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Even though four in five people consider themselves knowledgeable about the human body, a 2020 study revealed only one in ten know that O-negative is the universal blood type. Furthermore, thirty-five percent don't know their own blood group. A third also didn't know the human body has two kidneys — with one in five thinking we have three or more.

We need to educate ourselves. Luckily, when Reddit user MarbleMimic asked others on the platform to share "disgusting" pieces of advice they were skeptical of at first but that ended up being actually helpful, folks stepped up and revealed a lot of interesting details about bodily functions.

Image credits: MarbleMimic

This post may include affiliate links.

#1

"What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) If you see someone have a motorcycle accident and you are the first responder, do not remove their helmet. plenty have had their neck injuries exacerbated by untrained people yanking on the helmet to pull it off. let the paramedics arrive and let them handle it. unless you are trained in first aid you are more likely to hurt them.

StinkyKittyBreath:
In general, don't move somebody who is on the ground. Moving somebody who has unknown injuries could result in paralysis and worse. It's one of the things they pound into your head during first aid training.

deys_malty , Matheus Bertelli / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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    #2

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Use your own spit to get blood stains fully out. The enzymes from your own saliva will break down your own blood.

    aurora_rosealis:
    It works! My husband thought I was nuts for telling him to spit on a bloodstain on his shirt. He skeptically tried it and was like, 'Holy sh*t, that worked!' I was dying laughing at his reaction to me saying, 'Spit on it. Yes. Just spit on it! Try it!' Even more hilarious, I had no idea if it would actually work; I’d only read about it. But it did work, and really well. It just sounded wild!

    raginghearton , Karolina Grabowska / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    106points
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    We managed to get in touch with MarbleMimic and they agreed to tell us more about their now-viral post. "I like getting at the heart of what people are reluctant to talk about and the things that are upsetting yet true," the Redditor revealed its roots to Bored Panda.

    "I was initially thinking of 'uncomfortable yet true' advice, but I was as surprised as anyone that foolproof ways of getting out stains rose to the top."
    #3

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Always close the toilet seat lid before you flush

    Always pee after sex.

    clockjobber , Karolina Grabowska / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    105points
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    #4

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) I was annoyed when my doc told me to chart my blood pressure daily after retiring as my dad had died from a stroke at aged 65. I always thought it was three packs of Salem cigarettes, but I did the charting.

    A slow increase and the doctor did some tests. I had a blockage in a carotid artery that had to be replaced as it was close to breaking. I got to at least postpone my stroke. I am 71.

    cwsjr2323 , Yaroslav Shuraev / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    104points
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    As MarbleMimic kept going through the replies, they noticed a few patterns emerging among the most popular ones. "They tended to fall into two categories: 'know your body' and 'don't give people the benefit of the doubt.'"

    Dr. Rob Sinnott, Chief Science Officer for USANA, the global health and wellness company that commissioned the aforementioned study, said "We have so much going on in our lives, we sometimes forget that our health should come first and for a lot of us, our high school anatomy classes were ages ago."
    #5

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Being a good person at the expense of your mental health is incredibly overrated.

    VikuSam , Anastasia Shuraeva / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    99points
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    #6

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) If you have to throw up but need to get to the toilet in time, start to hum loudly. You can't throw up while you're humming. You have to hurry, though. It saves only a few seconds.

    incoming-idiot:
    Adding to this, another sign to get to the toilet quickly is if you start producing more saliva.

    schtefferson , cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    94points
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    Sinnott isn't too surprised by the fact that a lot of people aren't well-versed in the mechanics of the body and nutrition. That being said, with everything happening in the world right now, he believes "it's as good of time as ever to start taking your health seriously and learning about your body and how it works."

    46 percent respondents of their study reported they want to expand their knowledge around mental health, while 38 percent would like to look into cardiology, and 32 percent want further education on reproductive health.
    #7

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Sucking snot out of baby’s nose makes things better for all involved. Baby sleeps better, mom sleeps better. The little tube contraptions to do it seemed gross as hell at first but you get used to it and the results are worth it.

    vexens:
    Before I remembered the little suction tube existed, I had the visual of someone putting their mouth over a baby's nostrils and slurping snot out of their nose. I fu**ing gagged.

    LiterallyADiva , John Finkelstein / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    92points
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    #8

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Visually check your bowel movements after you have them for any changes.

    RoutineInitiative187:
    When my dad got bladder cancer, I learned a lot of information about what subtly different shades of urine mean, so I was obsessed with analyzing mine for a while. (He's fine now — ten years in remission!)

    dWintermut3:
    Gas, too. I know a woman who realized she had bowel cancer because her gas changed smell drastically.

    bayouprincess88 , Miriam Alonso / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    80points
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    The Redditor who initiated this discussion thinks our predispositions might be holding us back. "When people talk about 'unpleasant' advice, gross or not, there's always cloaked language. People never say the words 'blood' or 'spit.'"

