
Being ill is a very frightening thing, for those afflicted and for the people who love them. So of course we want to find a cure to any ailment as soon as possible. And people will go to great extremes for a cure. Often the "cures" people come up with are a bit on the odd side and not the scientific, medical side. First.... stay off the internet for home remedies. Second.... do not watch 'Grey's Anatomy!' and try and unleash your inner Meredith Grey.
Redditor u/Trillian_42_ wanted some doctors out there to let us know that there is no miracle cure by asking.... Doctors of Reddit, what is the weirdest "cure" your patients have tried to use for their illnesses?
Narrator Says:
Was asked to see a patient that had obvious advanced breast cancer. Instead of seeing regular doctors, they saw a naturopathic doctor. They convinced the patient to have garlic wrapped in a banana leaf placed into their leg to see if that would help.
Narrator: it didn't. Nysoz
Pain in the Eyes.
I saw someone in the Emergency Department about a month ago who had pain in both eyes after welding without eye protection - this is known as photokeratitis. It doesn't usually last very long and the treatment is predominantly symptom based - artificial tears, anti-inflammatory eye drops, cold compresses, dark room etc...
The man had googled home treatments and found that layering smashed bananas over his eyelids helped.
I guess it's not too dissimilar to a cold compress.
I told him I'd add it to my repertoire. jwms
Urine Therapy?
I'm not a doctor, but I know someone who got really into urine therapy. Meaning she would drink her own urine everyday. She claimed it made her more alert and cured her migraines. MomsSpaghetti589
Yeah, this pee thing was a thing in the village I grew up in, at least back in the days, hopefully.
One of the stories I have is that an aunt of mine put her pee in her sick brother's tea and brought it at the hospital. He drank it. Claimed to have worked because it was "from a virgin girl." dollyish
More than Rubbing....
This is more sad than weird. A women came in with an early stage treatable breast cancer. After talking to a random women in the hospital's waiting room, she decided to refuse medical treatment and instead use essential oils. The women convinced her that by rubbing her breast with essential oils the tumor will disappear and that any form of chemo or surgery will disfigure her while essential oils won't. Fast forward a couple of years, she came in with a stage 4 cancer. It got everywhere it could possibly get without killing her. She got a couple of weeks of palliative care before leaving her teenage children orphans.
Another one is this bee guy. He was basically an alternative medicine healer (he called himself a ''doctor'' while not having any M.D or PhD). This guy uses bee stings as a cure for cancer (all and every kind of cancer). He had different ''protocols'' for every type of cancer : number of sessions, number of stings per session, the areas of the stings ...etc. While at least he didn't encourage his patients to quit treatment, he did expose them to harm. During chemotherapy the immune system will go down.
The bee stings would get infected most of the time and we had a couple of close calls. This dude had convinced all his patients that the brush with death that they had was because of the ''cancer toxins'' leaving their bodies. The cherry on top is that his treatment was not anywhere close to cheap. He was making in a day more than any doctor I know would make in a month.
Edit: added the bee guy's story. NeedToLearnToListen
Oil People.
My MIL is a huge essential oil fan. I was having an asthma flair up, couldn't find my inhaler, she insisted that if she rubbed this oil on my chest it would go away, I wasn't having it, I had my inhaler somewhere there. She finally yelled at me to stop and try it. I did, I sat there for 10 minutes, wheezing, while she applied it and told me to relax. My wife then found my inhaler and brought it to me, I used it, instantly felt better, and her mom was like, "see!" sixesand7s
Rush to the Hospital.
Not a doctor but had a friend tried to heal a cut on his foot by keeping it moist in saline, wrapping it in bandages, with a sock and shoe squeezed on, under the heater. For days. He ended up getting so sick he had to be rushed to hospital, but literally could have died. definitelymy1account
Fool Proof.
Not a doctor, but 19 year old me decided to try and combat a cold by drinking a bunch of vodka to kill the virus. My plan was pretty fool proof. Jummatron
Raid Bug Spray on his crotch.
Not a doctor, but back in college I was in a medical class.
The teacher explained that she was a nurse for 20 something years and told us a few funny stories about people who had these weird cures. She then asked us if we ever heard of these cures.
One of the students claimed that a friend of hers had gotten an STD (herpes or something idk), and he tried to cure it by spraying Raid Bug Spray on his crotch.
The teacher burst out laughing while everyone else was disgusted and shocked. KarmaticFox
Below the Skin.
