The term dysphagia describes swallowing difficulty. It’s often associated with health conditions that affect the nervous system, such as multiple sclerosis or a stroke, as well as mouth cancer or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Temporary dysphagia can occur during anxiety attacks, too.
Other symptoms of dysphagia include difficulty eating and drinking and bringing food back up, occasionally through the nostrils. In this article, we will bring to you some of the most effective dysphagia home treatments that you can carry out for the long term and manage your health.
Symptoms
Before we go straight into the main section of the topic, dysphagia home treatment, a discussion of some of the symptoms is highly important.
You must understand certain signals associated with Dysphagia. They include pain and swallowing, problems swallowing food, drooling, hoarseness, frequent heartburn, a feeling as if the food is stuck in the throat, coughing or gagging when swallowing, etc. Yes, you got it right; some of the symptoms of dysphagia include:
Diagnosis
When you reach your doctor, they may ask you to conduct some of the tests to ensure that it’s Dysphagia.
Dysphagia home treatment is an important section of the discussion.
Dynamic Swallowing Study
Here, one has to gobble barium-coated foods of different consistencies. The study involves the observation of how food travels down the throat.
The images display problems in the coordination of the mouth, resulting in swallowing problems.
Fiber-0ptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing
During this study, a healthcare professional thoroughly examines the throat with the help of an endoscope during the swallowing.
Esophageal muscle test
Another effective way to understand the Esophageal muscle test is Manometry. In Manometry, the doctors insert a small tube into the esophagus and then connect it to a pressure recorded. It helps measure the muscle contraction of the esophagus during the time of Swallowing.
Image Scans
Image scan includes a CT scan that combines a series of X-ray views and computer processing. It helps in the creation of a cross-sectional image of the body’s bones and soft tissues.
The doctors use a magnetic field and radio waves in this procedure. It helps create a detailed image of the organs and the tissues involved.
Apart from these tests, the doctors may use some other tests to understand and make the right diagnosis of the physical issue.
Treatment
There are different approaches to treating Dysphagia. You have to discuss with your physician and understand the right approach to the treatment process they are recommending to you.
When it comes to maintenance, you can follow some of the dysphagia home treatment methods by researching yourself, but it is better to discuss with an expert on home treatment. Yes, long term treatment or care is a must.
Oropharyngeal Dysphagia
If you are suffering from this variant, then the general doctor may refer you to a speech or swallowing therapist.
This may include learning different swallowing techniques combined with learning exercises. In a way, you can count it under dysphagia home treatment.
Esophageal Dysphagia
For esophageal dysphagia, there are different treatment approaches. It includes esophageal dilation, surgery, and medication.
The treatment approach is a combination of the three. In addition, the experts may recommend a certain special diet that may help decrease the problem of swallowing.
Apart from the ones above, there are different surgical treatments available to combat the esophagus. They include peroral endoscopic myotomy, laparoscopic heller myotomy, placing stents, and others.
Dysphagia Home Treatment
Coping with Dysphagia has its own challenges. However, one must not lose hope and remain under constant treatment.
You must be under the guidance of an expert professional and religiously follow the prescription.
But you can remain under the home treatment and manage dysphagia. Yes, they are indeed effective in managing the issue.
Here are some tips to help when living with dysphagia:
Don’t Talk While Eating
Chatting around the dining table has long been a loved part of the day. However, keeping your focus on chewing and swallowing safely will create good habits of mindful eating. If you need to talk, simply take a break and ensure there’s no food in your mouth.
Always Have Water on Hand
Although it can occasionally make coughing worse, drinking water regularly, especially with meals, will ensure that you can swallow small particles of food.
Use an Instant Thickener
Thickeners can be added to food and fluids to slow the transport of food from the mouth to the stomach. This allows more time to safely coordinate the swallowing process and prevents food and drink from being inhaled into the lungs, which can cause choking pneumonia, and chest infections.
Purchase some gel thickener from SimplyThick. Gel sachets have a smoother texture than powder thickeners and are ready in seconds. They are mixable with any utensil, including coffee stirrers, and can be used in any beverage – hot or cold!
Eat Soft Foods
This may sound obvious, but you might not know that you can turn your favorite hard foods into soft foods.
If you think apples and pears might be a little too hard, try heating them on the stove for a softer consistency.
Trial and error are the key principles when finding what works for you, but you can make any food easier to swallow.
Scrambled eggs, oatmeal, and mashed potatoes will all make swallowing easier and more comfortable.
Take Your Own Food Out
If eating outside your home or in public makes you anxious because of your dysphagia, prepare foods that are easy to chew and swallow to take with you to functions and events that include a meal.
Making sure that you have the nutrients needed to thrive at public functions shouldn’t depend on whether the food they serve is suitable.
But to make sure that your needs are catered to, simply pack a small, high-energy lunch of chewable and swallowable foods and take it with you!
Get an Expert Opinion And a Diagnosis
Asking a physician to review your symptoms and their underlying cause will help you understand the condition and how best to manage your personal experience with it.
Ask questions, raise your concerns, and walk out armed with knowledge.
Bank On Dysphagia Home Treatment!
To deal with dysphagia most effectively, lots of trial and error is required. Try new foods with new methods of cooking that make them softer and more manageable, drink more water, and include a thickener to slow the swallowing process to make it safer.
These dysphagia home treatments that we discussed are indeed effective in managing complexities. But you must look towards professionals to understand it completely.
Additional Reading:
