Overcoming Dysphagia: Tips for Better Chewing and Swallowing

2024-01-17 00:16:00

Column: Health and Wellbeing

When chewing is a problem

Leticia Trejo is a Yoga teacher and personal trainer. Photo: Archive.

By: Leticia Trejo.

Dysphagia is one of the variants of difficulty passing food, it is a sensation that food or liquids are stuck in the throat or at some point before they reach the stomach; It can be so severe that it prevents you from breathing properly.

Digestion begins in the mouth with the chewing process, there is a rhythm, a cadence, an integration of different muscles involved in this process. Doing a little research in the sea of ​​information on the internet I find that the following are mentioned: temporalis, masseter, medial pterygoid, lateral pterygoid. But these muscles do not move on their own, they need the trigeminal nerve to be stimulated, in addition to needing a source of blood supply provided by the branches of the maxillary artery. Furthermore, the process of organizing the breathing muscles is linked to digestion.

We take it for granted that by having food in our mouth the body will know what to do, and generally that is the case, but when we eat while watching television, checking our cell phone, sending documents on the computer, we are making the delicate and important process of eating unconscious; This must be a conscious process, where our attention is fully involved precisely in the rhythm, cadence and integration of all the processes that must be organized so that the food then moves to the swallowing phase, peristalsis and defecation. efficient way.

Some of the symptoms of swallowing problems are:

Coughing or choking during any phase
Throat gurgling sounds while eating
Throat clearing
Return food when coughing or following eating
Hiccups following swallowing
Chest discomfort during or following swallowing

Dysphagia or swallowing problems can be caused by a brain or nerve disorder, stress, anxiety, or problems involving the back of the tongue (for example, when tonsils are inflamed), the throat, and the esophagus, which is the tube. that goes from the throat to the stomach. Even excessive tension in the muscles of the shoulders, neck and upper back can contribute to this problem.

Other triggers for swallowing problems are a poor breathing process, weak breathing muscles, clenching the mouth when sleeping or grinding the teeth (bruxism) and snoring.

It is recommended to remain relaxed when eating, sit up straight, take small bites, chew each bite more than 12 times, do not mix solid foods with liquids at the same time, do not speak and swallow at the same time, sit upright for 20 to 30 minutes. minutes following eating (or go for a calm walk). If you have had swallowing problems, you can visit your doctor and a speech or swallowing therapist, as well as a gastroenterologist or an otorhinolaryngologist.

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