ‘improve’ various parts of their bodies and when they start running low on cash, they even go to shady, cheap, unlicensed doctors to get their plastic surgery fix.

8. Addiction To Shopping:

A shopping addict is unable to hold onto any amount of money without spending it wastefully. You might have questioned its existence while seeing the MTV True Life on shopping addiction; yes, it is a real thing. In some extreme cases shopping addicts are even left homeless because they are unable to pay their rent. The things have become tougher for shopping addicts after the advent of the internet, which puts everything at their fingertips.

7. Addiction To Music:

How about winning the right to receive disability because of addiction to music. Well a man has won the right to receive disability in Sweden because of his addiction to heavy metal music. He has been allowed by the courts to listen to his metal music while at work and to take time off so that he can go see live heavy metal concerts.

6. Addiction To Video Game:

Falling for video game addiction is very common especially among adolescents and teen-agers because video games are designed and meant to be addictive and keep us playing. But when your gaming habit interferes with your daily life, and drives you to do harm to yourself or others, you should seek help because hardcore video game addicts have been driven to murder, suicide, and death by exhaustion.

5. Addiction To Reading:

Most of us wish that we could read more than we actually do because reading is a great way to spend some time, engaging our brain and helping us learn something in the process but on the other hand reading can actually be a crippling addiction for some people because of their constant desire to read. Reading provides an escape from the outside world, and for reading addicts, this escape is too good to let go of. Reading addicts lose sleep at night and can even lose their job because they can’t stop reading.

4. Addiction To Social Media:

With the advent of social media web sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler etc. more and more people are becoming addicted to these web sites. Social media addicts spend so much time on these sites that it interferes with their sleep schedule and activities of daily living including their job.

When the social media addicts cannot get access to their social media accounts for even just a few hours they start feeling anxious or sometimes even physically ill.

3. Addiction To Sex:

Strange? Isn’t it? But its true, sexholics are out there looking for their prey. They can commit sexual harassment, molestation, and even rape. People who have sex addiction often feel the need to have sex or please themselves constantly. They are obsessed with hooking up with large numbers of anonymous partners, which makes having any kind of real relationship impossible.

2. Addiction To Food:

You thought how could somebody eat after they are full? Well there are people out there who can eat themselves to death because they are addicted to food and cannot stop themselves from overeating. Mechanism of food addiction is same as that of drug addiction. It is an addiction to the pleasurable taste of the food, which is so strong that it overshadows any fear of the consequences.

1. Addiction To Gambling:

Normal people usually don’t like to either take financial risks or go for economic adventurism. However some people like to hit the casinos on vacation or play the lottery from time to time, but for few others gambling is a serious addiction. Some people lose their whole life savings and still can’t break the habit. To handle this addiction there are support groups, just like those of alcoholics because gambling addiction can lead to serious consequences like theft, murder, and even suicide as the result of an unshakeable gambling habit. If you can’t go a week without gambling, you might have a problem.

 

10 RAZÕES PARA NÃO PEDALAR.

Todos sabemos que está na moda pedalar, para o trabalho, por desporto, para estar com os amigos e até para competir. Mas há também razoes fortes para não o fazer e vou deixar aqui algumas das mais pertinentes.

1. Pedalar torna as pessoas mais atraentes. Sabemos bem que a determinada altura se torna aborrecido ser o centro das atenções, especialmente numa coisa que é difícil de reverter depois de conseguido.

2.Pedalar torna as pessoas mais saudáveis. É feio andar a vender saúde hoje em dia, com todos os colegas do escritório a queixarem-se da obesidade, das varizes, da falta de ar e outras que tal, é quase ofensivo sermos o único com saúde no meio deles, arranje um problema de saúde e conviva mais com os seus colegas.

3.Pedalar faz as pessoas inevitavelmente mais felizes e com auto-estima elevada. Num pais onde a venda de anti-depressivos aumentou consideravelmente nos últimos anos, chegar ao trabalho a sorrir é quase como por um alvo nas costas, pior é que o sorriso tem tendência a ser constante durante o dia, não ofenda os seus colegas com alegria desnecessária.

4.Pedalar não gera impostos. A bicicleta não usa gasolina, diesel, ou GPL, não tem seguros obrigatórios, nem inspeções obrigatórias, a manutenção é ridiculamente baixa e não paga taxas de estacionamento. Num momento difícil em que o pais atravessa é egoísmo não contribuir com as carradas de impostos como as que os automóveis pagam. Contribua com muitos impostos, vá de carro, o pais agradece.

5.Pedalar irá prolongar a sua vida na velhice e com mais qualidade de saúde. O problema do pais é a sustentabilidade da Segurança Social por ter de pagar reformas até muito tarde, alem do mais ao envelhecer com mais saúde não irá deixar a reforma na farmácia todos os meses.

6.Pedalar dá má fama na vizinhança. Por mais que aumente a sua qualidade de vida financeira depois de abdicar do automóvel, os vizinhos nunca saberão, pensarão que é pobre. Esqueça essa ideia de viver bem e até poupar dinheiro para as alturas difíceis, compre um bom carro de alta cilindrada, mesmo que não tenha dinheiro para dar de comer aos seus filhos, os seus vizinhos pensarão sempre o melhor de si, o que se passa dentro de portas ninguém sabe.

7.Pedalar para o trabalho é entediante. Chegar sempre a horas, demorar sempre o mesmo tempo no trajeto casa-trabalho-casa é entediante. Todos sabemos como sabe bem passar 30, ou 45 minutos fechados no carro a ouvir comerciais no meio de um engarrafamento, nunca saber a que horas chegaremos ao trabalho, ficar bloqueados por acidentes, trânsito inconstante e ainda ter de procurar o tão difícil local para estacionar.

8.Pedalar tonifica o corpo. Rapidamente as suas amigas vão espalhar o boato de que esse corpinho tonificado, o desaparecimento da celulite e o sorriso constante no rosto se deve a um colossal investimento numa cirurgia estética e de que a bicicleta é apenas a tentativa de encapotar isso.

9.Pedalar favorece o comercio local. As visitas aos estabelecimentos locais tornar-se-ão mais frequentes, as pessoas que pedalam deslocam-se mais vezes aos estabelecimentos perto de casa, os cuscos das redondezas podem começar a falar da sua vida.

10.Pedalar para o trabalho contagia os amigos e colegas. Tenha cuidado para que não lhe sigam o exemplo, é que as pessoas que pedalam tem uma auto-estima mais elevada e têm tendência a não se deixarem acomodar, em breve a vida ai no escritório pode começar a ficar agitada. 

7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe

Myth: Shaved hair grows back faster, coarser and darker

Fact: A 1928 clinical trial compared hair growth in shaved patches to growth in non-shaved patches. The hair which replaced the shaved hair was no darker or thicker, and did not grow in faster. More recent studies have confirmed that one. 

Here's the deal: When hair first comes in after being shaved, it grows with a blunt edge on top, Carroll and Vreeman explain. Over time, the blunt edge gets worn so it may seem thicker than it actually is. Hair that's just emerging can be darker too, because it hasn't been bleached by the sun.

Myth: You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day

Fact: "There is no medical evidence to suggest that you need that much water," said Dr. Rachel Vreeman, a pediatrics research fellow at the university and co-author of the journal article. 
Vreeman thinks this myth can be traced back to a 1945 recommendation from the Nutrition Council that a person consume the equivalent of eight glasses (64 ounces) of fluid a day. Over the years, "fluid" turned to water. But fruits and vegetables, plus coffee and other liquids, count.

Myth: Fingernails and hair grow after death

Fact: Most physicians queried on this one initially thought it was true. Upon further reflection, they realized it's impossible. Here's what happens: 

"As the body’s skin is drying out, soft tissue, especially skin, is retracting," Vreeman said. "The nails appear much more prominent as the skin dries out. The same is true, but less obvious, with hair. As the skin is shrinking back, the hair looks more prominent or sticks up a bit."