Worked as a medical scribe in the ER. Patient comes in complaining of a skin abscess. Lifts her shirt and taped to her stomach is a piece of white bread. As the nurse pulls it off, out slips what's left of a raw egg. The doctor was speechless and after what felt like an eternity, the patient explains that she read on the internet that eggs have antibacterial properties and that they can cure skin infections. Never really got to how the bread got involved... Doc was nice enough to sympathize and move on quickly it I damn near dropped my laptop. Id_rather_be_eating
Watch the Doc.
Oh, I'm not a doctor...
...but I have an ex who claimed to have health problems. She made me watch this documentary about some guy who would acquire meat and then let it rot for weeks or months, and then eat it raw. Supposedly it cured his health problems. My ex wanted to do the same thing as a treatment for her health problems... which were actually caused by the abuse of narcotics, alcohol, and OTC drugs. dottmatrix
Chickenwire Bob.
Old guy lived by himself out in the bush. Developed a large chronic ulcer on his shin so wrapped chicken wire around it to protect it from trauma and keep his clothes clean. Unfortunately the granulation tissue from the ulcer base grew over the chicken wire. He just cut around it and added another layer of wire. He came to hospital when it became infected. Needed surgery to debride the ulcer and remove the mesh wire which was completely covered by tissue. We affectionately called him Chickenwire Bob. chilli_colon13
"that snake guy said y"....
I'm a doctor now but this was before, when I was in med school. A woman tried to cure her cancer by starving it... By starving herself. This does not work. Cancer just steals all your energy and nutrients. By the time she accepted medical help she was skin and bones and her tumor just grew right out through her skin, it was awful.
Edit: to anyone saying "my oncologist said x": I'm a family doctor, not an oncologist, and I don't know you or your body. Please listen to your oncologist over me.
To anyone saying: "that snake guy said y": that doesn't sound like a very trustworthy source.
EMERGENCY!
Er doc.
Burns. OMG. Every home remedy. Mayonnaise, toothpaste, honey, syrup. Bee stings are another interesting bunch.
Woman used a baby wipe as a tampon. It remained there for 3 weeks.
I had a gentleman come in because of generalized fatigue. He had his legs wrapped with duct taped to prevent peripheral edema and fluid seeping from his legs. His hemoglobin was 3 and he had a perforated gastric ulcer.
I had a woman with a rash on her groin (clarification: on her labia majora!!!). She attempted to treat with leather tanning solution. There was something else crazy but I cant recall. Too many crazy things at this point. Vibriobactin
"triggers"
My coworkers patient with breast cancer made a 3 inch gash in her thigh and stuffed it with garbanzo beans because she read that it "triggers" the body to fight the cancer. She was actively receiving chemotherapy at the time. She didn't even disclose this to him, he just noticed as he was doing the exam. wolfpack1986
Honey Nut or Plain?
I had a patient who tried to cure her anemia by eating Cheerios. It didn't work. cooziethegrouch
Thumbtacked!
One of my patients (grown adult) swallowed a thumb tack as a dare but immediately afterward started having chest pain, probably from mucosal damage in his esophagus. So his idea was to try to take a self made stack of maybe 7or 8 penny size magnets which he stuck down his throat to try to pull the thumbtack back out and ended up accidentally swallowing that too. I consulted a gastroenterologist and I could hear his facepalm on the other end of the phone. LamarcusAldridge24
It's NOT a popsicle.
Not a doctor but EMS. For a while heroin got really big in my city and people were dropping like flies. Some How, some way, a rumor got passed around that inserting popsicles in peoples rectums would bring them out of an overdose. They had gotten this down to a science s/ they'd use red white and boom pops to match the skin color with the depth. I.e. if the person was blue, they'd insert it up to the blue part of the popsicle. For a solid 2-3 months we'd find people out cold, pants around there ankles and popsicle sticks sticking out of their bums. AmongstTheExpanse
Stop Blogging!
Not a doctor obviously, but a two time cancer patient.
The amount of people who tried to convince me that changing my bodies pH by either ingesting large amounts of baking soda (base) or lemon juice/cider vinegar (acid) was abnormally high.
Everyone had a blog to share claiming this huge secret "my doctor wouldn't want me to know" allegedly. Interestingly they couldn't even get it straight which way the pH needed to go. scott60561
Oh the Herbals....
I shouldn't even have been told about this, but my friend's dad is a GP. He once had a family come in complaining that they all shared the same symptoms, even their newborn child.
It turned out that the mother had chlamydia, which she passed to her child during birth, and the rest of the family ate her placenta and everyone contracted it.
He told them this and recommended a treatment, to which they responded, "No, thank you. We wanted to know what was wrong, but we've got herbal remedies for this…" _cosmicomics_
In the Waiting Room...
Not to me but in the waiting room of the clinic.
This guy walks out into the waiting room and recognizes my dad (they are distant cousins but I didn't know him) and he tells my dad that while jumping off rocks into the local river, he busted his shin open on another rock underwater.
So his remedy. Pour alcohol on it and throw a match on the gash to cauterize it. RegularBrick80
George Takei's Halloween Costume Contest 2019
Have you ever heard of a certain job that people call a career and thought... "PEOPLE PAY YOU FOR THAT?!?!"
All hard, honest work is good work.
And then there is just trash work.
And I don't mean garbage collection, that is honest work.
I don't know how some people live with themselves.
Redditor MrTuxedo1 wanted to discuss the careers they don't believe people should chase. They asked:
"What job do you have no respect for?"
Ticket scalpers. How do you the audacity to say that's a job?
Actual burglars have more empathy.
Disrespectful
"There are debt collectors who call relatives of the deceased to pay off their debts when they are not legally obligated to."
Top_Gun_2021
Shady. Shady.
"Australian Real Estate Agents. Laws don't seem to apply to them. Just as dodgy in sales and rentals alike. Never seen anything like it overseas."
snave_
"I'm in the US, it can vary state by state but my state is pretty strict on realtor laws. Some states require attorney review and there are definitely penalties for being reported for shady sh*t. It does require consumer reporting though."
ilostmytaco
Etransfer
"Where I live, tax info was leaked and now scammers are targeting low income individuals/families (people earning under 30,000 per year) with etransfer scams. I got one the other day that was an etransfer warning that 240$ 'a family member sent me' was about to expire."
SnowyInuk
"That’s disgusting. The scammers know what they’re doing, they know the harm they cause people and yet they don’t care."
surelysandwitch
Should be illegal...
"MLM managers. Not the low level idiots that get suckered into it, they suck too for trying to bring new people into that sh*tshow, but the people who create them know exactly what they are doing and are pretty much the only ones who profit off of it. Should be illegal. Pyramid schemes are illegal. None of them ever get the just desserts except occasionally by vigilantes I assume."
Wereno
I hate debt collectors. Yeah, you calling me one hundred times a week is going to miraculously make money appear.
Animals
"Paparazzi."
VictorBlimpmuscle
"I met Jack Gleeson (King Joffrey from Game of Thrones) at a bus stop in Dublin. Really nice guy but he said he quit acting due to people being nasty online and constant hounding from paparrazi. He's happier now but it sucks that he was pushed away from a career he was quite good at."
goobi94
Scumbags
"The pastors at mega churches whom ask their followers for money for private jets. Absolute scum to abuse others faith for your own greed."
ichancho
"Brian Tamaki is a greedy freaking pig, he takes advantage of so many people who are already struggling. Every time he’s in the local news (which btw is often) I get more and more pissed off at him and his wife. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Tamaki "
surelysandwitch
it’s a thing???
“'Dating Expert.' Sadly it’s a thing. It’s basically a self appointed title that requires no training or qualifications. What’s worse, is that I have a female friend who uses one. It’s very much a blind leading the blind situation."
Mean_Manufacturer_61
"Most of the self proclaimed “dating coaches” I know are women in their late 30s or early 40s who have never been married or had a longer relationship."
ipozgaj
EVIL
"Poachers. Especially big game poachers who purposefully hunt nearly extinct animals from species they know they are on the brink."
"I know there are poachers that come from rural villages who are trying to just put food on the table, which has my sympathy but poachers who come from money and hunt down animals minding their business in most shelters or restricted areas just to put a head on their wall as a trophy are absolutely heinous."
GetterdoneObiwan
I See It All
"Psychic Mediums. Specifically those who prey on the grieving."
JamesDeadite
"I've always found it interesting how many magicians go after people like this. I think it's because they know what it takes to trick people for the art. The slight of hand and mentalism. And they abhor people who use these tactics for such sh*tty purposes."
34HoldOn
I want so bad to believe in psychics and mediums. What say we on that topic?
