Modern Medical Practices We Need To Stop

Modern Medical Practices We Need to Stop

The video argues that medical care can be slow to discard habits that lack evidence. It highlights practices that may cause unnecessary costs, inconvenience, or harm, while stressing that decisions should be made with a medical professional and that exceptions matter.

Practices to Reconsider

• Automatically lowering every fever

  • Fever can be uncomfortable, but a raised body temperature is part of the immune response and may make it harder for some infections to replicate.
  • For an otherwise healthy person with a modest fever, such as around 100–101°F, fever-reducing medication may not always be necessary if the person can tolerate the symptoms.
  • This is not a recommendation to pursue high fevers or avoid treatment in every case. Frail patients, people with significant medical conditions, or people with very high fevers may need different care.

• Avoiding allergenic foods in infancy

  • The video contrasts older advice to avoid peanut products until age three with evidence supporting early introduction of allergenic foods, including egg and appropriately prepared peanut products.
  • Introducing suitable foods as early as around six months may reduce the chance of developing allergies.
  • Foods must be prepared safely for an infant; whole peanuts can pose a choking risk.

• Assuming a torn meniscus automatically requires surgery

  • A randomized study discussed in the video compared surgery plus physical therapy with physical therapy alone for people with a torn meniscus and moderate arthritis.
  • After six months, improvement was nearly identical in the two groups.
  • Surgery may still be appropriate in some cases, particularly when conservative treatment fails, but a tear does not automatically mean an operation is needed.

• Requiring a pelvic exam before prescribing birth control

  • The video says a pelvic exam is not routinely required before prescribing contraceptive medication, citing CDC guidance.
  • Unnecessary requirements can make birth control harder to access and may negatively affect health outcomes and the doctor–patient relationship.
  • Patients can ask their clinician why an exam is being requested.

• Recommending prolonged rest for common strains and sprains

  • A short period of rest may help at first, but extended inactivity can delay recovery and worsen symptoms.
  • The video recommends gradually restoring movement—for example, gently moving a sprained ankle or tracing the alphabet with the foot, sometimes without putting weight on it.
  • Activity should be appropriate to the injury and adjusted to the patient’s situation.

• Using magnesium supplements for nighttime leg cramps

  • The speaker says randomized clinical trials have found no meaningful benefit from magnesium for nocturnal leg cramps.
  • Rather than routinely buying supplements, people should seek to identify and address the actual cause of recurring cramps.

• Using antibiotics routinely for pink eye

  • Red, irritated eyes should be assessed because symptoms that resemble conjunctivitis can have other, potentially more serious causes.
  • Most conjunctivitis is viral, so antibiotics do not help; even bacterial cases often resolve without them.
  • Antibiotics may be appropriate in specific situations, such as for some contact-lens wearers, people with underlying conditions, or those with severe or unusual symptoms. A medical professional—not a school or daycare—should determine whether they are needed.

• Prescribing custom insoles for every person with flat feet

  • People with flexible flat feet that are painless or only minimally symptomatic generally do not need custom orthotics, according to the video.
  • The speaker says custom insoles have not been shown to improve foot development.
  • Pain, rigid flat feet, or other underlying problems may call for a different assessment.

• Ordering unnecessary preoperative tests

  • Preoperative assessment can reduce surgical risk, but more testing does not necessarily improve outcomes for healthy patients having low-risk procedures.
  • Cataract surgery is given as an example: it is brief, low risk, and typically does not require general anesthesia, so routine EKGs may add cost and follow-up burden without benefit for many patients.
  • Testing can be appropriate for people with relevant medical histories or higher-risk procedures. Patients can ask why a particular test is needed.

• Testing to identify the virus causing an ordinary cold

  • Identifying the exact virus behind a typical cold often does not change treatment, which is generally supportive care.
  • Testing for illnesses such as influenza or COVID may be useful because specific treatments can affect symptom severity, hospitalization, or other outcomes.
  • The video’s point is to avoid expensive testing when the result will not change management.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Speaker: Doctor Mike, the narrator.
• Sources and authorities mentioned: American Academy of Pediatrics; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); the Choosing Wisely campaign; a randomized study comparing surgery plus physical therapy with physical therapy alone for meniscal tears; and randomized clinical trials on magnesium for nighttime leg cramps.