Turn Off Your Gag Reflex by Squeezing Your Left Thumb

Whitson Gordon

If you have a particularly strong gag reflex, this popular dentist's trick can help distract your brain and save you the discomfort (and embarrassment) in seconds. 

This isn't a new discovery, but it's one many of us hadn't heard of before, so we thought it worth sharing. If you're in a situation where something is setting off your gag reflex (dentist's offices are one of the most common places), just form a fist with your left hand, squeezing your thumb. The folks over at Reddit's Ask Science forum deliberate as to why this is, and they point to a 2008 study that shows it to be effective—not to mention lots of anecdotal evidence on the internet—but whether it's an effect of the nerves in your hand or just a distraction, it looks like it's a pretty useful trick. Of course, it's a bit different for everybody, so your mileage may vary, but it's something to think about the next time you're sitting in the dentist's chair. Hit the link to read more.

Why does making a fist with your left hand and squeezing your left thumb disable your gag reflex?

http://lifehacker.com/5858128/shut-off-your-gag-reflex-by-squeezing-your-left-thumb

Re-growing celery - grow a new bunch indoors or outdoors

By Emily Ho

Don't toss that celery base! Did you know you can use it to re-grow a new bunch of celery?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 I recently came across this topic on both Facebook and Pinterest, so I had to learn more. (Who knew that celery proliferation was all the rage?) It's apparently quite simple: just stand the base in a small dish of water for a week or so until new leaves appear in the center. The leaves will be yellow at first, and once they really emerge and turn green, you can plant the celery in the ground or in a pot.

Here are a couple of examples:

• Tim and Mary at 17 Apart planted the celery indoors – in a repurposed steel cut oats container! – and share some great step-by-step photos and tips on their site. (The industrious couple has also re-grown bok choy, sweet potatoes, and green onions.)

• Kara at Ramblings of Handbag Designer planted the celery in her garden outdoors, and it's interesting to see the progression in her first, second, and third updates. Kara did tell us that she had a bit of trouble with pill bugs eating the decomposing celery, and says she might try it indoors in a pot next time.

Have you ever tried this?

http://www.thekitchn.com/re-growing-celery-grow-a-new-bunch-indoors-or-outdoors-169801