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
The nose is constantly being attacked by odors of the world.
Going through one day without having to hold my breath during a certain point, is a miracle.
Of course, I'm a New Yorker, so I maybe exaggerating for people in the countryside.
What's funnier is odors that are pleasant, that shouldn't be.
Have you ever looked and something and thought... "yuck."
But then you smelled it and it was like... "oh lovely,"
Redditor HappQueue wanted to know what aromas are arousing to the senses that may come as a surprise to many. They asked:
"What smells good but shouldn't?"
For some odd reason I love the things burning. Anything, food, pots, pans. You name it. Weird.
Blow
"Matches/candles on a birthday cake. I remember lighting matches as a kid purely to blow them out and inhale that sweet match-y smell."
semispooked
"guilty good"
"I work at a Chemical plant. We make a highly acidic product that is dark blue, viscus, highly corrosive, and smells exactly like Fruit Loops. It is incredibly disturbing."
Turin082
"Organic chemistry has many 'guilty good' smells. Thiophosgene (sulfur derivative of a chemical weapon used extensively in WW1) apparently smells like meat. Phosgene is used to make polycarbonate, thiophosgene is used to make some sulfur-containing molecules which eventually end up in therapeutic drugs."
HammerTh_1701
I can't huff it...
"Paint, specifically house paint. I love the smell. But anytime I hear that anyone is painting a room or their house, I volunteer. I just love sitting on the floor in a room that's been freshly painted, closing my eyes and just inhaling that slightly chemically, slightly creamy aroma."
Neowza
A Hint of French...
"A fish and chips shop burnt down as couple blocks from work a few years ago. The whole neighborhood smelled amazing for days. Just the slight hint of French fries. Nothing overpowering. It was so awesome. Until I found out someone was trapped in the fire and died."
stevey_frac
Drag
"Race fuel. Instantly puts me in a good mood as it reminds me of going to the drag races with my dad when I was young."
garfnodie
Fuel and matches get me too. And they sort of go together. Interesting.
Just like the Movie...
"The water from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Mmm, bromine."
Stalkerslovemy
"This is one of my favorite scents of all time, and Disney is very aware that people enjoy it. Evidently it’s a lot harder to recreate than just adding bromine to water."
cash4panties
"black widow".
"There's a chicken wing restaurant near my house that has a challenge sauce called "black widow." The owner claims it to be around 500,000 scovilles. A few years back some buddies and I decided to try them, the sauce was a dark molasses color and smelled almost like a BBQ sauce, no hint of the danger that lurked at all. We each grabbed one wing and it went terribly. I don't know how something so spicy could smell so innocent."
Final-Chapter
Endless Weekend
"Hotel/rented rooms whenever you go on vacation. There's this particular smell that just says 'you are on vacation,' especially on a beach/swimming trips/out-of-the-town vacays."
Yummy_Llama
"Bath and Body Works has a plug-in scent called Endless Weekend that replicates that scent (to my humble nose)."
Exxcentrica
"oh no..."
"Someone you are attracted to's body odors. Anyone else who is slightly unhygienic smells repulsive."
Mini_gunslinger
"I remember back in high school a girl leaned over, sniffed me, told me that I smelled really good, and asked me what cologne I was wearing. I asked if she was joking, and she's like, no, you smell really good. When I told her I had just gotten done with gym class, she gets a small 'oh no...' look on her face and turns away. I think we both had a revelation that day."
user deleted
That Smell
"The smell inflatable things give off. I have no idea how to describe it, but it’s… nostalgic? to me."
crestfxllen
I do love the smell of plastics and inflatables. Ahh....
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
At one point in time, we've misplaced things that we've considered priceless possessions.
It's hard to imagine how to go on without the lost object–whatever it may be–but over time, it becomes a distant memory and we move on.
That is until we magically find ourselves presented with this opportunity proposed by Redditor mikehotel288, who asked:
"You find yourself in a room with everything you’ve ever lost in your life. What do you look for first?"
There are necessities people cannot do without.
No More Dry Lips Ever Again
"Gonna be a lot of chapstick in that room."
– camefromxbox
There are things that bring us comfort and are irreplaceable.
Safety Blanket
"My baby blanket. It became tattered over the years—to the point where I couldn’t reasonably wash it anymore—so I had to throw it away a little while back."