Myth: We use only 10 percent of our brains

Fact: Physicians and comedians alike, including Jerry Seinfeld, love to cite this one. It's sometimes erroneously credited to Albert Einstein. But MRI scans, PET scans and other imaging studies show no dormant areas of the brain, and even viewing individual neurons or cells reveals no inactive areas, the new paper points out. Metabolic studies of how brain cells process chemicals show no nonfunctioning areas. 

The myth probably originated with self-improvement hucksters in the early 1900s who wanted to convince people that they had yet not reached their full potential, Carroll figures. It also doesn't jibe with the fact that our other organs run at full tilt.

Myth: Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight

Fact: The researchers found no evidence that reading in dim light causes permanent eye damage. It can cause eye strain and temporarily decreased acuity, which subsides after rest.

Myth: Eating turkey makes you drowsy

Fact: Even Carroll and Vreeman believed this one until they researched it. The thing is, a chemical in turkey called tryptophan is known to cause drowsiness. But turkey doesn't contain any more of it than does chicken or beef. 

This myth is fueled by the fact that turkey is often eaten with a colossal holiday meal, often accompanied by alcohol — both things that will make you sleepy.

Myth: Cellphones are dangerous in hospitals

Fact: There are no known cases of death related to this one. Cases of less-serious interference with hospital devices seem to be largely anecdotal, the researchers found. In one real study, cellphones were found to interfere with 4 percent of devices, but only when the phone was within 3 feet of the device. 

A more recent study, this year, found no interference in 300 tests in 75 treatment rooms. To the contrary, when doctors use cellphones, the improved communication means they make fewer mistakes. 

"Whenever we talk about this work, doctors at first express disbelief that these things are not true," said Vreeman said. "But after we carefully lay out medical evidence, they are very willing to accept that these beliefs are actually false."

10 Reasons to Bike

1. It is a healthy activity you are able to do for the rest of your life

Unlike running, biking is not hard on your body, you are able to enjoy the sport forever. Since it is not hard on your joints it is one of the easiest ways to exercise; it is even recommended for rehabilitation of most injuries because it is non weight bearing. Biking builds strength, muscle tone and stamina along with reducing the risk of heart disease.

2. Great stress reliever

Getting outdoors and connecting with nature is a great way to release stressful thoughts. It is said that biking can be a better stress reliever than meditating, as you focus on your pedal stroke or the next turn.

3. Good for the environment

Carbon footprint = 0. Save the environment by riding your bike to work or doing random errands.

4. Lose some weight

Biking actually trains your body to burn more fat! It obviously burns calories while you are biking, but it also burns calories long after you have stopped pedaling.

5. Overall happiness

It is science, endorphins are released when you bike (or exercise). Endorphins are your body’s “feel good” drug. Maybe that is why I am addicted to biking.

When you get on a bike there is a feeling of freedom that you cannot deny. There is a thrill of speed, and an overall sense of awesomeness that is taking place every single time. You can’t help but smile.

6. Social sport

Biking is a very social sport, it is a great way to hang out with your friends, family or partner.

It is even a great way to have a meeting! “Biking is the new golf” in the business world.

7. Better sleep

All of the fresh air and exercise will help you sleep better, and even more, you will deserve it.

8. Great way to see an area

You want to get familiar with an area, go for a bike ride. Or… bike up a mountain and get a good view.

9. Boost of energy

Biking will increase your energy levels by activating brain neural circuits that make a person feel more energized.

10. Sexier Legs

What? It is true.

Chineses apresentam projeto de ônibus que passa por cima de carros!!

Sanzalando

30 Basic Skills Every Doctor Should Possess

1. Take a blood pressure.

2. Insert IV Cannula 

3- Treat diabetic coma 

4- Do PV examination and diagnose labour 

5. Identify a pneumothorax on a chest radiograph.

6. Diagnose iron deficiency anemia.

7. Treat simple infections.

8. Help a patient stop smoking cigarettes.

9. Diagnose thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, which has a mortality rate of 90% if not treated and 10-20% if treated.

