新聞新知~生活中自創療法的原理
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Doctor, you can't be serious! They might sound barking, but some of our crazy DIY remedies actually work
別太認真看待，醫生們。聽起來也許蠻難以置信的，但某些我們自創的療法真的有效。
By Victoria Lambert
Last updated at 1:51 AM on 1st September 2010
中文大意：
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Stick your fingers in your ears to beat a sore throat. Wiggle your head to cure pins and needles. Put pepper on a cut... Old wives' tales or true remedies?
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PRESS ON YOUR GUMS TO STOP A NOSEBLEED
Why? It’s believed putting pressure on your gums blocks an artery that supplies blood to the nose.
Science says: ‘The blood supply to your nose comes from several sources,’ says Mr Payne. (These include the external carotid artery, which supplies blood to most of the face.) ‘So this tip is definitely worth a try. If it doesn’t work, you could press between your eyes — where there is also an artery.
‘If you cool the area with a cold flannel, that may help as cold makes the arteries constrict. If it doesn’t stop within five to ten minutes, you might need to get more advice at your local walk-in centre or call your GP.’
| COUGH DURING AN INJECTION TO BEAT PAIN Why? Needle-phobics swear that coughing once before and once during the injections distracts them from the pain. Dr Arun Ghosh, of Spire Liverpool Hospital, says: ‘Coughing would probably work as a simple distraction from pain rather than interrupting the work of the spinal cord. He does warn that heavy coughing could cause your body to move at the moment of injection and risk the doctor or nurse making a mistake. ‘Ask them to distract you instead,’ he adds. |
Needles: Studies have found that needle-phobics experienced less pain when having injections if they coughed before and after |
WIGGLE YOUR HEAD TO END PINS AND NEEDLES
Why? Wiggling your head stops pins and needles.
Science says: A tingly hand or arm is often the result of compression in the bundle of nerves in your neck. ‘Loosening and moving the area would definitely help,’ says Dr Marek Zotkiewicz, of Salford Health Matters.
‘You need to think about moving the whole head and neck area, putting chin to chest, ear to shoulder, and chin to ceiling — by looking up.
‘If pins and needles persists for a long time (three or four days) and isn’t relieved in this way, it’s worth seeing your GP — it can be a symptom of multiple sclerosis, a slipped disc in the neck, or diabetes.’
BLOW ON YOUR THUMB TO STOP PALPITATIONS
Why? Some people swear that when they are stressed, blowing on their thumb slows down their heart rate.
Science says: ‘This idea has its roots in the fact that the thumb has its own pulse,’ says Dr Ghosh. ‘If you can calm that pulse down, you’re effectively calming the heart down, too.
‘Blowing will cool the thumb and hence calm the heart rate, as cold does slow down your pulse. This method might also help because the act of blowing itself forces you to deepen your breathing, which calms your heart.
‘Oxygen is the natural antidote to the adrenaline which raised your heart rate in the first place. Hyper-inflate your lungs to ensure maximum oxygen intake to calm down. Breathe in for seven seconds, hold for three seconds, and out for seven seconds.’
FINGERS IN YOUR EARS FOR A SORE THROAT
Why? The ears are full of nerves which are linked to the throat.
Science says: ‘There is a connection between the nerves in the ear and the throat,’ says Mr Nick Roland, an ear, nose and throat surgeon from Spire Liverpool Hospital.
‘The vagus nerve in the throat branches off into Arnold’s nerve in the ear.
This is important as people who have throat cancer often have earache first. On a small scale, the same nerve system is why your toothache can seem to spread to the ear.
‘Playing with your ear will not cure your sore throat — they are caused by a bacterial or viral infection, so that would still need to be tackled — but stimulating the nerves may comfort you and distract from the pain.’
| SUCK ON AN ICE CUBE TO SOOTHE TOOTHACHE Why? The cold can reduce swelling inside the mouth. Science says: This is a simple treatment that works for certain types of toothache,’ says Harbour, a dental practitioner in ‘If your tooth hurts when you tap it, you may have an abscess which will definitely need treatment. ‘But if the pain is throbbing, yet the tooth is not tender, it suggests it’s the nerve going through the tooth that is infected and inflamed. As heat can worsen inflammation, ice might help reduce that swelling and so relieve the pain. ‘However, you will need to see your dentist for treatment to prevent the pain becoming continuous (although some minor infections may clear by themselves). ‘Don’t put aspirin or clove oil or anything else against the gum — they will probably just burn the gum and do more damage. ‘And if you are recommended a whisky for the pain, just remember that it might make you feel better - but it won’t be having any effect on the infected nerve. You will need to see a dentist for complete treatment.’ |
Ice cubes: A simple treatment that works for certain types of toothache |
SWALLOW SUGAR TO STOP HICCUPS
Why? Generations of mothers have given their children a spoon of sugar to cure their hiccups, believing the shock of the sweetness cures them.
