HEALTHY LIVING

What to do if you have a heart attack when you’re alone, a quick fix for tension headaches and why loud sneezers have no excuse…

BLESS YOU!

My husband is the loudest, most dramatic sneezer in the world, which I consider a hostile act while he claims he can’t help it. But scientists have found otherwise: after studying the sneezes of people who have been deaf since birth (generally a deep breath in, followed by a short, sharp, explosive breath out), their conclusion is that ‘vegetative noises’ like sneezing or laughing are language-based, which shows that we actually do have control over them. English-speakers, they say, sneeze ‘achoo’; German sneezes are ‘hatschi’ and French sneezes are ‘atchoum.’ Husband sneezes are apparently glassshattering…

HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN YOU’RE ALONE

When your heart isn’t beating properly and you’re beginning to feel faint, you may have only about 10 seconds before you lose consciousness.

HERE’S WHAT TO DO:

Start coughing repeatedly and very vigorously, taking a deep breath before each cough and coughing as deeply and as long as possible.

Repeat the breath and the cough about every two seconds, without let-up, either until help arrives or your heart starts beating normally again.

Get yourself to a hospital as quickly as you can.

The reason is, deep breaths get oxygen into your lungs, and coughing squeezes your heart and keeps your blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on your heart will also help it to regain a normal rhythm.

– Dr Patrick Teefy, Head of Cardiology at the Nuclear Medicine Institute University Hospital, London Ontario

THE 60-SECOND TENSION HEADACHE FIX

Pull your shoulders back. With your left hand, hold the base of your chair. Place your right hand on top of your head and gently press above your left ear. A stretch should be felt on the left side of your neck. Hold for three long, deep breaths. Now tuck your chin in and look towards your right hip pocket. You’ll feel the stretch all the way down to your left shoulder. Hold for another three breaths, then switch sides.

– The Feelgood Plan by Dalton Wong and Kate Faithfull-Williams