10. Distinguish between the various tachyarrhythmias.

11. Find enlarged lymph nodes or splenomegaly on examination.

12. Successfully treat hypertension, or find a doctor who can.

13. Explain a disease or procedure to patients in plain, understandable terms.

14. Use the internet to find medical information and references.

15. Deliver bad news compassionately, yet honestly.

16. Know when to speak, and when to listen.

17. Practice what they preach, especially when it comes to a healthy diet.

18. Recognize when a patient needs to be transferred to the ICU.

19. Know when to call in a consultant and when to do the work themselves.

20. Refer a patient to the right specialist at the right time, or at least within a reasonable time period.

21. Be unafraid to say “I don’t know.”

22. Understand the precious value of time, both theirs and their patients’.

23. View their medical colleagues as a source of support, information and camaraderie.

24. Treat nurses and other staff in a courteous and professional manner.

25. Learn the gentle art of patience, patience and more patience.

26. Keep up with important advances in health care and research.

27. Never let anger, the killer of careers, interfere with the mission at hand.

28. Be able to always, always, have a plan of action to help a patient.

29. Appreciate the unique gifts each physician carries within, and never let a tough day become an excuse to withhold them from those who need them the most.

30. Know that money is not everything 

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Breathtaking Volleyball Ralley you'll ever see!!

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10 Amazing Science Magic Tricks!

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10 Things That Will Shock You About Vitamins and Supplements

Prescription medications aren’t given to patients without a list of potential side effects and ingredients, along with proof that it worked and was safe before it was approved. Even then, we run in to problems with medications being pulled from the market years later. 

Why is it then that so many people take so many supplements and vitamins without any regulation as to their safety and certainly no proof they work? 

With the news of another over-the-counter supplement causing serious harm, this time OxyElite causing 24 cases of acute liver failure/hepatitis in Hawaii, there are many things you should know about megavitamins and supplements. It is unpopular to criticize supplements, which many think are “more natural,” but for the 48-year-old mother who just died because she took this supplement for weight loss, here goes.1. Supplements and vitamins are a 34 billion dollar a year business. 

2. Many megavitamin companies are owned by pharmaceutical companies (Pfizer owns a huge megavitamin company). 

3. There is medicine that works and medicine that doesn’t work and the best way to figure out which is which is by looking at scientific studies. No supplements or vitamins have to be shown to work before they are sold to you. 

4. A curious truth is that alternative remedies are embraced more in the U.S. than they are in the countries where they originated. In China, for example, only 18 percent of the population relies on alternative medicines. Surprising right? In Japan, even less. 

5. Many take supplements and vitamins they deem more “natural” and reject medications made by big pharmaceutical companies when really most megavitamin companies are owned by big pharma. 

6. Whether or not you need to take a multivitamin, vitamin E, vitamin C or vitamin A for example has been studied for years. Because of Linus Pauling hundreds of studies have been done on Vitamin C and as we all know it neither prevents cancer nor prevents you from getting sick from a cold. The Vitamin E studies done year after year show an increased risk of heart failure and cancer in the groups taking Vitamin E. Please know this. 

7. Just as one example: in 2010 the Cleveland Clinic published results on a huge trial done on 36,000 men where they studied Vitamin E and Selenium (either alone or together) and found a 17% increased risk of prostate cancer in the group taking the vitamins. That same year, the vitamin industry made 28 billion dollars, a 5 percent increase from the year before. 

8. The National Health Federation is the lobbying group that represents vitamin makers and is enormously powerful. 

9. With exception of folks with vitamin deficiencies (gastric bypass patients, celiacs, low vitamin D) not a single public health organization recommends the routine use of vitamins or supplements. This is because studies have never shown them to be effective and in some cases they are harmful. 

10. Polls show that 68% of Americans have it wrong about the safety of vitamins and supplements. The truth is herbal manufacturers are not required to report side effects, manufacturers of vitamins and minerals can make claims about safety and effectiveness without evidence and the FDA does not approve herbal products before sale.The only change occurred in 2007 so now the FDA can make sure a product contains what the label says it contains. When they started doing this, at least half of those inspected had problems. 

The worst part of this story is here is the response of the owner of the company who makes OxyElite who says he "stands by the safety of all of its products" and that "the cluster of liver issues in Hawaii is a complete mystery." 

