9 Things Your Body Does That Are Defense Mechanisms

There are some fascinating defense mechanisms our bodies activate that may seem a little strange, however they all have important roles in protecting our health 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Take a look:

 

Yawning

It's main purpose is to cool the brain down after it's been overheated or overloaded. 

Hiccups Hiccups occur when we tend to eat quickly, swallow large pieces of food or overeat, which may irritate our pneumogastric nerve, resulting in hiccups. 

Sneezing

Sneezing occurs when our nasal passages fill with too many allergens, microbes, dust or other irritants. Sneezing helps us get rid of them.

Myoclonic Jerks This usually occurs when you drift off to sleep and your body jolts for a second. In this moment your muscles spasm strongly, causing you to awake instantly. When you fall asleep, the frequency of your breathing rapidly falls and your pulse slows down slightly, relaxing your muscles. Your brain may interpret this as a heralding death, thus causing your body to jolt in order to save you.

Stretching

We instinctively stretch to prepare our bodies for the physical loads we expect to take on during the day. Stretching also works the muscles, restores blood flow and improves our mood. 

Wrinkling of the skin Wrinkles that appear on your skin and hands after a shower play a fundamental role. When your body encounters an increased amount of moisture it understands that the environment around you may be slippery. Your skin therefore begins to form wrinkles in order to have a better grip on smooth surfaces. 

Goosebumps

Goosebumps reduce the amount of heat our bodies lose through the pores of our skin, making it easier to keep ourselves warm. 

Loss of memory Memory loss tends to occur after the most unpleasant experiences, whereby our brains literally delete terrible moments from our memories. 

Tears

Tears act as a protection for the mucous membrane of our eye when a foreign object comes into contact with it. Scientists also believe that in stressful situations the body creates a new, powerful source of irritation in order to distract a person from the pain they are currently experiencing.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                       https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                     FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                   

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How to manage foreign bodies in our ear/ nose/ throat

Foreign body is an object or piece of extraneous matter that has entered the body by accident or design. It is common to see certain items getting stuck in the ear, nose or throat especially, in young children. While most of the time they do not raise an alarm, however, sometimes they can lead to severe consequences like rupture of the eardrum or even choking.

 Children , as they explore the environment around them, they tend to put items such as peas, beans, marbles, beads, cotton, paper, etc, in their mouth, nose or ears. A similar trend can be seen in adults with mental disorders.

Trauma/ fall/accident can force foreign bodies like rock, pebbles into the ear, nose or throat.

Adults while riding a bike or sleeping on the ground (campsites) can have insects: flies, ants, roaches fly into the nose or ear.

Choking occurs when foreign bodies block the airway, common reasons are: not chewing the food properly, diseases like Parkinsonism, drinking alcohol or certain drugs that slowdowns the process of swallowing.

Foreign bodies in the ear Symptoms: Pain in the ear, discharge or bleeding from the ear, feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear and dizziness and nausea in extreme cases.
Management:
Make sure the patient is sitting in an upright position, pull the pinna or outer semicircle of the ear towards the back. This can help you see the object clearly and also loosen it to wiggle out. If you can see the object clearly, use a tweezers to grasp the object and gently remove.

In case a live insect gets trapped inside the ear lie down and place few drops of warm vegetable or baby oil. Use oil only if symptoms of eardrum perforation like pain, bleeding/discharge from the ear is absent.

Magnets are sometimes used if the object is metal

Cleaning the ear canal with water

A machine with suction to help pull the object out

Tilting the head to the affected side can facilitate gravity to dislodge the object.

After removal of the object, your child's physician will then re-examine the ear to determine if there has been any injury to the ear canal. Antibiotic drops for the ear may be prescribed to treat any possible infections.

Foreign bodies in the nose:
Symptoms: Pain and difficulty in breathing from that side of the nose. Management: Keep the uninvolved nostril closed by pressing a finger against the side of the nose and gently ask the person to blow from the affected nostril.
Suction machines with tubes attached
Instruments may be inserted in the nose

After removal of the object, your child's physician may prescribe nose drops or antibiotic ointments to treat any possible infections.

Foreign bodies in the throat: Symptoms: Choking, inability to breathe and speak  
Coughing at first
Wheezing (a whistling sound, usually made when the child breathes out) 

Although the initial symptoms listed above may subside, the foreign body may still be obstructing the airway. The following symptoms may indicate that the foreign body is still causing an airway obstruction:
Stridor (a high-pitched sound usually heard when the child breathes)
Cough that gets worse
Child is unable to speak
Pain in the throat area or chest
Hoarse voice
Blueness around the lips
Not breathing
 The child may become unconscious
 
Management: Perform Heimlich maneuver, abdominal thrusts, if trained otherwise, it is advised to call for medical help immediately.
How can you prevent foreign bodies from entering your ear, nose, throat?

Discourage talking, playing, laughing when food is in the mouth.
Do not give whole grapes, popcorn, nuts to children below 3 years.
Keep small objects out of reach of small children.
Teach children to avoid placing objects into their nose, ears.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                
 PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                             FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                               
     https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                     
  FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                              https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com