1. If your throat tickles, scratch your ear.
When you were
9, playing your armpit was a cool trick. Now, as an adult, you can
still appreciate a good body-based feat, but you’re more
discriminating. Take that tickle in your throat; it’s not worth gagging
over. Here’s a better way to scratch your itch: “When the nerves in the
ear are stimulated, it creates a reflex in the throat that can cause a
muscle spasm,” says Scott Schaffer, M.D., president of an ear, nose and
throat specialty center in Gibbsboro, New Jersey. “This spasm relieves
the tickle.”
2. Experience supersonic hearing!
If you’re
stuck chatting up a mumbler at a cocktail party, lean in with your
right ear. It’s better than your left at following the rapid rhythms of
speech, according to researchers at the UCLA David Geffen School of
Medicine. If, on the other hand, you’re trying to identify that song
playing softly in the elevator, turn your left ear toward the sound.
The left ear is better at picking up music tones.
3. Overcome your most primal urge!
Need to pee?
No bathroom nearby? Fantasize about Jessica Simpson. Thinking about sex
preoccupies your brain, so you won’t feel as much discomfort, says
Larry Lipshultz, M.D., chief of male reproductive medicine at the
Baylor College of Medicine. For best results, try Simpson’s “These
Boots Are Made for Walking” video.
4. Feel no pain!
German
researchers have discovered that coughing during an injection can
lessen the pain of the needle stick. According to Taras Usichenko,
author of a study on the phenomenon, the trick causes a sudden,
temporary rise in pressure in the chest and spinal canal, inhibiting
the pain-conducting structures of the spinal cord.
5. Clear your stuffed nose!
Forget
Sudafed. An easier, quicker, and cheaper way to relieve sinus pressure
is by alternately thrusting your tongue against the roof of your mouth,
then pressing between your eyebrows with one finger. This causes the
vomer bone, which runs through the nasal passages to the mouth, to rock
back and forth, says Lisa DeStefano, D.O., an assistant professor at
the Michigan State University college of osteopathic medicine. The
motion loosens congestion; after 20 seconds, you’ll feel your sinuses
start to drain.
6. Fight fire without water!
Worried those
wings will repeat on you tonight? “Sleep on your left side,” says
Anthony A. Star-poli, M.D., a New York City gastroenterologist and
assistant professor of medicine at New York Medical College. Studies
have shown that patients who sleep on their left sides are less likely
to suffer from acid reflux. The esophagus and stomach connect at an
angle. When you sleep on your right, the stomach is higher than the
esophagus, allowing food and stomach acid to slide up your throat. When
you’re on your left, the stomach is lower than the esophagus, so
gravity’s in your favor.
7. Cure your toothache without opening your mouth!
Just rub ice
on the back of your hand, on the V-shaped webbed area between your
thumb and index finger. A Canadian study found that this technique
reduces toothache pain by as much as 50 percent compared with using no
ice. The nerve pathways at the base of that V stimulate an area of the
brain that blocks pain signals from the face and hands.
8. Make burns disappear!
When you
accidentally singe your finger on the stove, clean the skin and apply
light pressure with the finger pads of your unmarred hand. Ice will
relieve your pain more quickly, Dr. DeStefano says, but since the
natural method brings the burned skin back to a normal temperature, the
skin is less likely to blister.
9. Stop the world from spinning!
One too many
drinks left you dizzy? Put your hand on something stable. The part of
your ear responsible for balance—the cupula—floats in a fluid of the
same density as blood. “As alcohol dilutes blood in the cupula, the
cupula becomes less dense and rises,” says Dr. Schaffer. This confuses
your brain. The tactile input from a stable object gives the brain a
second opinion, and you feel more in balance. Because the nerves in the
hand are so sensitive, this works better than the conventional
foot-on-the-floor wisdom.
10. Unstitch your side!
If you’re like
most people, when you run, you exhale as your right foot hits the
ground. This puts downward pressure on your liver (which lives on your
right side), which then tugs at the diaphragm and creates a side
stitch, according to The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Men. The
fix: Exhale as your left foot strikes the ground.
11. Stanch blood with a single finger!
Pinching your
nose and leaning back is a great way to stop a nosebleed—if you don’t
mind choking on your own O positive. A more civil approach: Put some
cotton on your upper gums—just behind that small dent below your
nose—and press against it, hard. “Most bleeds come from the front of
the septum, the cartilage wall that divides the nose,” says Peter
Desmarais, M.D., an ear, nose, and throat specialist at Entabeni
Hospital, in Durban, South Africa. “Pressing here helps stop them.”
12. Make your heart stand still!
Trying to
quell first-date jitters? Blow on your thumb. The vagus nerve, which
governs heart rate, can be controlled through breathing, says Ben Abo,
an emergency medical-services specialist at the University of
Pittsburgh. It’ll get your heart rate back to normal.
13. Thaw your brain!
Too much
Chipwich too fast will freeze the brains of lesser men. As for you,
press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth, covering as much
as you can. “Since the nerves in the roof of your mouth get extremely
cold, your body thinks your brain is freezing, too,” says Abo. “In
compensating, it overheats, causing an ice-cream headache.” The more
pressure you apply to the roof of your mouth, the faster your headache
will subside.
