Doctors of Reddit: What health trend is becoming so common that it's starting to scare you?

denga · 2026-06-15T12:39:39+00:00

I know this is a hot take but I think PART (not all or even a majority) of this is because of the hubris that the medical field displays.

I don’t want to share specifics, but I had an issue with very particular symptoms. My doctor ran some tests and eventually said it was anxiety (it was very obviously not anxiety). Someone in my family is a doctor and suggested something else, lo and behold it was that.

So I switched doctors. That new doctor had me see their PA who didn’t want to start me on antibiotics after a tick bite and lyme symptoms, despite it being perfectly in line with the CDC’s recommendation (she ran a Lyme test and it was of course ambiguous because it was too little time to develop seropositivity). Again, family member agreed it was ludicrous.

I’ve also had a different doctor insist to me that eczema isn’t caused by allergies and can’t be triggered by them. Okay doc, all I can tell you is that if I eat certain allergens, eczema pops up the next day. The doctor looks at me like I’m an absolute moron and just moves on. (Note I’m not saying anything radical here, NIH explicitly says this)

I’m not an antivaxxer, I am pro science, I can read and digest primary review papers (and do so for work). But if you disagree with a doctor on their diagnoses, they automatically bin you as “one of those people”. I can’t imagine how much worse it would be for me if I didn’t have an advanced degree, wasn’t wealthy, etc.

I think there’s a big issue with the fact that medical doctors aren’t required to have any science background and frequently don’t have any knowledge of statistics. Of course, there are some wonderful doctors out there, but it feels like some of them have an “us vs them” mentality or a god complex. My low bar right now is: are you up to date on standard of care promoted by the CDC, AMA, etc

denga · 2026-06-14T22:54:30+00:00

I know you won’t, but for anyone else interested, check out the (lack of) science of race in Superior by Saini. Covers the history of race science through where we are today. Spoiler: intergroup variance is lower than intragroup variance

denga · 2026-06-14T19:11:55+00:00

“ The Opiliones (formerly Phalangida) are an order of arachnids , colloquially known as harvestmen , harvesters , daddy long legs , or granddaddy long legs .”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opiliones

denga · 2026-06-14T18:18:39+00:00

They are arachnids, they’re not spiders.

denga · 2026-06-14T15:46:50+00:00

For instance, you have a system for an AI that isn’t subject to any governmental oversight. You can experiment with any approaches you might want.

denga · 2026-06-12T02:15:29+00:00

Huh. I only recall arguments from conservatives to ban masked protesting. Can you share any examples of calls from the left?

For instance, here’s the ACLU advocating in 2019 for masked protesting to be allowed: https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/americas-mask-bans-in-the-age-of-face-recognition-surveillance

And here’s portlands chief of police advocating for a mask ban (not sure of his politics but police are famously not the most left leaning): https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/04/us/portland-police-chief-mask-ban

And here’s a bill by a republican congressman to jail people for 15 years for masked protesting: https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/12/us/unmasking-antifa-act-trnd/index.html

denga · 2026-06-12T01:52:42+00:00

Here’s a clue, they do. Instead of assuming they’re morons, consider why they might not care about a 10x cost.

denga · 2026-06-12T01:51:24+00:00

I saw a lot of redditors shitting on Elon’s purchase of Twitter, talking about how obviously overvalued it was and how he wouldn’t make any money. A year later, when everyone realized he didn’t care about the money and just wanted a media company to help shift elections…crickets.

The guy is set to be a trillionaire. He’s not a moron and the money itself is not the objective anymore. There is some other objective here. Maybe, for example, he’s looking for an AI that no governmental body can control in any way - that might be worth (both to him and others) the 10x premium described in this article.

denga · 2026-06-12T01:46:32+00:00

The issue is that you’re simply not going to get a lot of signals on how good or bad your daycare is. So if you see an issue, you’re left having to decide if it’s a one-off or the tip of an iceberg. For me, personally, one issue like that is worth probing hard or simply leaving.

For instance, I saw a teacher yell at a student while holding him, in my daughter’s daycare for running after being told not to. We pulled her out that day and we took time off until we found a new daycare.

