It’s often said that truth is stranger than fiction, and in the realm of your health this is often the case. The tips that follow may sound counterintuitive, but they can actually result in some very real benefits to your health.

1. Balance on One Leg While You Get Dressed in the Morning

This simple act forces you to engage your core muscles and balance. Physiotherapist Tom Salzman told the Mirror:[i] “This simple daily act will offer significant long-term benefits when it comes to staying active for longer and protecting against falls and broken bones as you get older.”

2. Massage Your Hand or Ear to Smoke Fewer Cigarettes

This type of self-massage helps alleviate smoking-related anxiety, reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms, improves mood, and reduces the number of cigarettes smoked among smokers.[ii] (Exercise also helps with this.[iii])

3. Walk Barefoot to Relieve Pain

Your body can benefit from the Earth’s continuous supply of free electrons, which are absorbed by your body via direct contact with the Earth. These electrons have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory powers that have been shown to reduce chronic pain (and much more).[iv]

To benefit, you need to walk barefoot on the Earth (leather-soled shoes will also conduct some electrons, but rubber- or plastic-soled shoes will not). This process is known as Grounding or Earthing.

4. Use Black Pepper to Stop Bleeding

If you find yourself with a wound that won’t stop bleeding … seek medical attention if it’s serious. If it’s more of a nuisance, or if you’re waiting for help to arrive, cover it in black pepper and apply pressure. This antibacterial, antiseptic, pain-relieving spice is excellent to help stop bleeding.[v]

5. Put Raw Honey on a Wound

Honey (especially raw honey) has antibacterial properties and live enzymes, so you can use it to help speed wound healing and soothe minor skin irritations and blemishes.

6. Eat Burned Toast and Drink Black Tea if You Have Food Poisoning

According to Georgianna Donadio, PhD, director of the National Institute of Whole Health, consuming a few slices of burned toast and black tea may help you feel better faster, courtesy of the toxicant-neutralizing tannic acid and charcoal they contain.[vi]

7. Drink Pomegranate Skin Tea to Soothe Upset Stomach and Diarrhea

The skin from a pomegranate can be steeped in boiling water to make a tea. Drinking this is useful for calming an upset stomach and relieving diarrhea. As a bonus, you can keep the dried skin for up to six months and it will still be effective.[vii]

8. Drink Water to Reduce Bloating

Bloating is sometimes the result of dehydration, so drinking water can help to relieve it. In addition, according to James Lee, MD, a gastroenterologist, in Health:[viii]

“Water mixes with water soluble fiber and makes it into a gel like substance. This affects the motility of the gut and reduces the symptom of bloating.”

9. Eat Coconut Oil to Lose Weight

Coconut oil is high in saturated fat, but contrary to what you may have heard, it can actually help you to slim down. Coconut oil is rich in medium chain saturated fatty acids (MCTs), which help to boost metabolism and are less likely to be stored as fat (because they’re more easily used up for energy). One study found, for instance, that supplementing your diet with coconut oil (rich in saturated fat) helps to reduce abdominal obesity.[ix]

10. Tap on Your Forehead to Reduce Food Cravings

In a recent study, tapping on your forehead and ear with your index finger was found to significantly reduce food cravings.[x] It works via distraction, which the researchers said could be used as a weight-loss strategy.

11. Sniff Olive Oil to Eat Less

Simply smelling certain foods may instead trick your brain into believing you’ve eaten it, helping you to feel full faster — and ultimately lose weight. The smell of olive oil, for instance, may help with weight loss, as people exposed to its scent had improved blood sugar responses as well as ate fewer calories.[xi]

12. Have More Sex to Live Longer

Assuming its done with a monogamous partner, having more sex is linked with increased lifespan, pain relief, weight loss, a stronger immune system, lower risk of heart disease, increased self-esteem, lower blood pressure and healthier responses to stress!

13. Pet Your Dog to Lower Your Blood Pressure

If you’re feeling particularly stressed or anxious, or if you struggle with controlling your blood pressure, simply petting a dog has been shown to lower blood pressure levels and reduce heart rate.[xii]