Hospice nurse shares 'one thing' she always gets 'heat' for saying about dying

A hospice nurse has sparked debate by sharing a controversial end-of-life that she claims always draws "heat" – even from fellow professionals.

, who has gained a massive following on TikTok for her frank discussions about death, is also a best-selling author dedicated to palliative care and supporting families through the process.

In a recent video shared with her 1.6 million followers, Julie opened up about a sign that may be near. Even though it's common, she is often met with resistance.

She explained to her audience: "I get the most heat for saying this one thing, including from other health care workers, and that's when I say people who are dying should be dehydrated. I know that can sound so jarring so let me explain to you why.

"When a person is dying from something, not from being dehydrated but they're dying from something else and we know they're dying from something else, your body will eventually start preparing itself to die. The body knows how to die, it has built in mechanisms to help it do that."

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Julie further elaborated on the body's response, along with family reactions that come as a result of them. She said: "And one of things it will do is start making the person not really hungry and not really thirsty. So the person will already not be wanting to eat and drink, usually. Of course, the family starts freaking out, they're not eating, they're not drinking, what are we going to do?"

The medical professional added some words of advice. She said: "What you have to remember is people dying are not dying because they're not eating and drinking.

"They're not eating and drinking because they're dying and our body knows this. The body will actually go into ketosis where it releases endorphins that make that person feel good and feel better."

She also pointed out that dehydration in the dying does not cause the same discomfort as it would in healthy individuals. Julie added: "It doesn't feel like that where you have a headache and other things. It doesn't feel like that. The body actually prepares itself to be dehydrated."

Julie gets pushback from patients' loved ones when she advises against IV fluids for the dying. She explained that while hydration benefits the healthy, it can be harmful to those at the end of life.

She explained: "If a healthy body got IV fluid the healthy body would feel better, they'd get hydrated and instantly start feeling better but when a dying body gets hydration, it doesn't do what it's supposed to do."

Julie, a healthcare professional, shared a stark warning about the dangers of over-hydration in terminally ill patients. She explained that excess fluid typically leads to swelling in the lower extremities before affecting the heart, stating: "The heart will say it can't keep pumping this fluid around the body, it's too much. It will then back up into the lungs and cause respiratory distress.

"Moral of the story. Dehydration at the end of life does not cause suffering and can in fact cause a more peaceful death."

Viewers praised Julie for being so honest. A fellow medical expert replied: "GP here. This is the best explanation I have heard for this mechanism. Your patients and their families are lucky to have you."