Another purported piece of wisdom arrived via email again, this time about how to save yourself if you feel a heart attack coming on and you’re alone. The solution, it says? Take a deep breath and cough as hard as you can, repeating this every few seconds until help arrives. It’s called “cough CPR.”

It’s also called a hoax by reputable sources such as the very hospital that is quoted in the email, Rochester (New York) General Hospital, as well as the American Heart Association (AHA) and Hoax-Slayer.com. The email says the article was published on “N° 240 of Journal of General Hospital Rochester.”

“We can find no record that an article even resembling this was produced by Rochester General Hospital within the last 20 years,” writes Rich Sensenbach, Web Development Coordinator with ViaHealth Rochester General Hospital, on the hospital’s Web site. “Furthermore, the medical information listed in the article cannot be verified by current medical literature and is in no way condoned by this hospital’s medical staff. Also, both the Mended Hearts, Inc., a support organization for heart patients, and the American Heart Association have said that this information should not be forwarded or used by anyone.”

The AHA explains on its Web site, “During a sudden arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm), it maybe possible for a conscious, responsive person to cough forcefully and maintain enough blood flow to the brain to remain conscious for a few seconds until the arrhythmia disappears or is treated. . . . This has been mislabeled ‘cough CPR,’ although it’s not a form of traditional resuscitation.”

The AHA does not endorse this method nor does it teach it as part of any core curriculum. The organization adds that the only appropriate setting for this type of response is limited to “monitored patients with a witnessed arrest” already in the hospital.

So what should you really do if you’re alone and you experience signs of a heart attack? The AHA says that “if you’re driving alone and you start having severe chest pain or discomfort that starts to spread into your arm and up into your jaw (the scenario presented in the Internet article), pull over and flag down another motorist for help or phone 911 on a cellular telephone.”