Have you ever wished you could make flu shots painless, or had a 100% guaranteed cure for hiccups? It’s possible! I’ll share a few of the amazing and useful things your body can do, courtesy of Rodale Publishing.
- To make a shot less painful, put pressure around the area that’s about to be stuck. Dr. Ross I. Donaldson is an assistant clinical professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. He says if you’re about to get a shot in the arm, take the opposite hand, and make a “V” between your thumb and forefinger around the injection site. Press down firmly with your whole hand. Then let them give you the shot. Your brain can’t processes signals for “touch” and “pain” at the same time. So, the shot will feel more like a gentle poke instead of a sharp jab.
- Next, want a surefire way to stop hiccups? Inhale three times without exhaling. You start by taking the deepest breath you can, and holding it for 10 seconds. Then inhale extra air and hold for another five seconds. Without exhaling, inhale a little more, and hold for five more seconds. Then, exhale and breathe normally. The inhalation exercise will prevent spasms by immobilizing your diaphragm – the muscle at the base of your lungs. Researchers at the New York University School of Medicine tested it on patients who had frequent hiccups,and it worked immediately on everyone who could do it.
- If you’re about to cry when you shouldn’t – like during your wedding – is it possible to hold back your tears? Yes! Simply clear your throat. The “ahem” motion interrupts the mechanism in your nasal passages and larynx that controls crying. Then, swallow. That lifts your tongue to the roof of your mouth, blocks the soft palate, and makes it impossible to cry.
