R.E. Hengsterman MSN, MA, M.E., RN — Nurse Author & Shift-Work Health Expert

Writing as a nurse is a delicate balance between precision and poetry. You must convey facts clearly while engaging readers emotionally. This duality requires both discipline and creativity.

Western medicine became what it is today: a system grounded in reproducibility, built on proof, and refined by failure.

Imagine a nurse who, after a long shift, channels the day’s experiences into a blog post that demystifies a common health condition. Or a nurse who crafts patient education materials that empower individuals to take control of their health. These are the tangible impacts of nurse writing careers.

At first, the body compensates. Then it adapts. And finally—it begins to fail.

Vessels changed orientation by layer (inner, middle, outer dura), suggesting a structured, layered outflow design rather than random channels.

I didn’t write it because I had it all figured out. I wrote it because I was falling apart—and wanted to stop.

And while the intent might be genuine—wellness, nutrition, mental health, balance—the machinery behind it is not just about care.

Kennedy channels concerns many Americans quietly share: the feeling that healthcare is too corporate, too impersonal, and too quick to medicate. Behind the noise, he’s identified legitimate systemic flaws.

The logic sounds simple: if acidity causes disease, eating alkaline foods should prevent it. The problem? That’s not how human physiology works.

At roughly 100 kilograms, that’s a lot of protein—enough to make eating feel like a full-time job some days. I don’t always hit the mark, but I try. Protein becomes increasingly important as we age, supporting muscle maintenance, recovery, and metabolic health.

Their message? You too can have it all—autonomy, freedom, six figures—if you just learn the system. (AKA - Buy my course on sale for only $129)

A “fitness expert” recently floated across my feed, claiming women shouldn’t do HIIT workouts on consecutive days because of adrenal fatigue—and that the puffiness under her eyes was evidence of it.

“In the attention economy, beauty is currency—and the algorithm always pays the pretty first.”

That’s what the anti-vaccine movement does: it treats biology as optional and expertise as negotiable. It confuses autonomy with authority — as if personal preference can rewrite cellular intelligence or immune memory.

But like most health trends that get boiled down (or in this case, chilled down) to a viral headline, there’s a kernel of truth buried beneath the hyperbole.

The journey may include challenges such as fatigue, self-doubt, or finding the right audience. Yet, the rewards are profound: the ability to influence public perception, contribute to nursing scholarship, and leave a literary legacy that honors the profession.

But here’s the irony: “root cause” isn’t new. It’s not the property of wellness culture or functional medicine. It’s the foundation of medicine itself.

This isn’t a single-unit labor dispute. It’s pharmacists, respiratory therapists, midwives, hospital aides, lab techs, and housekeepers—all united in a collective message: the system is broken, and it’s breaking us.

But most sleep “solutions” still target individuals, not systems. Melatonin pills and blackout curtains can’t fix a 12-hour night shift that rotates every two weeks. Nor can “self-care” bandage a roster that violates basic chronobiology.

The Shift Worker’s Paradox combines decades of bedside nursing experience with cutting-edge research in chronobiology, neuroscience, and behavioral health.