7 weird health tips that actually work These seemingly strange health practices and tips can contribute to your health and wellbeing in unexpected ways.

When you were a child, your mother probably warned you never to swallow chewing gum as it would get stuck in your gut. Another example is that if you got a seed or pip in your ear, a tree would start growing inside your head.

We all know that these are just scary tales, but there are in fact a number of seemingly ridiculous health tips that are actually quite true.

The following seven health tips may seem weird, but can help you improve your health and in one instance even save your life:

1. Don’t brush your teeth immediately after eating

It's better not to brush your teeth immediately after meals and drinks, especially if they contained a lot of acid. Examples are citrus fruits, tomatoes and fizzy drinks. The abrasive action of brushing can cause the acid to attack the tooth enamel and the layer underneath. It is best to wait at least half an hour before brushing.

1. Build muscle to fit into a smaller size
   A kilogram of muscle weighs the same as a kilo of fat, but muscle is more compact and takes up less space than fat. This explains why a muscular person who weighs the same as a chubbier one will likely fit into a smaller pair of jeans.

2. Eat more calories to lose weight
   Carbohydrates on their own may do nothing but spike your blood sugar, leaving you even hungrier than before. Adding proteins and fats like peanut butter and cheese will increase the calorie count of your meal, but will help you get full more quickly and stay satisfied for longer, which will lead to ingesting fewer calories in the long run.

3. Drink a hot beverage to help you cool off

In India it is the norm to drink hot tea in hot weather. It sounds crazy, but according to a study, a hot drink on a hot day will cool you off faster than a cold drink. When you drink a hot beverage, your body produces more sweat which, when it evaporates, cools you off.

1. Exercise to increase your energy levels
   After a long day at work, exercise is probably the last thing you want to do, but getting moving can actually energise you. Through exercise, we recharge tired cells by giving them more oxygen. Physical activity that builds muscle strength also improves the efficiency of the mitochondria that produce the energy in the cells.

2. 'Freeze' cardiac patients to save their life

Cooling a cardiac arrest patient's core temperature to below 32.2 degrees Celsius – a process called “induced hypothermia”, either by injecting them with a cold saline solution or placing ice packs on them increases their chances of complete recovery.

Hypothermia – when your core body temperature drops so low that normal metabolism and bodily functions cease – can lead to death, but can also radically slow down the dying process.

1. Close the lid when you flush the toilet
   You should always flush the toilet with the seat down. If you don't, water particles from the toilet will float around your bathroom and finally land on surfaces like your toothbrush.

Experts say flushing creates an invisible cloud, called “toilet plume”, that’s expelled into the air by the force of the flush.

The toilet plume may contain faecal bacteria and other microorganisms like viruses.