How medical advice differs in other countries. (Lighthearted but perplexing)

[KnopkaPixie]

The other day I was behind a woman in the queue at a pharmacy here in France. She had oral thrush. The pharmacist took quite a while talking to her about her treatment and the various medications she'd been given by the doctor then went into the general advice section of the lecture. The most important thing was not to eat, "Trop salé." (Too salty.)

I thought, "Pardon?" Surely it's the other way around, nothing too sugary and yeasty? It bothered me so I googled and sure enough at least in the English results - sugary and yeasty were to be avoided.

This happens all the time. I've heard an awful lot of strange medical advice in France over the years and the folk remedies of my Russian ex boyfriend for various illnesses were quite bizarre too. Putting your head over the boiling potato water to cure a cold because the vitamin c evaporated into the steam was a good one.

Have you ever been given strange medical advice abroad?

This thread is kind of inspired by the post about the Germans opening their windows all the time for "Luften"

On the other hand, if you're not a Brit, what are our bizarre medical beliefs/practices?

If it is not that, they are a mad woman and they will force the poor woman on antidepressants and miss her cancer and so on

If the zovirax isn't working, it might be a little thrush instead - try a dab of Canesten for a couple of days and, if it clears it up, it was... 🙂

There's that old saying = how long does a cold last? Two weeks if you treat it, 14 days if you don't! 😄

Even so, the post you were responding to referred to topical HRT, and that does not refer to Ovestin or Vagifem, but to HRT that is applied to the skin and affects the whole body.

Not just cervical. A pelvic ultrasound checks ovaries, womb as a whole etc etc. It would also usually pick up endometriosis, from which so many women suffer and which appears to take 20 years to diagnose here. I wonder, if no one ever bothers looking and sends you on your merry way with a paracetamol.

Annual scans aren’t recommended for ovarian cancer either (that’s in the US as well as in the UK) https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/collections/choosing-wisely/305.html

Why did you have to stop using HRT?

It's just paracetamol that dissolves in the bottom and from there works its way into the bloodstream. Great if you have trouble swallowing or can't keep anything down ☺️

I don't recall the reason given.

Thats menopause for ya.

It’s France…I suspect people’s experiences are quite regional in certain respects.

Interesting thread!

The dietary guidance for pregnancy differs- not all countries advise no alcohol and Japan says sushi is ok.

One that caused some confusion/friction in my family is sterilising baby bottles isn’t a thing in France- advice is to wash thoroughly in hot water and soap.

Going outside with wet hair causing a cold was what my Scottish grandma would say to me.

I had 3 children in the US and had I think two or three pelvic exams per pregnancy. Personally, I'd find catheterisation considerably more invasive than my trusted ob/gyn checking the height of my cervix, but I guess that's just me.

I'm now in the UK and see my gynaecologist yearly for a routine exam. She checks my breasts, feels my ovaries, checks my uterine lining (I'm on HRT) and pelvic floor and does a smear test. She also asks how things are generally and discusses how I'm getting on with HRT. Her office organises my mammograms, a yearly pelvic ultrasound (I have a couple small fibroids) and arranged a baseline dexascan.

I'd think that should be fairly standard preventative care.

One that caused some confusion/friction in my family is sterilising baby bottles isn’t a thing in France- advice is to wash thoroughly in hot water and soap.

is there actually any scientific evidence for sterilising?
is there any scientific reason not to make up formula feed and keep in fridge for 24 hrs?

The problem is if that was routine anyone saying no would be hassled by their GP.

Preventative care can also lead to unnecessary treatment. It is not harmless. Which is why when calculating how often or of certain preventative checks should happen, unnecessary treatment also needs to be taken into account. It is why the advice to check your breasts monthly was changed to simply being breast aware.

@user44221

I'm in the U.K. and I can assure you that annual exams with a gynaecologist are not normal, I'm guessing you have private medical

same advice in germany.
hot water & soap or dishwasher is recommended.

All of which makes formula feeding easier. I do wonder of the British advice is to actively discourage formula feeding by making it harder.

It’s not a choice between pelvic exams and catheterisation though, so why is that relevant?

as pp says too much intervention, even if it is “preventative” can cause more problems than it solves. It’s why they don’t do whole body scans as preventative, as in many cases it will lead to harmful interventions that will increase morbidity and mortality.

I didn't mention catheterisation, I was referring to the PP thinking we should all have annual routine gynae exams.

What do other countries recommend for eczema?

My dd has excema and not in UK. I have no idea of the advice is the same.

Unscented soaps
Epimax cream (I don't know if you get that)
Also Vaseline, Aquaphor or Cica cream for smaller areas.
A bad case will be treated with steroids.

Into the sun for a bit each day (also maybe not so easy where you are)

Preventative care can also lead to unnecessary treatment. It is not harmless. Which is why when calculating how often or of certain preventative checks should happen, unnecessary treatment also needs to be taken into account

I agree. Ideally a person should have a good grasp of their own individual risk factors and be given information about what a particular screening test could tell them.

DEXA scans, while imperfect, are currently the best way to assess osteoporosis risk. But if you already know that (a) you'd never take any of the drugs currently recommended for treatment, or (b) realistically won't make any lifestyle changes...then what's the point?

OTOH, having routine bloodwork every year or two (based on age/risk) could benefit you (and save money in the long run) by identifying blood sugar issues or vitamin deficiencies etc. at an early and more easily treated stage.

It's all about weighing risk v/s benefit and taking responsibility (where you can) for your own health and well-being.

I believe in the benefits of preventative care but it's definitely not one-size-fits-all!

I had tonsillitis in Spain. I had to have a covid test, antibiotics, some form of vitamin that helps the antibiotics go down, the strongest pain relief (I think ibuprofen but so much stronger than the UK), a mouth spray and had to go back to be signed off as fit to fly. They love an insurance job out there, but to be fair all of the medication worked! In the UK you would struggle to be given antibiotics!

The advice changed to make them up fresh each time because some people were forgetting how long the bottles had been in the fridge for and they were festering and making babies ill. The advice is all geared at the lowest common denominator. Most people just apply common sense though.