14. Prevent near-sightedness!
Poor distance
vision is rarely caused by genetics, says Anne Barber, O.D., an
optometrist in Tacoma, Washington. “It’s usually caused by near-point
stress.” In other words, staring at your computer screen for too long.
So flex your way to 20/20 vision. Every few hours during the day, close
your eyes, tense your body, take a deep breath, and, after a few
seconds, release your breath and muscles at the same time. Tightening
and releasing muscles such as the biceps and glutes can trick
involuntary muscles—like the eyes—into relaxing as well.
15. Wake the dead!
If your hand
falls asleep while you’re driving or sitting in an odd position, rock
your head from side to side. It’ll painlessly banish your pins and
needles in less than a minute, says Dr. DeStefano. A tingly hand or arm
is often the result of compression in the bundle of nerves in your
neck; loosening your neck muscles releases the pressure. Compressed
nerves lower in the body govern the feet, so don’t let your sleeping
dogs lie. Stand up and walk around.
[size=12][size=12]16. Impress your friends![/size][/size]
Next time
you’re at a party, try this trick: Have a person hold one arm straight
out to the side, palm down, and instruct him to maintain this position.
Then place two fingers on his wrist and push down. He’ll resist. Now
have him put one foot on a surface that’s a half inch higher (a few
magazines) and repeat. This time his arm will fold like a house of
cards. By misaligning his hips, you’ve offset his spine, says Rachel
Cosgrove, C.S.C.S., co-owner of Results Fitness, in Santa Clarita,
California. Your brain senses that the spine is vulnerable, so it shuts
down the body’s ability to resist.
17. Breathe underwater!
If you’re
dying to retrieve that quarter from the bottom of the pool, take
several short breaths first—essentially, hyperventilate. When you’re
underwater, it’s not a lack of oxygen that makes you desperate for a
breath; it’s the buildup of carbon dioxide, which makes your blood
acidic, which signals your brain that somethin’ ain’t right. “When you
hyperventilate, the influx of oxygen lowers blood acidity,” says
Jonathan Armbruster, Ph.D., an associate professor of biology at Auburn
University. “This tricks your brain into thinking it has more oxygen.”
It’ll buy you up to 10 seconds.
18. Read minds!
Your own! “If
you’re giving a speech the next day, review it before falling asleep,”
says Candi Heimgartner, an instructor of biological sciences at the
University of Idaho. Since most memory consolidation happens during
sleep, anything you read right before bed is more likely to be encoded
as long-term memory.
When you were
9, playing your armpit was a cool trick. Now, as an adult, you can
still appreciate a good body-based feat, but you’re more
discriminating. Take that tickle in your throat; it’s not worth gagging
over. Here’s a better way to scratch your itch: “When the nerves in the
ear are stimulated, it creates a reflex in the throat that can cause a
muscle spasm,” says Scott Schaffer, M.D., president of an ear, nose and
throat specialty center in Gibbsboro, New Jersey. “This spasm relieves
the tickle.”
2. Experience supersonic hearing!
If you’re
stuck chatting up a mumbler at a cocktail party, lean in with your
right ear. It’s better than your left at following the rapid rhythms of
speech, according to researchers at the UCLA David Geffen School of
Medicine. If, on the other hand, you’re trying to identify that song
playing softly in the elevator, turn your left ear toward the sound.
The left ear is better at picking up music tones.
3. Overcome your most primal urge!
Need to pee?
No bathroom nearby? Fantasize about Jessica Simpson. Thinking about sex
preoccupies your brain, so you won’t feel as much discomfort, says
Larry Lipshultz, M.D., chief of male reproductive medicine at the
Baylor College of Medicine. For best results, try Simpson’s “These
Boots Are Made for Walking” video.
4. Feel no pain!
German
researchers have discovered that coughing during an injection can
lessen the pain of the needle stick. According to Taras Usichenko,
author of a study on the phenomenon, the trick causes a sudden,
temporary rise in pressure in the chest and spinal canal, inhibiting
the pain-conducting structures of the spinal cord.
5. Clear your stuffed nose!
Forget
Sudafed. An easier, quicker, and cheaper way to relieve sinus pressure
is by alternately thrusting your tongue against the roof of your mouth,
then pressing between your eyebrows with one finger. This causes the
vomer bone, which runs through the nasal passages to the mouth, to rock
back and forth, says Lisa DeStefano, D.O., an assistant professor at
the Michigan State University college of osteopathic medicine. The
motion loosens congestion; after 20 seconds, you’ll feel your sinuses
start to drain.
6. Fight fire without water!
Worried those
wings will repeat on you tonight? “Sleep on your left side,” says
Anthony A. Star-poli, M.D., a New York City gastroenterologist and
assistant professor of medicine at New York Medical College. Studies
have shown that patients who sleep on their left sides are less likely
to suffer from acid reflux. The esophagus and stomach connect at an
angle. When you sleep on your right, the stomach is higher than the
esophagus, allowing food and stomach acid to slide up your throat. When
you’re on your left, the stomach is lower than the esophagus, so
gravity’s in your favor.
