Tuesday 14 June 2016

How to Clear Your Throat of Food Before You Choke


We have all been victim to food getting stuck in our throats. Whether it was something as large as a fish bone or even swallowing a piece of fruit too soon. If your food does not pass along your throat easily it can cause irritation, swelling and even cut of your main source of oxygen.
This is why immediate attention is necessary in this situation. In this article we highlight the steps that have proven to be the most effective for removing food stuck in our throats.

How to Remove Food Stuck in the Throat

There are some home remedies you can try in order to alleviate the throat irritation and pain brought about when food get stuck. You should try these remedies as soon as the piece of food gets stuck, and if none of these treatments work, go see a doctor.

1. Cough

The very first thing you can try is coughing. In some cases, heavy coughing can help dislodge the piece of food.

2. Drink Salty Water

If coughing does not work, you should take a glass of lukewarm water, add a pinch of salt to it, and then drink the mixture. If the food piece is small enough, it will be dislodged by the salt water and be taken down the alimentary canal to your stomach.

3. Drink Olive Oil

Another thing you can try is to soften the food stuck in your throat. In a glass of water, boil a handful of olives. Drink the liquid while it is warm, so that the food can be softened and possibly taken down the esophagus. You can also try drinking warm olive oil to provide lubrication.

5. Try Banana

Take some banana and keep it in your mouth for a few minutes until it moistens. Make sure you do not chew it! Once it is moist enough, slowly swallow it. The stickiness of the banana may attract the food and if it does, the bone will easily be taken down to the stomach.

6. Drink Vinegar

Some people suggest drinking diluted vinegar to soften and even dissolve the food. The success of this method has yet to be reported widely, but this is still worth trying.

7. Medical Treatment

Medical treatment to remove the piece of food stuck in throat works through a series of steps.
  • Firstly, to determine the exact location of the food stuck in your throat, the medical care provider may carry out an X-ray that involves ingesting a barium-based liquid. Other methods include a laryngoscopy to have a look at the back of your throat, a CT scan in extreme cases, and an endoscopy to determine the level of damage that the food has caused to your digestive tract.
  • When the location is determined, using forceps will usually be the first method to remove the piece of food. Endoscopy may also be used to remove the food in cases where forceps fail to retrieve the bone. In very rare cases, surgery may be required.
  • Once the object has been taken out, some medications may be prescribed, depending on the severity of the lodging of the food in your throat.

When to See a Doctor

If the home remedies fail and your condition is accompanied by the following symptoms, you should seek immediate help from a doctor:
  • Pain when swallowing or even a sore throat vomiting blood
  • Difficulty breathing or breathing that is accompanied by coughs, choking or gagging
  • Pain in chest and abdomen
  • Fever
Even when the home remedies do help you remove the food stuck in throat, you’d better pay close attention to the above symptoms and see your doctor if you have similar discomfort.

Source

http://www.newhealthadvisor.com/Fish-Bone-Stuck-in-Throat.html

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