Nurse, Be Honest

Diet Culture Is Exhausting (And I’m Starving)

In this episode, Daman scrubs in to perform an emergency"logic-tomy" on the world of diet culture. From the absurdity of "charcoal detoxes" to the actual science of why your brain stops working when you skip the sourdough, we’re getting honest about why trying to "bio-hack" your body is a losing game. Daman breaks down the physiological stress of cortisol, the psychological trap of the scarcity mindset, and answers your most unhinged listener emails about butter-filled coffeeand carnivore diets. What You’ll Learn: * The Liver’s PR Crisis:Why you don't need a "cleanse" unless you’re actually in the ICU. * The Science of the Suck: Howrestriction triggers cortisol spikes and "Low Power Mode" in yourbrain. * The Binge-Restrict Loop: Whylabeling food "forbidden" is the fastest way to hyper-fixate on it. * Prescription for this week: Eat a sandwich, take anap, and stop taking medical advice from people who only own ring lights. #NurseBeHonest #DietCultureIsExhausting #NurseLife #AntiDiet#HealthAtEverySize #ScienceNotFads #EndTheTrend #IntuitiveEating #NurseHumor#BodyHomeostasis On Cortisol and Metabolism:Singh, B., & Maurya, N. K. (2024). The cortisol connection: Weight gain andstress hormones. Archives of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 8(1),009-013. https://doi.org/10.29328/journal.apps.1001050 [https://www.google.com/search?q=https://doi.org/10.29328/journal.apps.1001050] On Brain Function and Glucose:Mergenthaler, P., Lindauer, U., Dienel, G. A., & Meisel, A. (2013). Sugarfor the brain: The role of glucose in physiological and pathological brainfunction. Trends in Neurosciences, 36(10), 587-597. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2013.07.001 [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2013.07.001] On Psychological Impact ofRestriction: Polivy, J. (1996). Psychological consequences of foodrestriction. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 96(6),589-592. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-8223(96)00161-7 [https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-8223(96)00161-7] On Liver DetoxificationPathways: Alamri, Z. Z. (2018). The role of liver in metabolism: An updatedreview with physiological emphasis. International Journal of Basic &Clinical Pharmacology, 7(11), 2271-2276. https://doi.org/10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20184211 [https://doi.org/10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20184211] On the Scarcity Mindset:Mullainathan, S., & Shafir, E. (2013). Scarcity: Why having too littlemeans so much. Times Books.

Google Said...

This episode first aired on my other Podcast Nurse Chat Diaries Ever Googled a symptom and ended up convinced you were dying by midnight? In this episode of Nurse, Be Honest, we break down the chaos of “Google said…” with humor, real-life nursing stories, and some much-needed reassurance. From midnight anxiety spirals to TikTok diagnoses, we talk about why the internet jumps to worst-case scenarios, what nurses actually look for, and when symptoms really need medical attention. Laugh, learn, and maybe close a few browser tabs — your nurse said so. Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The information shared is based on general nursing knowledge and personal experience and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider with questions about your health or symptoms.#NurseChatDiaries#GoogleSaid#HealthHumor#NurseLife#PatientEducation#HealthcareRealTalk#MedicalMyths#HealthAnxiety#NursePodcast#StopGooglingSymptoms American Academy of Family Physicians. (2022). Health anxiety and somatic symptom disorders. ⁠https://www.aafp.org⁠ [https://www.aafp.org] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Chest pain and heart attack symptoms. ⁠https://www.cdc.gov⁠ [https://www.cdc.gov] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Signs and symptoms of stroke. ⁠https://www.cdc.gov/stroke⁠ Mayo Clinic. (2023). Anxiety disorders. ⁠https://www.mayoclinic.org⁠ [https://www.mayoclinic.org] Mayo Clinic. (2023). Headaches: Causes and symptoms. ⁠https://www.mayoclinic.org⁠ [https://www.mayoclinic.org] MedlinePlus. (2024). Evaluating symptoms and when to seek care. U.S. National Library of Medicine. ⁠https://medlineplus.gov⁠ [https://medlineplus.gov] National Institute of Mental Health. (2023). Anxiety disorders. ⁠https://www.nimh.nih.gov⁠ [https://www.nimh.nih.gov] National Institutes of Health. (2023). Understanding symptoms and diagnosis. ⁠https://www.nih.gov⁠ [https://www.nih.gov] World Health Organization. (2022). Patient safety and health information literacy. ⁠https://www.who.int⁠ [https://www.who.int] White, R. W., & Horvitz, E. (2009). Cyberchondria: Studies of the escalation of medical concerns in web search. ACM Transactions on Information Systems, 27(4), 1–37. ⁠https://doi.org/10.1145/1629096.1629101

Viral Hacks Gone Wrong

TikTok is not your doctor — but somehow it keepsprescribing. In this episode of Nurse, Be Honest, Daman breaks down viral health hacks gone wrong, from “natural” remedies to mental health myths, and explains why confidence doesn’t equal competence. With humor, real nurseinsight, and evidence-based facts, this episode helps you spot misinformation before it sends you straight to the ER. #NurseBeHonest #HealthMisinformation #NurseLife #HealthcareTruth #TikTokHealth #MedicalMyths #MentalHealthMatters #PatientEducation #NursePodcast #EvidenceBasedCare Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Healthmisinformation. https://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/health-misinformation.html Food and Drug Administration. (2023). Dietary supplements. https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplements [https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplements] National Institute of Mental Health. (2023). Mentalhealth information. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health [https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health] National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.(2023). Herbs at a glance. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/herbsataglance [https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/herbsataglance] World Health Organization. (2022). Infodemic management. https://www.who.int/teams/risk-communication/infodemic-management [https://www.who.int/teams/risk-communication/infodemic-management]

Introduction

Nurse, Be Honest is a health podcast hosted by Daman, a nurse with “a thousand years” of experience and a sense of humor to match. Expect real, honest health conversations, relatable stories, and laughs along the way—because learning about your health shouldn’t be boring. New episodes drop weekly… and sometimes more if the mood is right.