body tricks

The October issue of Men’s Health magazine (thanks to Joyce Argana of Summit Media for my free monthly ration ) has an interesting feature on surprising tricks the human body can do to cope with bodily annoyances like a stuffed nose, headache, or that seemingly uncontrollable first-date jitters, among many others.

I found the tricks amusing because of the instant remedy they can provide without the need to pop a pill (Buying medicines in the Philippines is in itself a cause of headache, at the very least, because drug prices here are among the highest in Asia, second only to Japan). I wonder whether or not the tricks compiled by Kate Dailey provide long, lasting relief.

These are my favorites:

• If your throat tickles, scratch your ear.
  • This is a better way to scratch the itch because when nerves in the ears are stimulated, it creates a reflex in the throat that causes a muscle spasm, which in turn relieves the tickle.  (hmm, why do i see people touching their ears now??)

• Clear your stuffed nose.
  • 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. And this rocking motion loosens congestion after only 2o seconds! (sige na, i-try mo. haha.)

• Overcome your most primal urge.
  • Need to pee but there’s no bathroom nearby? Think of your sexual fantasies.  Thinking about sex preoccupies the brain so you won’t feel as much discomfort. (If you have a barren mind bereft of any sexual fantasy, try Jessica Simpson’s These Boots Are Made for Walking video. hehe.)

• 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.

•  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. Blowing on your thumb will get your heart rate back to normal.

• Feel no pain.
  • German researchers have discovered that coughing during an injection can lessen the pain of the needle prick. This trick causes a sudden, temporary rise in pressure in the chest and spinal canal, inhibiting the pain-conducting structures of the spinal cord.

I probably woudn’t recall all the 18 Tricks, but I sure want to try them out when there’s  the need to. I’ll tell you if it works on me.