Science says: Hiccups are caused by uncontrolled spasms in the diaphragm. It is thought that sugar somehow stimulates the vagus nerve — which leads from the brain through to the diaphragm — to stop muscles in the diaphragm from contracting.
Mr Roland says: ‘We don’t know why hiccups occur or why they can be cured in odd ways, such as a fright or holding your breath.
‘A reason sugar could be effective is that while you swallow, you hold your breath, which would stop the reflex spasm momentarily and perhaps permanently.’
PUT PRESSURE ON A BURN
Why? It’s said to prevent blistering.
Science says: ‘Covering the burn and keeping it clean are the important factors to prevent infection,’ says Dr Garry Savin, medical director at London preventive medicine centre Preventicum. ‘But deeper burns are sometimes treated with pressure dressings, so this theory holds true.’
It’s thought that light pressure brings burned skin back to a normal temperature, which makes the skin less likely to blister. If you burn yourself, clean your skin and apply light pressure with your finger pads. Any serious burns should be seen urgently by a doctor.
WEAR BED SOCKS TO BEAT INSOMNIA
Why? Warm feet help you sleep.
Science says: The science is a little complicated, but warm feet help your body’s internal temperature to get to the optimal level for sleep.
‘Increasing the peripheral skin temperature forces the body to cool the internal temperature,’ says Dr Neil Stanley, former chairman of the British Sleep Society. ‘You sleep best when your core temperature drops.
‘Our core body temperature is a key feature of our circadian rhythm; we have our highest body temperature during the day and lowest body temperature during the night. Anything that facilitates that drop will help us get to sleep.’
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| Wear bed socks to beat insomnia: Warm feet help you sleep |
USE DUCT TAPE TO REMOVE A VERRUCA
Why? Covering a wart or a verruca with duct tape kills it.
Science says: Research on duct tape was published in the Archives Of Pediatric And Adolescent Medicine in 2002, and found 85 per cent of children treated in this way were cured. In another study, most warts disappeared within the first month. In fact, the study found it worked better than freezing warts off. It has been suggested that preventing oxygen getting to the area might help kill the wart or verruca, or it may be a component of the tape itself which acts on the problem.
Dr Annabel Bentley, Bupa’s assistant medical director, says: ‘Cover the wart or verruca with a piece of tape for six days. After that, remove the tape, soak the wart and rub it with a pumice stone. Leave the wart uncovered overnight and apply more tape in the morning. You may need to continue applying tape for two months before the wart disappears.’
GRUNT TO STOP A STITCH
Why? Grunting when your foot hits the ground gets rid of a stitch.
Science says: A side stitch occurs when your diaphragm or another muscle in the abdominal region goes into spasm during vigorous physical activity. This technique sounds primitive, but fitness expert Dr Owen Anderson says grunting at the first sign of a side stitch is a sure-fire remedy.
‘When your foot hits the ground and you make a forceful grunt, that helps you allow the diaphragm to be free and relaxed and release some of the tension,’ he says. Findings in the Journal For Science and Medicine In Sport also show that those who consumed a large number of calories one to two hours before exercise were more likely to experience pain.
SPRINKLE BLACK PEPPER ON A CUT
Why? It stops bleeding and helps a cut to heal.
Science says: Several studies have shown that a component of black pepper called piperine has strong antibacterial properties, which would suggest it is helpful for healing.
It also forms a crust over the cut to keep out infection. ‘Adding ground pepper to small cuts helps blood coagulate for faster healing, while simultaneously killing any lingering bacteria and reducing scarring,’ says Cathy Wong, nutritionist and author of The Inside Out Diet.
EAT COCONUT TO RELIEVE DIARRHOEA
Why? Many people suffering from diarrhoea say eating coconut helps the severity of their symptoms.
Science says: Possibly this is down to the coconut oil, which contains lauric acid. This is converted by the body into monolaurin — a compound which has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties which somehow soothes irritated intestines and reduces inflammation.
‘Coconut flesh is high in calories and saturated fat, but the fat is more easily digestible than other dietary fats,’ says consultant dietician Sian Porter. ‘If people had a sensitive gut and difficulty absorbing most other dietary fats, it could be useful'
PUT BANANA SKINS ON A SORE BOTTOM
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Why? It’s believed that the slippy inside of a banana peel can be soothing when put on haemorrhoids — swollen, painful veins around the anus. ‘We know that putting sugar or salt on haemorrhoids can help shrink them due to osmosis (the biological process by which water is drawn out of the cells) and, as a result, allow them to pop back inside the anus.’ Anecdotally, cabbage leaves are recommended for the same complaint because of their soothing properties - as noticed by many breast-feeding mothers who use them to protect split or chapped nipples. Additionally, the sugar in bananas has antibiotic-like qualities that can protect the infected area from bacteria. |
Banana skin: The slippy inside of the fruit can be soothing on hemorrhoids |
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資料來源：
Mail Online Health News
Doctor, you can't be serious! They might sound barking, but some of our crazy DIY remedies actually work
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