Not a mystery to me. 

 

50 Secrets Your Nurse Won’t Tell You

1. “We’re not going to tell you your doctor is incompetent, but if I say, ‘You have the right to a second opinion,’ that can be code for ‘I don’t like your doctor’ or ‘I don’t trust your doctor.’” — Linda Bell, RN, clinical practice specialist at the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses in Aliso Viejo, California

2. “When a patient is terminally ill, sometimes the doctor won’t order enough pain medication. If the patient is suffering, we’ll sometimes give more than what the doctor said and ask him later to change the order. People will probably howl now that I’ve said it out loud, but you have to take care of your patient.” — A longtime nurse in Texas

3. “Feel free to tell us about your personal life, but know that we’re here for 12 hours with nothing to talk about. So the stuff you tell us will probably get repeated.” — A nurse in St. Petersburg, Florida

4. “A lot of my patients are incontinent, and I’m supposed to just use a wet washcloth to clean them. But if it’s a patient who’s been really nice and appreciative, I’ll go all the way to intensive care to get some of the heated wet wipes, which are a lot more gentle. Somebody who’s constantly yelling at me? I just use the washcloth.” — A nurse in St. Petersburg, Florida

5. “I’ve had people blow out arteries in front of me, where I know the patient could bleed to death within minutes. I’ve had people with brains literally coming out of their head. No matter how worried I am, I’ll say calmly, ‘Hmmm, let me give the doctor a call and have him come look at that.’” — A longtime nurse in Texas

6. “I’d never tell a patient that he’s a moron for waiting a week for his stroke symptoms to improve before coming to the hospital. Although I’d like to. Especially if his wife then complains that we’re not doing anything for the guy.” — A longtime nurse

7. “If you’re happily texting and laughing with your friends until the second you spot me walking into your room, I’m not going to believe that your pain is a ten out of ten.” — A nurse in New York City 

8. “When you tell me how much you drink or smoke or how often you do drugs, I automatically double or triple it.” — A longtime nurse in Texas

9. “Your life is in our hands — literally. We question physicians’ orders more often than you might think. Some of the mistakes I’ve headed off: a physician who forgot to order a medication that the patient was taking at home, a doctor who ordered the incorrect diet for a diabetic, and one who tried to perform a treatment on the wrong patient.” — A nurse from Pennsylvania 

10. “These days, you can’t get admitted unless you’re really sick, and you’ll probably get sent home before you’re really ready. So we don’t get any easy ones anymore.” — Kathy Stephens Williams, RN, staff development educator for critical care at St. Anthony’s Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri

11. “People have no idea of the amount of red tape and charting we have to deal with every day. We spend hours at the computer just clicking boxes. They tell us, ‘If it wasn’t charted, it didn’t happen.’ So I always chart with a jury in the back of my mind.” — An intensive-care nurse in California 

12. “Despite nurses’ best efforts, hospitals are still filthy and full of drug-resistant germs. I don’t even bring my shoes into the house when I get home.” — Gina, a nurse who blogs at codeblog.com

13. “The No. 1 thing you should never say to me: ‘You’re too smart to be a nurse.’ I went to nursing school because I wanted to be a nurse, not because I wanted to be a doctor and didn’t make it.” — A longtime nurse in Texas 

14. “Grey’s Anatomy? We watch it and laugh. Ninety percent of the things doctors do on the show are things that nurses do in real life. Plus, there’s no time to sit in patients’ rooms like that.” — Kathy Stephens Williams, RN

15. “The sicker you are, the less you complain. I’ll have a dying patient with horrible chest pain who says nothing, because he doesn’t want to bother me. But the guy with the infected toe — he can’t leave me alone.” — An intensive-care nurse in California

16. “No matter how many times you use your call light, even if it’s every ten minutes, I will come into your room with a smile. However, if you don’t really need help, I will go back to the nurses’ station and complain, and this may affect how the nurses on the next shift take care of you.” — A cardiac nurse in San Jose, California

