Once upon a time just before the Heimlich maneuver came into fashion, I saved myself from choking, quite without realizing it. I had been enjoying a steak dinner with my husband when a piece of meat got lodged in my windpipe. I could not breathe, nor could I dislodge it. My husband’s one thought was to put his hand in my mouth to dislodge the object, which did no good at all. Finally, in desperation, and quite inexplicably, I leaned back in my chair—so far back, in fact, that I fell backward to the floor, chair and all. In the process of falling, the meat popped out of my mouth, and I survived what could have been a fatal accident. I will never know what drove me to lean all the way back in my chair at that crucial moment in time, but whatever it was, I realize my subconscious mind had to be working on my behalf with only the barest cooperation from my conscious.

Things get caught in the throat without warning. You could be happily chewing on a piece of solid food and talking at the same time, which is what my mother always cautioned me against as a child. You could be biting off more than you can chew, which is another way to go. You could be swallowing a large pill, and without sufficient water to wash it down, you get it lodged in your windpipe. Whatever the cause, you know what the result could be.

Following is a step-by-step procedure for saving someone (older than one) from choking:

Either stand or kneel behind the choking individual and wrap your arms around his/her waist. If he or she is standing, place one of your own feet between the person’s legs in order to provide support in case of fainting.

Make a fist with one hand and place the thumb side above the belly button, well below the breastbone.

With your other hand, grasp your fist and give a quick upward thrust into the belly. You may need to exert more force for a larger person and less for a small child.

Repeat thrusts until the object pops out or the person faints.

In case of fainting, call 911 or any available emergency service. While you are awaiting the arrival of help, begin CPR if you know the procedure, and look for the dislodged object in the mouth or throat, then remove it accordingly. Do not do any more Heimlich thrusts. Just keep repeating the CPR.

In case you are alone while choking: use your fists to perform thrusts on yourself. Or lean over the back of a chair and press sufficiently hard to extract the lodged object.