"I have heavily regretted that decision. I was really attached to it (hence it being in tatters), but I really wish that I kept what was left of it instead of throwing it away. Just knowing that I’d still have it would be a huge comfort to me."
– Uearie
Sentimental Heirloom
"The pendant my dad had made for me with my grandmother’s engagement diamond. It was 2 carats. It disappeared from a Las Vegas hotel room 20 years ago. It was hidden deep in a suitcase where it would not have been easy to find. It was just GONE. Cops didn’t do anything. Didn’t even come to take my statement. Cleaning lady said she thought she saw an elderly man enter my room. The guy I was with was not sympathetic in the least. Entire situation was f**ked. I’m still so upset about it."
– MaritimeDisaster
Lone Shark
"My plastic shark toy I lost when I was 10. Ain't no f'king way it just VANISHED."
– Guilty_As_Charged__
Not everything lost is tangible.
Tick Tock
"The time I wasted."
– shinyfennec
It Holds Value
"My private key with 6 BTC in it."
– Significant_Mirror19
"I didn't lose one, but I'll check my room for yours just in case."
– Smodphan
Finding Purpose
"The reason I walked into the room."
– Lloyd_lyle
Lost Opportunity
"That one girl i spoke to on omegle lol"
– h-amishh
If only we get to reunite with those we've lost.
The Loved Family Member
"My grandpa."
– Splatty_boi_420
Grieving Parent
"My daughter. She’ll be in my brother’s arms. So I’ll find both things I care to look for."
– SeeTheFence
Missing Mom
"My mom. She died of cancer in 2017. She never got to meet my daughter. I miss the hell out of her and wish she was still part of my family’s life."
– X-Arkturis-X
The Animals That Come Into Our Lives
"My pets that have passed: especially my horse, Blue. It's been 4 years, but it feels like just yesterday."
– Baciandrio
While many of these scenarios are unlikely, the thread gave people an opportunity to reflect on the things that made a strong impression on their lives.
Sometimes, the memories of the things we've lost–whether they are random objects or sources of love–is all we have.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
What's worse than returning home from a night out or a workday and discovering your home was broken into? Being home when the break-in happens.
Home invasions are a common trope portrayed in horror films like The Strangers and Funny Games, and they're absolutely terrifying because they are based on real-life incidents.
Redditor silentagent47 asked strangers to consider this horrifying hypothetical.
"You have 5 minutes to prepare before a guy breaks into your house with the intention to kill you. You can not exit your house. What is your strategy to survive?"
The hunter becomes the hunted, inspired by TV and movies.
Duplicating A Scene
"There was an episode of Burn Notice where Michael puts aerosol cans in the microwave with kitchen utensils and hits popcorn button. I really want to know if this works or not."
– JohnSterlingSanchez
Epic Burglar Trap
"Speed-watch Home Alone."
– pluribusduim
It's about the choice of weapon.
Jump Scare
"I get the vacuum cleaner ready in a certain room, I turn it on as hes about to enter to create a distraction, then I jump out when he's inspecting the noise and bonk the f'ker on the head with the piece of 2 inch steel tube I keep as a weapon."
– BustedBastard
Beware of Dog
"Unleash the Hounds"
– myassonreddit
Make A Weapon
"Duct tape a bunch of knives to the end of one of those tall lamps to make a spear of blinding and then proceed to go sicko mode."
– DubTheeBustocles
Preparing For A Thwack
"Turn shower on, for some reason I have a shovel behind my wardrobe?? So grab that. Wait for him to check shower, whack with shovel. Boom."
– hypersp00p
It's Just A Game
"Corner camp with a shotgun."
– Arrow3619
A Warm Welcome
"Hairspray and a lighter to his face."
– WorkingClassSheep
The effectiveness of these tactics are questionable, but points for creativity are warranted.
Stand Still
"Put a lamp shade on my head and stand in the corner of the room."
– Cannabis_Sir
Make It Erotic
"I turn on all the lights, take off all my clothes, rub butter all over myself, and start a fake conversation on the phone. As soon as he breaks in I say into the phone: 'I’ve gotta go, my next appointment is finally here…”
– FrankieTheAlchemist
Forget The Stairs
"Go to the LIVING ROOM."
– on-oath-never-again
Removing The Element Of Fun
"Draw an X on my forehead and grab a beer."
– Candycoatedmuffin3
And that's why I would opt for living in a commune or apartment complex.
People who own houses are just asking for forced entry.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.