7. Cure your toothache without opening your mouth!
Just rub ice
on the back of your hand, on the V-shaped webbed area between your
thumb and index finger. A Canadian study found that this technique
reduces toothache pain by as much as 50 percent compared with using no
ice. The nerve pathways at the base of that V stimulate an area of the
brain that blocks pain signals from the face and hands.
8. Make burns disappear!
When you
accidentally singe your finger on the stove, clean the skin and apply
light pressure with the finger pads of your unmarred hand. Ice will
relieve your pain more quickly, Dr. DeStefano says, but since the
natural method brings the burned skin back to a normal temperature, the
skin is less likely to blister.
9. Stop the world from spinning!
One too many
drinks left you dizzy? Put your hand on something stable. The part of
your ear responsible for balance—the cupula—floats in a fluid of the
same density as blood. “As alcohol dilutes blood in the cupula, the
cupula becomes less dense and rises,” says Dr. Schaffer. This confuses
your brain. The tactile input from a stable object gives the brain a
second opinion, and you feel more in balance. Because the nerves in the
hand are so sensitive, this works better than the conventional
foot-on-the-floor wisdom.
10. Unstitch your side!
If you’re like
most people, when you run, you exhale as your right foot hits the
ground. This puts downward pressure on your liver (which lives on your
right side), which then tugs at the diaphragm and creates a side
stitch, according to The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Men. The
fix: Exhale as your left foot strikes the ground.
11. Stanch blood with a single finger!
Pinching your
nose and leaning back is a great way to stop a nosebleed—if you don’t
mind choking on your own O positive. A more civil approach: Put some
cotton on your upper gums—just behind that small dent below your
nose—and press against it, hard. “Most bleeds come from the front of
the septum, the cartilage wall that divides the nose,” says Peter
Desmarais, M.D., an ear, nose, and throat specialist at Entabeni
Hospital, in Durban, South Africa. “Pressing here helps stop them.”
12. Make your heart stand still!
Trying to
quell first-date jitters? Blow on your thumb. The vagus nerve, which
governs heart rate, can be controlled through breathing, says Ben Abo,
an emergency medical-services specialist at the University of
Pittsburgh. It’ll get your heart rate back to normal.
13. Thaw your brain!
Too much
Chipwich too fast will freeze the brains of lesser men. As for you,
press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth, covering as much
as you can. “Since the nerves in the roof of your mouth get extremely
cold, your body thinks your brain is freezing, too,” says Abo. “In
compensating, it overheats, causing an ice-cream headache.” The more
pressure you apply to the roof of your mouth, the faster your headache
will subside.
14. Prevent near-sightedness!
Poor distance
vision is rarely caused by genetics, says Anne Barber, O.D., an
optometrist in Tacoma, Washington. “It’s usually caused by near-point
stress.” In other words, staring at your computer screen for too long.
So flex your way to 20/20 vision. Every few hours during the day, close
your eyes, tense your body, take a deep breath, and, after a few
seconds, release your breath and muscles at the same time. Tightening
and releasing muscles such as the biceps and glutes can trick
involuntary muscles—like the eyes—into relaxing as well.
15. Wake the dead!
If your hand
falls asleep while you’re driving or sitting in an odd position, rock
your head from side to side. It’ll painlessly banish your pins and
needles in less than a minute, says Dr. DeStefano. A tingly hand or arm
is often the result of compression in the bundle of nerves in your
neck; loosening your neck muscles releases the pressure. Compressed
nerves lower in the body govern the feet, so don’t let your sleeping
dogs lie. Stand up and walk around.
[size=12][size=12]16. Impress your friends![/size][/size]
Next time
you’re at a party, try this trick: Have a person hold one arm straight
out to the side, palm down, and instruct him to maintain this position.
Then place two fingers on his wrist and push down. He’ll resist. Now
have him put one foot on a surface that’s a half inch higher (a few
magazines) and repeat. This time his arm will fold like a house of
cards. By misaligning his hips, you’ve offset his spine, says Rachel
Cosgrove, C.S.C.S., co-owner of Results Fitness, in Santa Clarita,
California. Your brain senses that the spine is vulnerable, so it shuts
down the body’s ability to resist.
17. Breathe underwater!
If you’re
dying to retrieve that quarter from the bottom of the pool, take
several short breaths first—essentially, hyperventilate. When you’re
underwater, it’s not a lack of oxygen that makes you desperate for a
breath; it’s the buildup of carbon dioxide, which makes your blood
acidic, which signals your brain that somethin’ ain’t right. “When you
hyperventilate, the influx of oxygen lowers blood acidity,” says
Jonathan Armbruster, Ph.D., an associate professor of biology at Auburn
University. “This tricks your brain into thinking it has more oxygen.”
It’ll buy you up to 10 seconds.
18. Read minds!
Your own! “If
you’re giving a speech the next day, review it before falling asleep,”
says Candi Heimgartner, an instructor of biological sciences at the
University of Idaho. Since most memory consolidation happens during
sleep, anything you read right before bed is more likely to be encoded
as long-term memory.