17. “When your provider asks for a list of the medications you’re taking, make sure you include over-the-counter drugs and herbals. People think that if an herb is ‘all natural’ and ‘organic,’ it’s not a medication. But that’s not true. Herbals can interact with other medications and can cause serious complications.” — Kristin Baird, RN, a health-care consultant in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin

18. “This is a hospital, not a hotel. I’m sorry the food isn’t the best, and no, your boyfriend can’t sleep in the bed with you.” — A nurse in New York City

19. “I know you asked for mashed potatoes, but that sound you hear is my other patient’s ventilator going off.” — A nurse in New York City

20. “If you ask me if your biopsy results have come back yet, I may say no even if they have, because the doctor is really the best person to tell you. He can answer all your questions.” — Gina, a nurse who blogs at codeblog.com

21. “When you ask me, ‘Have you ever done this before?’ I’ll always say yes.Even if I haven’t.” — A nurse in New York City

22. “In my first nursing job, some of the more senior nurses on the floor refused to help me when I really needed it, and they corrected my inevitable mistakes loudly and in public. It’s a very stressful job, so we take it out on each other.” — Theresa Brown, RN, an oncology nurse and the author of Critical Care: A New Nurse Faces Death, Life, and Everything in Between

23. “It can be intimidating when you see a physician who is known for being a real ogre make a mistake. Yes, you want to protect your patient, but there’s always a worry: Am I asking for a verbal slap in the face?” — Linda Bell, RN

24. “Every nurse has had a doctor blame her in front of a patient for something that is not her fault. They’re basically telling the patient, ‘You can’t trust your nurse.’” —Theresa Brown, RN

25. “If you have a really great nurse, a note to her nurse manager that says ‘So-and-so was exceptional for this reason’ will go a long way. Those things come out in her evaluation — it’s huge.” — Linda Bell, RN

26. “If you’ve been a patient in a unit for a long time, come back and visit.We’ll remember you, and we’d love to see you healthy.” — An intensive-care nurse in California

27. “I once took care of a child who had been in a coma for more than a week. The odds that he would wake up were declining, but I had read that the sense of smell was the last thing to go. So I told his mom, ‘Put your perfume on a diaper and hold it up by his nose to see if it will trigger something.’ The child woke up three hours later. It was probably a coincidence, but it was one of my best moments as a nurse.” — Barbara Dehn, RN, a nurse-practitioner in Silicon Valley who blogs at nursebarb.com

28. “Now that medical records are computerized, a lot of nurses or doctors read the screen while you’re trying to talk to them. If you feel like you’re not being heard, say, ‘I need your undivided attention for a moment.’” — Kristin Baird, RN

29. “Never talk to a nurse while she’s getting your medications ready. The more conversation there is, the more potential there is for error.” — Linda Bell, RN

30. “Some jobs are physically demanding. Some are mentally demanding. Some are emotionally demanding. Nursing is all three. If you have a problem with a nurse or with your care, ask to speak to the charge nurse (the one who oversees the shift). If it isn’t resolved at that level, ask for the hospital supervisor.” — Nancy Brown, RN, a longtime nurse in Seattle

31. “If the person drawing your blood misses your vein the first time, ask for someone else. I’ve seen one person stick someone three times. They need to practice, but it shouldn’t be on you!” — Karon White Gibson, RN, producer-host of Outspoken with Karon, a Chicago cable TV show

32. “Never let your pain get out of control. Using a scale of zero to ten, with ten being the worst pain you can imagine, start asking for medication when your pain gets to a four. If you let it get really bad, it’s more difficult to get it under control.” — Nancy Beck, RN, a nurse at a Missouri hospital

33. “Ask the nurse to wet your bandage or dressing before removal — it won’t hurt as much.” — Karon White Gibson, RN

34. “If you’re going to get blood drawn, drink two or three glasses of water beforehand. If you’re dehydrated, it’s a lot harder for us to find a vein, which means more poking with the needle.” 

