The threat to your throat that’s often overlooked

Swallow your pride… a tough pill to swallow… swallow the bait… there sure are a lot of expressions that deal with swallowing something!

When that automatic response stops working well, however, it’s tough to swallow anything – and that includes the pills that docs start piling on as soon as you reach your “golden years.”

It’s like being asked to row a boat without a paddle!

Trouble with the spontaneous reflex that we take for granted in our younger years even has a medical name: dysphagia (dis-fay-ja). Although the condition can occur at any age, the older you get…. the more likely it is to become a problem. And as a new study has discovered, it’s a really big problem for a lot of seniors.

While dysphagia may seem to be just an annoyance, it can have serious and even fatal consequences when left unchecked.

The good news is that there’s something you can do about it, and it doesn’t involve swallowing any drugs at all.

In fact, it’s just the opposite!

Reflex rehab

While swallowing is a necessary function that most of us take for granted, it’s actually a highly complex action that makes use of over 30 nerves and muscles!

And one of the most vital parts is when your voice box rises up, closing off the opening to your windpipe so that you don’t choke or aspirate something into your lungs.

It’s pretty serious stuff – so serious, in fact, that scientists from Johns Hopkins recently found that approximately half of patients diagnosed with dysphagia die within a year (with one reason being that it can result in pneumonia).

And these aren’t just isolated events — because a whopping 25 percent of seniors will develop dysphagia at one point or another.

But it’s not just something that you have to accept about getting older.

Because the researchers of this latest study don’t seem to have considered the role of drugs. Not in treating it… but rather in bringing it on.

Drug-induced dysphagia, in fact, is a possible side effect of many different meds.

Possible triggers include drugs that depress the central nervous system, such as Valium, Xanax, Codeine, Demerol, and Fentanyl.

But there are more… a lot more.

Medications that can injure your esophagus include NSAIDs such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), and plain old aspirin.

Plus that, there are plenty of drugs that cause dry mouth (for example, antihistamines and decongestants like Sudafed and Benadryl), which can lead to difficulties swallowing as well.

In fact, as mentioned in a report done almost two decades ago, dysphagia is a drug-induced side effect that’s “far more common” than doctors realize.

Fortunately, those drugs are also “one of the most readily corrected causes” of the condition.

Along with limiting or even ditching the meds that can make it hard to swallow, there are also exercises you can try that will help:

• Hitting a high note: Do your best Bee Gees or Frankie Valli imitation by holding a high note for a few seconds. You’ll know that you’re doing a good job if your dog starts howling!
• An apple a day: Start to swallow. Then, use your throat muscles to keep your Adam’s apple elevated for a few seconds. It can help to put your hand on your throat as you swallow to feel it rising.
• Taking it lying down: Lie flat on your back and raise your head — but not your shoulders — as if you were trying to look at your toes. Try that three to six times a day for at least six weeks. And try to hold your head up a little longer each time.

A professional can also help guide you through throat-strengthening exercises that will make it easier – and safer — to eat and drink. Swallowing rehab is something that many hospitals offer (including Johns Hopkins).

“Aging can be tough to swallow” Robert Preidt, March 26, 2018, HealthDay, consumer.healthday.com