8 things that seem pointless but are actually good for your health

At first glance, the procedure does not look serious: you need to prepare a saline solution, fill a teapot or bottle with it, and then pour the liquid into one nostril so that a trickle flows out of the other. But washing has several advantages :

In the “ Yod ” telegram channel we tell you how to take care of your health based on evidence-based medicine.

• The nasal mucosa is moisturized.
• Swelling, inflammation and symptoms of allergic rhinitis are reduced.
• Breathing becomes easier during ARVI.
• The health of nasal cilia improves, which prevent bacteria from entering the sinuses.
• The risks of developing viral and bacterial infections are reduced.
• The formation of crusts in the nose, which block the clearing of the sinuses, is reduced .

You can rinse your nose yourself at home. If you do everything carefully, it is safe. But the procedure has contraindications: ear infection, feeling of stuffiness or pressure in at least one ear, a completely blocked nostril, recent surgery.

Take note

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How to properly rinse your nose at home

2. Hypnosis

Of course, if you want to heal a fracture using suggestion, lose weight or solve debt problems, nothing will work. But there are times when hypnotherapy can actually be helpful. A doctor may offer this treatment to people:

• with post-traumatic stress disorder;
• depression;
• anxiety disorders;
• insomnia;
• eating disorders ;
• functional disorders – for example, irritable bowel syndrome, back pain or headaches that have no physiological cause;
• memory impairment after traumatic brain injury.

There is limited evidence that hypnosis can reduce pain in women during childbirth. In some cases, the method is used in conjunction with drug anesthesia.

Rarely, doctors may recommend hypnosis to improve the condition of cancer patients. For example, to reduce pain and anxiety during procedures or to relieve hot flashes. But hypnotherapy should be considered only as an auxiliary treatment, and not as a primary treatment.

A typical session goes like this: First, the therapist talks slowly and quietly to help the client relax and concentrate. Then the specialist begins to make suggestions that should help change the client’s worldview in a direction beneficial to him.

For example, a hypnotherapist will tell a person who wants to quit smoking that his lungs are now black, his heart is beating hard, and his tongue is covered with a white coating. But once you give up cigarettes, breathing will become easier in just a couple of weeks, in a year the likelihood of a stroke will decrease, and in 10–15 years the levels of health risks will return to those of a non-smoker.

It is important to remember that under hypnosis the client is in control of the situation. A doctor cannot force a patient to do things that he does not like.

Hypnotherapy can work even for people who consider themselves immune to suggestion. At the same time, those who suffer from psychosis should refuse such treatment: the procedure may cause a worsening of their condition.

3. Video games

The habit of playing computer games is often described as harmful. Supposedly it makes people aggressive, makes children stupid and just wastes time. In fact, most of the accusations are unfounded.

Scientists have not confirmed the information that the level of aggression among gamers is increasing . But there is evidence that games help people who receive little support from loved ones recover from stressful and debilitating events. Moreover , even games containing scenes of violence helped reduce stress levels among boys .

Scientists have also studied how video games affect intelligence . To do this, they analyzed data from 9- to 10-year-old children and repeated the assessment two years later. It turned out that little gamers’ intelligence scores increased more than those who, instead of playing games, stuck to social networks and watched TV.

Gaming has too little impact on grades in school for scientists to consider it a problem.

There is also an assumption that games improve cognitive function. For example, in one study involving 11,875 subjects, researchers observed that children who preferred video games to television and social media had better memory, attention control, and easier reading skills . This also works for adults , although it is not entirely clear exactly how and why.

The only accusation we can agree with is that games really waste time. Just like reading books, going to the theater or dancing.

4. Use of antidepressants for IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome is a chronic disease of the digestive system. It is usually accompanied by cramping abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea.

The reasons for this condition can range from anxiety and stress to food intolerance and sensitive gut lining. And depending on what exactly caused the problem, the doctor prescribes treatment. In some cases, antidepressants help.

Typically, doctors offer drugs from the group of tricyclic antidepressants, but in lower dosages than for depression and anxiety. Specialists can prescribe medications based on amitriptyline, imipramine, desipramine and nortriptyline. They will reduce the perception of pain and the movement of contents through the gastrointestinal tract during diarrhea.

Another class of antidepressants that helps with IBS are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. They also reduce pain, but the medications are usually prescribed to people whose discomfort is accompanied by symptoms of depression. The specialist can suggest drugs based on fluoxetine, sertraline, paroxetine, citalopram and escitalopram, mirtazapine, venlafaxine and duloxetine.

However, if you suspect you have IBS, you definitely shouldn’t buy medications on your own. Firstly, you simply cannot do this in a pharmacy without a prescription, and taking medications from your hands is dangerous. Secondly, antidepressants have side effects : drowsiness and fatigue, constipation or diarrhea, dry mouth, decreased sex drive and weight gain, suicidal thoughts. It is important that the doctor evaluates the risks and benefits and only then decides whether the patient should take the drugs.

5. Cheat meal

This is what is called a planned deviation from the diet. For example, when a person takes pizza and chocolate ice cream for dinner once a month instead of a light salad. Or when he periodically orders a burger with a triple patty and extra cheese in a cafe, although the rest of the time he tries to eat a balanced diet.

Scientists have limited data demonstrating the psychological benefits of cheat meals. People who plan ahead to break their diet experience less stress about it.

But you should still be careful with cheat meals. For some people, going off the diet may increase the risk of overeating and developing eating disorders.

6. Fats in the diet

There are different types of fats . They are usually divided into monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated and trans fats. They affect blood cholesterol levels, but not all of them need to be avoided.

Unsaturated fats are considered “good” fats. They help lower blood pressure, reduce heart rate and the risk of blood clots. You can

find unsaturated fats:

• in olive, rapeseed, corn and sunflower oil;
• avocado;
• nuts: almonds, peanuts, walnuts and cashews;
• fatty fish: herring, trout, sardines, salmon and mackerel;
• eggs and chicken;

Despite the high caloric content of fats, products with them can be included in a healthy diet. For example, the Mediterranean diet contains quite a lot of foods containing “good” fats, but it is also considered one of the healthiest.

7. Breathing practices

When a person is in danger, his “fight or flight” reaction turns on : breathing and heart rate increase, muscles tense, and sweat appears. To calm down faster, you can try breathing practices . They have several advantages:

• reduce stress levels,
• lower blood pressure and heart rate;
• allow you to fall asleep faster and more soundly;
• helpyou relax.

One of the practices is diaphragmatic breathing. To begin, place your palms on your stomach and then inhale slowly and deeply through your nose. Make sure that it is your stomach that rises and swells, not your chest. Then exhale slowly through your mouth. Do 3-5 reps.

8. Manual therapy

For many, the method is on a par with osteopathy. But there is a difference: osteopaths do not treat anything, but only promise to push the body to self-healing. But manual therapy can be useful.

But it is important to understand that such treatment should be additional , and not the only one. The method can only be used in conjunction with traditional medicine. Otherwise, the condition will remain the same or even worsen.

Visually, manual therapy is similar to massage: during the session, the specialist rubs and stretches the body tissues with his hands. The only difference is the goal. The second one mainly helps to relax and improve your mood. And the first is used in combination with special exercises and psychotherapy to relieve sciatica pain.

Manual therapy should be treated with caution, because it has contraindications . For example, disorders of the nervous system, damage to the spine and spinal cord, joint hypermobility.

The qualifications of the specialist who conducts the therapy are also important. To protect yourself, do not make an appointment with someone who hosts at home. The ideal option is to go to an evidence-based medicine clinic. And before visiting a chiropractor, do not hesitate to ask him for a diploma and documents confirming completion of training in the method.