Home Choking Remedies That Can Save Your Life

Choking is a potential catastrophe, and one of those emergency situations where awareness of the appropriate treatment promptly performed can be life saving. The first imperative is to make the correct diagnosis — and particularly to distinguish choking from a heart attack. Here, luckily, there is one vital clue: the victim is silent. The obstructing piece of food as well as preventing air from getting into the lungs, prevents air from passing over the vocal chords, which is necessary for speech. One way to recognize the emergency is to point at the dinner plate and ask 'Can you speak?' If the victim cannot, one can be sure he has food stuck in the throat — and be equally sure he will die in a few minutes unless someone acts fast. The following, home choking remedies, manoeuvres to dislodge the obstruction are recommended.

Raise the left arm: It is not clear why this should work - but several readers attest to it. The arm should be raised 'as though trying to touch the ceiling — or the sky'.

Remove the obstruction: The common initial reaction is to stick the forefinger or middle finger into the victim's throat in the hope of extracting the bolus of food. This is not a very good idea as, quite apart from the danger of having one's digit severely bitten, it can precipitate a spasm at the back of the throat which only makes matters worse. Nonetheless, if the victim can be encouraged to explore the back of his own throat, it is sometimes possible to get hold of the obstructing matter—particularly if it is a large piece of meat.

Slap on the back: It is a time honored reaction to thump the victim vigorously on the back. This, too, is unlikely by itself to do much good, though it may stimulate a coughing fit which can disimpact the obstruction. By contrast, back slapping may do the trick in small children if they are also held upside down to benefit from the added effects of gravity. This is also a good home choking remedy

In the twenty years since Mr Heimlich first described his manoeuvre its efficacy has been con¬firmed many times. Objects expelled from the throats of choking victims have included apples, hot-dogs, beef, chicken, coins, pills and sweets. One mother found her nine month old infant blue and lifeless in her cot and noticed that foam rubber had been gouged out of the mattress cover. A quick thrust on the baby's abdomen and the missing rubber flew out of the child's throat.