【Health Lecture】Don’t “swallow” the trouble

In order to ensure the scientific effect of learning health knowledge in the "2024 China Elderly Health Knowledge Competition", the organizer has collected various health science articles suitable for the elderly from various hospitals. We will share them through the "Health Lecture Hall" column. Today, Director Xing Yuling of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Brain Hospital brought [Don't "swallow" the trouble], and welcome elderly friends to learn.

"Swallowing" is an essential reflex for normal humans, and refers to the action or the entire process of food entering the stomach through the mouth. It is divided into the cognitive phase, oral preparation phase, oral push phase, pharyngeal phase, and esophageal phase.

If the mandible, lips, tongue, soft palate, throat, esophageal sphincter or esophageal function are damaged and food cannot be safely and effectively delivered from the mouth to the stomach, we call it swallowing disorder. In a broad sense, it also includes patients with cognitive disorders, such as mental disorders, brain neurovascular diseases, head and neck malignant tumors, Parkinson's disease, and dementia.

Patients with dysphagia often present with:

1. Coughing when drinking water or eating

2. Drooling, excessive phlegm, and food in the phlegm

3. Recurrent pneumonia, fever, and weight loss

4. Food residue in the mouth

5. Eating takes a long time and the voice changes after eating

6. Holding food in your mouth without swallowing it

Swallowing disorders can also cause choking, social disorders, etc. So what should we do if there is a problem with swallowing?

Patients with dysphagia need to be evaluated and treated by regular medical institutions. After a correct evaluation, dysphagia can be cured by improving patient cognition, strengthening oral sensory stimulation, improving lip and tongue flexibility, voice training, balloon dilation, nerve electrical stimulation, botulinum toxin injection, transcranial direct current and other training and treatments. Patients at home can also improve dysphagia by changing their eating posture and changing the properties of food.

But it is worth noting that you must not force swallowing to avoid suffocation of the patient. You must swallow it properly and eat it with taste.

Author: Xing Yuling

Image: Qiantu.com

About the Author:

Xing Yuling, deputy chief rehabilitation therapist, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Brain Hospital. Research direction: Specializes in speech cognition of children and adults caused by various diseases, rehabilitation assessment and treatment of swallowing disorders. Published six national papers, co-edited a book, and participated in a provincial scientific research project. Won the Excellence Award of the 2022 North China Swallowing Competition, the first prize of the 2024 Inner Mongolia Rehabilitation Medical Record Competition, the third prize of the 2024 Inner Mongolia Rehabilitation Science Competition, and the third prize of the 2024 China Rehabilitation Therapy Association Children's Rehabilitation Competition. Hosted the 2022 Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Continuing Education Project. Served as a member of the "Critical Rehabilitation", "Big Data Rehabilitation" and "Speech Rehabilitation" committees of the Chinese Rehabilitation Medicine Association. Member of the Trauma Rehabilitation Committee, member of the Community Rehabilitation Committee, executive director of the Chinese Rehabilitation Therapists Association, and member of the Children's Committee of the Inner Mongolia Rehabilitation Therapists Association.