Should healing of the
throat be a part of acid
reflux treatment? At times, the cause of a
sore throat may actually be acid reflux. This can
happen to someone even if they do not have any
symptoms of heartburn, and is sometimes called
silent reflux, supra-oesophageal reflux, or
laryngo-pharyngeal reflux. Acid reflux into the
larynx occurs when the stomach acid travels
further backwards from the oesophagus to the
larynx. As the vocal cords swell from acid
irritation, their normal vibration is disrupted
resulting in symptoms such as hoarseness,
excessive mucus or phlegm, throat clearing, sore
throat, choking spells, wheezing, or a sense of
post-nasal drip.
The sensation of "a lump in the
throat," is also very common. This is due to
hyperactivity of the muscle trying to hold the
acid down in the oesophagus. Finally, as a
response to laryngeal injury due to the gastric
acid, the larynx produces a significant amount of
mucus. Patients therefore often complain of
persistent throat clearing and the sensation of
postnasal drip. As the body cannot tell if
the "drip" is coming from the larynx or from the
sinuses above, LPR is often confused with sinus
symptoms or even asthma symptoms.
Acid reflux affects many voice
users like singers, some of whom may be
unaware that the source of their vocal difficulty
is medical, and healing of the throat can be
achieved with the options
listed below:
·
Eating or drinking within three hours
of bedtime or lying down must be avoided. People
suffering from reflux may have
delayed emptying of the stomach leaving
increased amounts of food in the stomach. Allow
time for gastric emptying before retiring.
·
Avoid overeating. It is better to
eat several small meals each day than to eat one
or two big meals.
·
To avoid intra-abdominal pressure do
not wear tight-fitting clothing, abstain from
bending at the waist, or straining, after
eating.
·
Reduce your intake of foods that
increase stomach acid production. These
include fatty, fried, spicy, or acidic
foods, chocolate, caffeine, carbonated
beverages, peppermint/ spearmint, and alcohol.
·
Elevate the head of your bed with the
help of blocks or bricks.
·
Lose weight. You should lose
weight if you are overweight; excess weight puts
pressure on the stomach contents.
·
Stop the use of any tobacco products.
This is important for overall health
too.
·
Chew sugarless gum. New research
shows post-meal gum chewing appeared to reduce
acid in the oesophagus and quell heartburn
symptoms among people with chronic reflux
problems. Gum stimulates saliva production,
which neutralizes acid remaining in the larynx and
oesophagus.
·
Sleep on your left side. The
oesophagus enters the stomach on your right
side. Sleeping on your left side may help to
prevent food from the stomach from refluxing into
the oesophagus.
·
Natural home remedies for a sore throat
involves gargling with a mixture of one teaspoon
of apple cider vinegar to half a cup of water,
using 3 mouthfuls of mixture each hour. However,
do not swallow the mixture as it acts like a
sponge drawing out throat and mouth microbes and
toxins. Herbs like slippery elm, licorice, fennel,
aloe vera, turmeric are all soothing to the throat
and safe to drink.
It is best to avoid antacids and
acid blockers as they only relieve heartburn
symptoms and do not treat the root causes of the
disease. To treat acid
reflux and complications like sore throat,
holistic approach is the best option. It will take
into account all the aspects like mental,
emotional, spiritual as well as the physical
dimensions to actually heal the body, and not just
get rid of the symptoms. The holistic medical
practitioner will make suggestions in addition to
the above all of which may be integrated in your
life to achieve overall health.
