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?

www.germanbeautyproduct.com/product-page/baby-tea-first-feel-good-tea-15x0-36g-5-4-g

White women on a higher income are more likely to take it.

I've had five babies in the US and only had vaginal exams at my first prenatal appointment and right around my due date to check for onset of labour. During labour I had probably two vaginal exams to check progress.

If you have elective c-sections there would be no reason to check if your cervix had started thinning.

I don't know where you're getting your wrong information from. It's a common problem on MN when it comes to all things American.

And maternity leave varies with your employment circumstances.

@MiraculousLadybug it's weird they shut the South African spring. Places where there's a high level of lithium naturally occurring in the drinking water tend to have less incidence of mania and depression that go with bipolar. Lithium is the drug prescribed for bipolar.

I buy a box of 96 400mg Cuprofen for about a tenner from a local pharmacy, so the equivalent of 192 regular Nurofen.

(England)

There are also studies showing a lower incidence of suicide and anti-social behaviour in areas with higher lithium content in the water but I haven’t looked at these in detail

I’m not on it and none of my female friends are.

Great tip! Thank you 😊

I once had a knee injury whilst in Spain. The consultant there was willing to operate but I needed to get home. He prescribed complete and total bed rest so much so that I had to have an anti coagulant injected into my stomach every day. (The consultant was particularly up on sports injuries (I did mine while walking down a step! ) and had treated several Tour de France riders etc.
On my return home, the UK doctor prescribed the extreme opposite: exercises and to keep moving. That seemed to cure it! I am pleased I didn’t go for the op.

When we were on holiday DH got an eye infection which we later decided was probably a chalazion. After much pestering from me he went to the pharmacy.....and came back €80 poorer....and I'm.not sure any of the drops/wipes or potions did a lot!

Not really medical advice but I've never understood why paracetamol or ibuprofen etc is sold in such small, restricted amounts in the UK. It's pretty annoying. Surely if I was trying to overdose I could just go around to a few different pharmacies?

it reduced impulse suicide attempts

Two weeks? It won’t be the avoiding ice that did it, the virus would have run it’s course in that time and you’d have been better anyway😂

Was really confused about why the Ukrainian refugee we hosted refused to go near the freezers in the supermarket for more than a couple of minutes, until I discovered there's a big thing there about the cold making you ill. So babies pretty much never go out in winter and if you're going near the supermarket freezer aisles you need to wear a big coat and gloves and stay a minimal amount of time.

I don't know where you're getting your wrong information from. It's a common problem on MN when it comes to all things American.

Especially healthcare.

And a further sampling in no particular order: maternity leave (varies by state and employer); tipping (we do have minimum wage laws in the US that apply to wait staff); and whether Prince Archie is a natural born US citizen (he is).

My German doctor here in Ireland recommended I try it for a colicky newborn and it did actually help

https://wellbeingofwomen.blob.core.windows.net/www/documents/Eclipse_-HRT_Report-_Pub_Apr_24_V2_1.pdf

Here are the stats for those between 45-55 on HRT or not

Female Patients Aged Between 45 and 55
1,853,171
Female Patients Aged Between 45 and 55 Not on HRT
1,490,731
Female Patients Aged Between 45 and 55 on HRT
362,440
Female Patients Aged Between 45 and 55 on HRT (Tablets and Patches)
248,188
Female Patients Aged Between 45 and 55 on HRT (Topical)
130,178

Lithium used to be prescribed for bipolar, but isn't used much nowadays as it vastly increases the risk of Parkinsons disease.

The flu would go in two weeks anyway.

This is not true. Lithium is seen as the gold standard treatment for Bipolar with psychosis treatment in England and Wales.

i think even non-pregnant women have routine pelvic exams each year which I find weird.

Also how some countries have outlawed forceps for delivering babies, I was told it was the ‘only option’ when I had my baby! How do they manage?

Just to add, HRT tical i.e. creams tend to be given for vaginal atrophy in a very low dose. It is not the same as HRT for the whole body.

In this country, there has been a notable shift in treatment and recognition of the impact of peri-menopause which I think is still a bit behind in some other countries. So your friends and you might not be on it, but you might also not be recognising the symptoms as being linked to peri-menopause.

@MerryMaker if it is true that white wealthy women are the ones most likely to be on it, I would suggest that's another symptom of a medical system that does not take anyone who is not white and financially secure terribly seriously. In the same way that black women consistently have poorer outcomes during childbirth. White women of a certain economic and educational level, like me, turn up at our doctor's office already fully aware that our symptoms are likely to be peri-menopause related, and go in asking upfront for these drugs. In my experience, women who turn up at doctor's office without specifically saying their interested in HRT are usually batted away or it's not brought up as an option. I've heard a few woman mention this to me, including my sister.

When I got here from south Africa I was thrown to discover that anti-nausea medications could not be easily purchased OTC and that in fact, half the time, pharmacists didn't seem to even know that OTC-style anti-nausea meds were possible.

Re the cold/wet floor and UTIs - isn't that about the increased risk if you wear damp undergarments? DD used to get a lot of UTIs and we were constantly being reminded cotton, loose-fitting underwear and, becuase she was young and obviously leakage was a concern, to make sure ethey were dry etc.

I think a lot of folk remedies for simple ailments work either by placebo or because the ailment is self limiting anyway eg drink lots of hot water for 2 weeks =cold cured
for my kids at primary, the cure for everything was a wet paper towel

I like the sound of this doctor. When my daughter was a child she was prescribed cola by her Scottish neurologist. It’s great for children with low muscle tone and lethargy. The McDonald’s is also a good idea as you’d definitely get your electrolytes sorted with one happy meal. 😂

That makes sense to vaguely-aware-of-herbs me. More commonly it’s garlic that’s suggested, infused into olive oil which is then used as drops. Garlic and onions both are anti-viral and anti lots of things (like I said, only vaguely aware!), due to sulphur compounds I believe.