    "I'm a fan of true crime, and others will look at me sideways and assume it's because of that that I know that blood dries brown and not red (not, you know, the fact that I have a period)."
    #9

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Shouldnt be disgusting but many people arent comfortable with it- Installing a bidet is a game changer.

    julcarls:
    Weird how they aren’t comfortable for what is essentially a mini-shower for your butthole, but they are comfortable wiping fecal matter off their butthole with just paper and their hand.

    Jefffahfffah , Max Vakhtbovycn / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    78points
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    #10

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Someone told me at summer camp that his brother got food poisoning one time and was throwing up and having diarrhea at the same time, and mentioned he should have sat on the toilet and puked in the trash can. Fast forward 30 years, I ate gas station cole slaw, and this tip saved my bathroom decor.

    Horror_Goat_4611 , Kyle Glenn / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    74points
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    Adam M. Taylor, Ph.D., who has also done a study on the public's anatomical knowledge, said “It enables people to make better, more informed choices about their health and wellbeing. It also enables them to utilize healthcare services more efficiently as well as have a better understanding of the information that might be conveyed to them when dealing with doctors or other healthcare providers."

    And if a Reddit thread helps us to fill the gaps, who cares if it's just an online scroll?
    #11

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Always close your mouth when doing a diaper change on a baby.

    Maxtrt:
    I remember when I had comeback from a training flight (Air Force) when my son was about four or five months old. I had just started to open the door and heard my wife scream. She stormed out of our son's bedroom and faced me, and I saw a splash of a grayish-green liquid dripping from her cheek and collarbone. She practically blew steam out of her ears and yelled, 'YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR SON NOW!' I turned to go into his room when I observed a line of diarrhea dripping from almost the top of the door and in a six-foot runner down on the floor from the door to his changing station.

    mellowmadre , Carlos Santiago / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    68points
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    #12

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Always rinse your sinuses out when you feel an infection or even a head-cold starting.

    You may see some disturbing things come out of your face, but it's worth avoiding an infection getting even worse!

    BetterRemember , Karolina Grabowska / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    59points
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    #13

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) If you frequently get skid marks in your underwear, it's probably less to do with your butt-wiping abilities and more to do your diet of junk food. That stuff glides out of you like greased lightening.

    latchkey_adult , Vie Studio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    56points
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    #14

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Eating something spicy to clear a stuffy nose.

    megan1010m , Nadin Sh / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    54points
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    #15

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Not "disgusting" per se, but toilet related. Get a squatty potty or toilet stool, and correct your "pooping posture." Literally has made a world of difference to me. It's so much easier and more comfortable.

    florabundawonder , Alex Simpson / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    51points
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    #16

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) If you need to help someone who is being violently attacked by a dog, jam your finger up the dog's b******e.

    Sounds awful. Definitely works.

    You might want to be prepared to immediately fend off the dog yourself, though.

    wildbillnj1975 , Alexas Fotos / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    50points
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    #17

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) For men - if you feel cold but your balls are low then you're probably feverish and having hot and cold flashes.

    For women - if you wait to have sex/jill off until you really have to pee then it will usually be easier to have an orgasm.
    The "branches" of the clitoris wrap around the bladder, and extra pressure can make things easier. Similarly, pregnancy (fetus pressing on bladder) and pronebone (woman laying prone) can make female orgasm easier.

    RunsWithCrashCarts , cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    37points
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    #18

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) I remember watching girl code on MTV years and years ago and they said to flush your poop as it comes out if you don’t want it to stink in a public restroom. It works.

    Individual_Will_2503 , Fahmi Garna / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    31points
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    #19

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) My dads favorite saying when he'd meet my sisters new boyfriend.

    "If you sit on your hands for 10 minutes before you have a wank it feels like someone else is doing it."


    I dont know if it was helpful to them but the reaction always helped my day a bit.

    impossible12345 , João Jesus / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    27points
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    #20

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Press your thumb into your palm to remove your gag reflex.

    CoatFullOfBees , Tima Miroshnichenko / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    24points
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    #21

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) To stop hiccups, swallow a spoonful of mustard.

    goe4it , Elevate / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    12points
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    #22

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Every poo poo time is pee pee time, but not every pee pee time is poo poo time.

    Smegmatron9000 , ROMAN ODINTSOV / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    -13points
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    #23

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Be selfish.

    AdBroad8817 , Los Muertos Crew / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    -37points
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    #24

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Pretty mild compared to the other posts in this thread, but when the handsoap pump isnt working, (youre pumping away but no soap comes out), depress and hold it down then suck until you get soap in your mouth. Pump will now work. It works every time.

    behold_the_pagentry , Micheile OlivieStrauss / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    -68points
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    #25

    "What Disgusting Advice Ended Up Being Actually Helpful?" (25 Answers) Marry someone who loves you more than you love them.

    Fish_tacos_ , Daria Obymaha / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

    Final score:
    -71points
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