I Immediately Saved This Video Of A Doctor Sharing What To Do If You're Home Alone And Choking, And You Should, Too

Dr. Tonia L. Farmer is a board-certified otolaryngologist and a head and neck surgeon based in Warren, Ohio. She's also known as @drnosebest on TikTok, and recently made this viral video showing people how to save themselves from choking.

TikTok: @drnosebest / Via tiktok.com

She got the idea after learning about the tragic death of Venezuelan Olympic cyclist Daniela Larreal Chirinos.

In a PSA reaching almost 13 million people, Dr. Farmer shared three detailed steps people should take when they're choking and no one else is around.

1. "The first thing is you’re going to call 911," she said.

2. "I want you to try to cough," she said.

3. "If you can’t cough at all, no air is moving, you’re gonna perform the Heimlich Maneuver," she said. "And there’s two ways that you can do that."

"[The] first way is you can use a chair or even a countertop, and you’re going to thrust your abdomen into that object."

"If you don’t have a chair at all, then you could use the side of a counter even, and thrust yourself into the counter," she said.

"If that doesn’t work, the next way that you can do the Heimlich Maneuver is you wanna make a fist, and you wanna thrust it right into the middle of your abdomen."

"Once the food is expelled and you’re now able to breathe and you’re able to talk, it’s still important that you seek medical help."

In an interview with BuzzFeed, Dr. Farmer explained a common mistake people make when they're trying to save themselves from choking. "One mistake is to swallow more food or liquids thinking this will push the lodged item down," she said.

"It's important to understand that choking means food is lodged in the airway, such as the larynx or trachea, and it's preventing air from moving into the lungs. A food impaction is when food is lodged in the swallowing passage or esophagus. When this [food impaction] happens, sometimes drinking a liquid can cause the impacted item to move past the area of blockage. Trying to drink or swallow food while choking can make it worse."

She also addressed anti-choking devices and if they could make a difference in this scenario.

Dr. Farmer encouraged her followers to save this video and to send it to loved ones, so everyone is aware of what they should and should not do if they ever find themselves in this situation.

To hear more from Dr. Farmer, you can follow her on TikTok or Instagram.