A Chinese doctor is credited for saving the life of one plane passenger by using toothpicks.

Dr. Tian Yu was boarding flight CA1478 with Air China on September 23 when he heard the crew calling for doctors. As it turned out, a fellow passenger was having seizures.

Yu, a Rheumatism Department expert at Shanghai’s Longhua Hospital, told Shanghai Daily:

“It was a male passenger aged between 35 and 40. He seemed dazed and was foaming at the mouth.”

Yu immediately ruled epilepsy, which can be fatal at times. With limited resources on board, he knew what he had to do.

Yu first asked for a spoon and towel from flight attendants. He wrapped the towel around the spoon and placed it in the patient’s mouth to prevent the latter from biting his tongue.

Drawing from his background in traditional medicine, Yu later asked for toothpicks and used them to stimulate the patient’s acupuncture points:

“There was no needle available on the plane, and toothpicks were the best replacement I could find.”

Friends informed the doctor that the patient suffered epileptic seizures in the past but did not undergo medication, Xinmin.cn reported. He regained consciousness after five minutes of Yu’s stimulation, just 20 minutes before the plane landed.