12-5-2011 "Suck your thumb hard" to relieve angina pectoris

"Suck your thumb hard" to relieve angina pectoris

 

Coronary spasm.......angina pectoris

 

There is a simple method which may be effective in many cases  to relieve acute pain on the chest [coronary spasm/angina pectoris] immediately.

This has been discussed in the Lancet and BMJ [British Medical Journal] in the seventies of the last century.

"Suck your thumb hard" for a 3 seconds or so [with the nose closed and the lips closed around the thumb while sucking]

The vacuum created by this manoeuvre causes blood to enter the constricted coronary arteries and may give immediate relief.

The procedure may be repeated if necessary and maybe even used as a prophylactic if done a few times per day.

Of course this is only a first aid method and other treatments should be considered for the long run.