One doctor says her experience on the job has taught her a thing or two about the dos and don’ts of staying alive and healthy.
In a viral video that has amassed over 1.3 million views and hundreds of thousands of likes, TikTok user Nicole Van Groningen, MD (@dr.nicole.vangroningen) doled out some important wellness advice.
“Things you will never catch me doing as a doctor,” the doctor introduced her list.
The first thing she did was issue a warning to her viewers that they should not lose out on sleep to work out early.
“Do not let any influencers out here convince you that it’s best to cut your sleep duration short so that you can go to the gym and work out and build a better body,” she said. “Sleep is the primary wellness habit, end of story.”
Next, the physician said she wouldn’t be caught riding a motorcycle after doing a few surgery rotations during medical school.
“There’s so many safety features of cars today, the least of which is literally walls and windows and doors,” she added. “Why would you give all that up?”
It seems she may have witnessed some gruesome injuries that were the result of accidents, which made her write off the experience altogether.
“All it takes is one trauma rotation as a med student,” she continued. “That’s enough; I’d never do it.”
The physician’s personal rules about bikes were not limited to motorized ones.
“Similarly, riding a bike without a helmet,” she added. “There’s just no reason not to.”
Her reason for this rule was also related to medical school experience.
“There are some specific screams from family members that I will never forget,” she said. “And I’ll never ride a bike without a helmet.”
@dr.nicole.vangroningen Ok admittedly one of these at the end is for vanity too. But these are truly the things you won’t carch me doing as a docror. #doctorsoftiktok #doctorlifestyle #doctorsoftiktok👩⚕️ #healthipstiktok #doctorslifebelike ♬ original sound – Nicole Van Groningen, MD
The doctor’s rules weren’t limited to things she does to stay alive and healthy. She also made a point about how she treats others who may be experiencing health issues.
“I never blame people for their health status,” she explained. “I think people who do are trying to cling to a sense of control and say, ‘Oh, that person is sick because they did X, Y, and Z thing.’”
She explained that illness is unpredictable and can impact every one of us—including the “healthiest” people. The doctor also noted that appearance alone isn’t indicative of whether or not someone is healthy.
”I would never make an assessment of someone’s health just based on how they look,” she said.
Her last two pieces of advice were to never go out without sunscreen and avoid over-commitment to doing things the “natural” way.
“Obviously, in some cases, a natural approach can be absolutely wonderful,” she said.
Nonetheless, the doctor pointed out that in the “natural” era before “vaccines, antibiotics and other aspects of modern medicine,” a lot of people died.
In the comments section, many applauded the doctor’s straightforward advice.
“THANK YOU VERY MUCH!” Shlomit (Shlomeeeet) commented. “Not being able to wake up early and working out is causing me guilt and grief.”
“You’re so real for the sleep advice,” user YourFamCam wrote.
Others shared stories that supported her positions.
“I grew up with ER dr neighbors, they called motorcycles ‘donor-mobiles,’” user WonderHugs wrote.
“Sadly I’ve heard this before too,” the doctor responded with a flushed face emoji.
The Daily Dot reached out to Nicole Van Groningen, MD, via TikTok direct message for comment.