# Doctor dopers ,what is the straight dope on this...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-dopers-what-is-the-straight-dope-on-this/480213>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 7, 2009, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-dopers-what-is-the-straight-dope-on-this/480213 "2009-01-07T12:19:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-dopers-what-is-the-straight-dope-on-this/480213/1 "2009-01-07T12:19:25Z")

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…forwarded e-mail on heart attacks ??:dubious:  
\*\*\*\*Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart

attack, without help,the person whose heart is beating

improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only

about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.

However,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 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.

Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing

movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood

circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also

helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart

attack victims can get to a hospital\*\*\*\*

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**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-dopers-what-is-the-straight-dope-on-this/480213/2 "2009-01-07T12:21:41Z")

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Don’t need a doctor, just need [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/medical/homecure/coughcpr.asp), your one-stop-shop for forwarded emails.

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**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-dopers-what-is-the-straight-dope-on-this/480213/3 "2009-01-07T12:23:22Z")

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IANAD - But I \*have \*heard tha if you are having a heart attack to cough.

[Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/medical/homecure/coughcpr.asp)seems to disagree.  
Gah! Darn Edit Window - \*\*Jimm \*\*beat me to it.

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**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\
**Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-dopers-what-is-the-straight-dope-on-this/480213/4 "2009-01-07T12:28:55Z")

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jjimm,

Thanx ! I did not think of snopes ! :smack: