The Weirdest Things Doctors Get Asked
Impregnation by aliens? ‘Nuff said. (Photo: Getty Images)
Sometimes we’re embarrassed to ask our doctors certain things: What’s that weird lump down there? Is there a way to make our feet less sweaty? Why do I feel so gassy? The list goes on and on.
But it makes us feel a bit better to know that this isn’t even close to the strangest stuff doctors get asked. We talked to six top doctors who shared with us the most shocking questions they’ve ever received from a patient:
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“A patient told me she was impregnated by an alien and [asked me to] get the alien out of her.”
— Frank Lipman, MD, integrative and functional medicine expert and author of The New Health Rules
Related: 7 Weird Signs of Health Troubles
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“I cared for a 97-year-old man who had a heart attack. When he was ready for discharge, he asked how soon he could resume sexual activity. I told him: ‘As soon as you feel up to it.’”
— Steven Nissen, MD, chairman of the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic
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“I once told a patient that he stopped breathing in his sleep 80 to 90 times an hour, and he asked me if he had started breathing again. Obviously, he did because he [was] sitting there… breathing.”
— Michael Breus, PhD, sleep expert and author of The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan: Lose Weight Through Better Sleep
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“Young people come in because someone their age or a parent had a heart attack or a stroke. They’re worried and want to get advice about what they can do. But they don’t eat well, they don’t exercise, and maybe they smoke. They’re aware all of that influences health, but they look past it. They see something bad happened to someone they know and now, ‘What do I do?’ Do I really need to tell you? It’s surprising.”
— David Katz, MD, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center and author of Disease-Proof: The Remarkable Truth About What Makes Us Well
Related: 'Healthy Obesity' Turns Unhealthy Over Time
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“’If I have sex during pregnancy, will it cause brain damage to the baby?’ It’s a common concern of male partners.” (Editor’s note: No, it won’t.)
— Hilda Hutcherson, MD, gynecologist and associate dean of the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and author of What Your Mother Never Told You About S-E-X
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“At the very beginning of the visit, a patient said, ‘Show me your diploma from medical school. I want proof you’re really a doctor.’ Good thing I really went.”
— Neal Schultz, MD, New York City-based dermatologist and founder of DermTV.com and creator of BeautyRx by Dr. Schultz
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