Tips that may safe your life.
Self help for treating life threatening emergencies.
Stopping a Leg cramp while swimming.
I almost drowned while body surfing in Costa Rica when I got a leg cramp. My swimming companion,
Dr. Roy Clumpner showed me how to pinch and twist my upper lip to relieve the
spasm. I did as I was
told and now pass the procedure on to you.
Here's the technique: Grab your upper lip between your thumb and forefinger, pinch hard
and twist, hold it there...Keep pinching and twisting, it will hurt, but the cramp will subside.
I know of only one incident where this did not work the person was out of water when the
cramp occurred. Its is my belief the fear of drowning helps you carry off this procedure. You must
really, really pinch and twist, hold it, hold it...Then as the cramp subsides make your way to shore.
Hopefully, you will never have to perform this procedure. The Johnson City Medical staff discovered
this technique in their Intensive Care Unit. It's called "Cough CPR". The technique has been published
and is said to help. Here's what you do: Should you experience severe pain in your chest, that radiates
out into your arm and perhaps up into your jaw, should you feel faint then you must act. Try to get help,
but if you can't (and I quote my source) "...these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and
very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged,
as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest. A deep breath and a cough must be repeated about
every two seconds without let up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again."(1)
As with all medical emergencies proceed to a hospital.
RATIONALE: Deep breaths get oxygen in the lungs and coughing
squeezes the heart and keeps
blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart may also help the
heart regain rhythm.
The procedure may help you buy time, enough time to get to emergency car