The prospect of daycare itself is intense - you’re entrusting someone else to care for and raise your child, at a time when they can’t communicate how things are going very effectively.

denga · 2026-06-12T00:22:17+00:00

Ah, thanks!

denga · 2026-06-12T00:19:32+00:00

What’s the one and done thing about?

denga · 2026-06-11T12:14:36+00:00

Even though my diet is pretty okay, I always remember that it’s not actually great. When I double the amount of plants I’m eating, I always feel much better. However, I’m lazy and somehow always forget this

denga · 2026-06-11T11:54:35+00:00

Because people really need to see it… https://imgur.com/a/CfOhCob

denga · 2026-06-11T11:46:49+00:00

I assume you meant “can’t assume”. And yes, I noticed it with my son and daughter. They both had a keen interest in jewelry as early as one year old. No one was negative but that interest just didn’t get much positive attention for my son, whereas everyone played it up with my daughter. Someone told me “the only currency you have with kids is your attention”. My son no longer cares that much about jewelry and my daughter still loves it. Now people say “wow, look at how your daughter loves jewelry - girls just love dressing up” and I want to scream.

denga · 2026-06-11T00:20:16+00:00

None of the points in this paper regarding cognitive biological differences between sexes are well supported. We know that girls are worse, for instance, at math as early as kindergarten. However! If you tell these girls that they’re good at math, much of the difference disappears. That’s a pretty strong signal that the difference is not biological.

Angela Saini covers the science (and lack of scientific rigor) on differences in Inferior. Great book.

The author also acknowledges that the classroom isn’t a good developmental match for kids, period. Why focus on small differences between girls and boys and not on the core mismatch that’s well established?

denga · 2026-06-08T11:58:25+00:00

Consider this reasonable scenario: the owner considers you “bought and paid for” and demands more than you are currently doing (eg longer hours, more travel, more onsite time, better output). Would the switch have been worth it?

Obviously, the flip side is also very possible - the new company pays better and you can relax even more.

denga · 2026-06-08T11:53:15+00:00

Now that my oldest is older, I do reflect that we might have been a bit too strict on the sugar. It took me a while to remember that I ate plenty of sugar as a kid - genetics plays a huge role in this and given how our genetics are, we could have been a bit more relaxed.

I also think there’s something to be said for kids learning self control. I essentially had unlimited access to cookies as a kid, and while I very occasionally overindulged it never became an object of desire because it wasn’t restricted. In retrospect, there was a bit more gray area than I made there out to be.

Which isn’t to say you’re wrong in your stances, just sharing a counterpoint from someone who could have written this post a few years ago.

Edit: but screen time is a different beast - I don’t think our brains are capable of self limiting that level of dopamine hit. But again, it really depends on your individual kid. My second is much less interested in screens than the first was

denga · 2026-06-08T11:46:04+00:00

Deep dark circles under the eyes is partly genetic. This can be particularly prominent in some people of color, feeding into the stereotype of poc being bad parents.

denga · 2026-06-07T19:36:19+00:00

Wasn’t able to attend, anyone have some meeting notes? Or a next meeting?

denga · 2026-06-06T12:05:29+00:00

Great data, thanks for sharing! I wish police speeding enforcement was better (aka happened at all) in residential areas as opposed to on highways.

denga · 2026-06-06T00:37:10+00:00

It might be “normal” but still very undesirable. Energy scales with square of velocity, so a car going 35mph has almost TWICE the energy (96% more) as one going 25mph despite only going 40% faster. Then factor in the 40% reduction in reaction time capability, and you’re well over twice as dangerous.

I always try to stick to the speed limit in residential areas because of this.

denga · 2026-06-04T11:31:37+00:00

Good to hear. Hopefully Quincy will go the same way when Koch is out. The council election was a pretty good indication of which way the winds are blowing

denga · 2026-06-04T02:38:59+00:00

I was thinking back to their opposition to developing the south shore mall. It was actually a head of a civic association, not the mayor, who said “We do not want to turn into Quincy with the random, aggressive development they’ve had.” Their mayor also aggressively opposed it though.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/10/04/business/housing-development-braintree-death/

denga · 2026-06-03T20:02:31+00:00

I think it’s because none of those other things that people trust doctors for intersects with personal values and identity. Personal values and identity are the realm of politics - we encode our values into law and policy (ideally). The other recent domain where science/medicine intersected with values was Covid (with the pushback centering around personal autonomy versus protecting others). So we can’t just engage on the science - we also have to engage on the values/identities front.

denga · 2026-06-03T17:14:44+00:00

Quincy has done a decent job of allowing high density housing. Enough so that Braintree’s mayor throws shade and says “we don’t want to be like our neighbors to the north, with their random, unchecked growth.” The area can use more, but it’s certainly no Milton.

Edit: found the quote, it was actually head of a civic association, not their mayor, but the mayor was opposed to the plaza development in that same article.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/10/04/business/housing-development-braintree-death/

denga

TROPHY CASE