35. “Don’t hold your breath when you know we’re about to do something painful, like remove a tube or take the staples out of an incision. Doing that will just make it worse. Take a few deep breaths instead.” — Mary Pat Aust, RN, clinical practice specialist at American Association of Critical-Care Nurses in Aliso Viejo, California

36. “If you have a choice, don’t go into the hospital in July. That’s when the new crop of residents starts, and they’re pretty clueless.” — A nurse supervisor at a New Jersey hospital

37. “Doctors don’t always tell you everything. They’ll be in the hallway saying, ‘She has a very poor prognosis. There’s nothing we can do.’ Then they don’t say that in the room. Sometimes I try to persuade them to be more up-front, but I don’t always succeed.” — Theresa Brown, RN

38. “There are a few doctors at every hospital who just don’t think that they need to wash their hands between seeing patients. Others get distracted and forget. So always ask anyone who comes into your room, ‘Have you washed your hands?’” — Kathy Stephens Williams, RN

39. “Many doctors seem to have a lack of concern about pain. I’ve seen physicians perform very painful treatments without giving sedatives or pain medicine in advance, so the patient wakes up in agony. When they do order pain medicine, they’re so concerned about overdosing, they often end up underdosing.” — A nurse supervisor at a New Jersey hospital

40. “When you’re with someone who is dying, try to get in bed and snuggle with them. Often they feel very alone and just want to be touched. Many times my patients will tell me, ‘I’m living with cancer but dying from lack of affection.’” — Barbara Dehn, RN, NP

41. “It’s the little things that make a difference for people who are sick. One of the best things you can do is wrap them in a warm blanket or towel. Throw the towel in the dryer before they are bathed. If they’re in a hospital, find out where the blanket warmer is.” — Barbara Dehn, RN, NP

42. “I’ll never tell you to change your code status to Do Not Resuscitate, even though I might cringe at the thought of having to break your ribs during CPR.With certain patients, however, I may talk to family members to clarify their goals for the patient’s care. This sometimes leads to an elderly person being placed on comfort care rather than being continually tortured by us with procedures that aren’t going to help.” — A cardiac nurse in San Jose, California

43. “Husbands, listen to your wives if they tell you to go to the hospital. Today a man kept fainting but wouldn’t go to the hospital until his wife forced him. He needed not one, not two, but three units of blood — he was bleeding internally. He could have had a cardiac arrest. Another man complained to his wife that he didn’t feel ‘right.’ His wife finally called me to come over to their house. His pulse was 40. He got a pacemaker that evening.” — Barbara Dehn, RN, NP

44. “The doctors don’t save you; we do. We’re the ones keeping an eye on your electrolytes, your fluids, whether you’re running a fever. We’re often the ones who decide whether you need a feeding tube or a central line for your IV. And we’re the ones who yell and screech when something goes wrong.” — A longtime nurse in Texas

45. “If you do not understand what the doctor is telling you, say so! I once heard a doctor telling his patient that the tumor was benign, and the patient thought that benign meant that he had cancer. That patient was my dad. It was one of the things that inspired me to become a nurse.” — Theresa Tomeo, RN, a nurse at the Beth Abraham Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Queens, New York

46. “At the end of an appointment, ask yourself: Do I know what’s happening next? If you had blood drawn, find out who’s calling who with the results, and when. People assume that if they haven’t heard from anyone, nothing is wrong. But I’ve heard horror stories. One positive biopsy sat under a pile of papers for three weeks.” — Kristin Baird, RN

47. “As a nurse, sometimes you do nothing but run numbers and replenish fluids. Sometimes you’re also the person who reassures the teenager that ‘everybody’ gets her period on the day of admission, the person who, though 30 years younger than the patient, tells that patient without blushing or stammering that yes, sex is possible even after neck surgery. You’re the person who knows not only the various ways to save somebody else’s life but also how to comfort those left behind.” — A longtime nurse who blogs at head-nurse.blogspot.com

48. “I had one patient show up repeatedly to see me after he was discharged. Another little old man tried to pull me into bed with him. (He was stronger than he looked.) The general rule is don’t ask us on a date. We’re busy. It’s unethical. And, really, I already know you better than I want to.” — A longtime nurse in Texas

49. “Positive attitude is everything. I have seen many people think themselves well.” — Nancy Beck, RN

50. “A simple ‘Thank you’ can really make my day.” — A nurse in New York City