Meet the Doctor who has Been Influencing TikTokers With His Healthcare Hacks

Hampshire-based NHS surgeon's tips are a hit on TikTok

There's a lot of advice, recommendations, and suggestions regarding personal finance, self-care, and tech products floating around on social media platforms such as TikTok, and therefore filtering becomes a crucial task. However, if the person is qualified to offer advice and does a good job at it, then they can use their massive following to spread awareness instead of just monetizing it. That is exactly what Dr Karan Rajan does with his popularity which is the result of his amazing insights on healthcare, backed by a degree in medical science. 

The Hampshire-based full-time NHS surgeon started posting content in 2019 and has since amassed a following of 5 million on TikTok. Dr Karan Rajan is arguably one of the most famous doctor-influencers. He is known for simplifying complex medical topics such as "How does ibuprofen know where to go?" He is also famous on YouTube where he is known for explaining this topic in depth.

Dr Karan Rajan's health hacks

Dr. Rajan sees the human body as a "living breathing canvas of hand-me-down traits that also includes structures that have no purpose." He believes that there is still ample opportunity for customization and even improvement and that people just need to understand how the body works, before figuring out ways to make it better. That is why Rajan has shared a few hacks to make sound decisions regarding personal health.

Pulling out nasal hair could be deadly

Dr Rajan says that pulling out nose hair is a very bad idea as there are different types of nose hair. The tiny ones that are known as cilia move mucus from the nasal cavity to the back of the throat so we can swallow it. The larger hair on the other hand is to filter the unwanted dust and pollen. This means that plucking them out means that you are making it easy for microbes to gain entry and potentially cause an infection. Therefore, the nose hair is present to serve a purpose that is needed for the body to function properly.

The two hidden nostrils

Yes, while we can only see two, there are two more that are present internally and help to boost the sense of taste. We already know that smell accounts for about 80 percent of the perception of flavor. When we chew the goods, the airborne molecules around our mouth move to the back of our nose, and the brain processes the odors of what we are eating.

The left atrium is the villainous body part.

There is this pocket of tissue just about the size of our little finger that is the cause of a quarter of all strokes in the world. This body part is called the left atrial appendage which is essentially a small pouch present very close to the left atrium of our heart. When there's an irregular heart rhythm, the blood can start to pool in this pouch causing trouble. 

Swap sugar in your coffee for salt.

Dr. Rajan says that the brain associates certain colors with certain flavors and therefore, advises us to have our coffee in a red mug. A red mug will trick your brain into feeling that the coffee is already sweet even when it's not. Another thing that he asks us to do is to add salt to coffee. Salt doesn't alter the coffee but tricks the brain into ignoring the bitterness which amplifies any sweetness. 

Pain is in the mind, which can be trained to reduce it

The brain is the one who decides how to experience the pain. While it's not possible to completely block out the misery and pain, it is possible to curb it a bit. Not focusing on the pain can dampen it. Another trick is to simply look away from the injury. Not looking at it directly can lessen the pain, as per Dr. Rajan.