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Health Niggle?

16-03-2021

2021

Health articles

What can you do if you need to pee, but can't find a toilet? Helen Foster offers solutions for this and other such emergencies. Good Health; issue 0214; p046 - 049; Text Available

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caption@P@ 1 46 goodhealth.WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU NEED TO PEE, BUT CAN’T FIND A TOILET? HELEN FOSTER OFFERS SOLUTIONS FOR THIS AND OTHER SUCH EMERGENCIES HEALTH niggle? FIX IT FAST G ot an itch it would be inappropriate to scratch, embarking on a long train journey with no tissues and a sniff, or realise you really need the loo but don’t know where the nearest one is? While none of these situations are too serious, they can be irritating or, worse, very embarrassing. Here are some tricks to help you cope.  EMERGENCY  YOU’RE ABOUT TO CRY FIX Yes, it’s good to express your feelings, but not necessarily in front of your boss or ex-partner. The good news is you can control the tears. “Your fingers contain points that work like pressure valves in your body so stimulating them can help allow excess emotion to leave the body,” says Sarah Cleghorn, a specialist in Emotional Freedom Technique. “If you feel tears starting, squeeze one finger on either side of the nail bed hard. It might also help to try visualisation. Imagine hatch doors behind your eyes and the tears building up flowing through them and down towards your feet.” gm0214fix_ P46 - 46 2013-12-05T12:09:26+11:00

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caption@P@ 1 47 PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES / COLIENA RENTMEESTER/TRUNKARCHIVE. COM/SNAPPER MEDIA Emergency... YOU’RE ON THE TRAIN WITH A RUNNY NOSE – AND NO TISSUES FIX The solution here comes not from modern medicine, but from ancient Chinese medicine techniques. According to acupressure theory, stimulating a point called K27 helps stop runny noses. You’ll find K27 just below your throat and on top of your ribs, at the points either side where the breastbone meets the collarbone. Press both sides with your finger for a minute or two and your nose should dry up. gm0214fixp047 - 47 2013-12-10T14:12:57+11:00

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caption@P@ 1 48 EMERGENCY FORGET PEEING, I’VE GOT THE OTHER PROBLEM FIX If all is well with your digestive system, don’t panic. “If you ignore the urge to defecate, your body won’t pass the stool into the anus so nothing will leak out,” says Rane. But if you have a stomach upset, the situation may be more desperate. “Then the contractions can be so strong nothing can override it. You might buy yourself a few minutes by clenching the buttock muscles or applying pressure to the perineum until the urgency recedes, but then you’ll need to find the bathroom fast.” EMERGENCY YOU’VE GOT AN ITCHY BOTTOM IN THE MIDDLE OF A MEETING FIX “In a way that’s a good place to have one,” says Dr Sam Hay, GP and presenter of Embarrassing Bodies Down Under. “Scratching can actually make the itching worse so it’s good you can’t get to it.” If it’s driving you mad though, distraction is key – start speaking or taking notes to take your mind of the itch, or try pinching yourself. “If you send a pain signal to the brain, it overrides the itch sensation,” says Dr Hay. He also suggests that if you can excuse yourself and visit the bathroom, wipe the area first as cleaning it might remove the irritation trigger, and then either cool the area with water or, apply some lip balm to your finger, then put it on the itchy area. Moisturising can stop problems recurring. FIX Bang goes your chance of beating your personal best, you think. Well, not necessarily. “The following trick might see you stop for 30 seconds Emergency... YOU NEED TO WEE – VERY BADLY FIX If you’re temporarily stuck somewhere with no toilet, first of all do not clench. “The worst EMERGENCY . thing you can do right now is tighten your pelvic floor muscles as it stimulates bladder function,” says urogynaecologist Ajay Rane from James Cook University. “Instead, sit down in a way that puts pressure on your perineum – the area between your vagina a

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caption@P@ 1 49 Emergency... YOUR CONTACT LENS IS NO LONGER IN YOUR EYE FIX It’s not on the floor either, which can only mean one thing – it’s trapped behind your eye? No, you’ll be pleased to hear. “Contact lenses cannot work their way behind the eye, they are blocked by tissue called the conjunctiva – the lens is either somewhere on the front of your eye, or has fallen out,” explains Andrew Kotsos from the Optometrists Association. The most common place a lens will hide is under your upper eyelid. Use a wetting solution to try and flush it out. If that doesn’t work, face a mirror but look down at the floor. Gently turn your upper eyelid inside out with a cotton bud. Keep looking down and tilt your head slightly back. You should be able to see the lens with your other eye. Moving your eyelid should flip it back. If you can’t see it or can’t move it, see an optometrist immediately.  EMERGENCY  YOU’RE IN THE THEATRE AND YOU START TO COUGH OR SNEEZE FIX For a cough, try popping your finger in your ear and wiggling it about. Because nerves in the ear and throat are related, some people find that if they stimulate their ear they start to cough – and it works the other way too. If you have a throat tickle moving your ear can stop the sensation. “To stop a sneeze press lightly on the bridge of your nose,” says UK researcher Professor Ron Eccles. “This stimulates the ethmoid nerve, switching off the sneeze reflex.” And for a sneeze that won’t appear? Tug your eyebrows. “This stimulates the trigeminal nerve which can trigger the sneeze reflex,” he says.  EMERGENCY  YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING TO FAINT FIX “The best way to avoid fainting is to keep moving, but if that’s not possible, clench your fist or curl your toes,” says physiotherapist Jason Smith from Back in Motion. “This type of movement, called an isometric contraction, helps raise the blood pressure and can stop the faint happening.” In fact, in trials