PREVENT ASPIRATION PNEUMONIA WITH A HEALTHY SWALLOW

Pathologists can be a great resource in improving your receptive and expressive communication, aid in preventing memory loss, offer caregiver recommendations and help with sound pronunciation. The focus of this article is to discuss another valuable service: building swallowing strength. Dysphagia is a term used to diagnose when a patient expresses having difficulty with swallowing foods and liquids. What are some signs that you may have difficulty swallowing? Here are some signs identified by the Mayo Clinic.

• Having pain while swallowing 
• Being unable to swallow
• Having the sensation of food getting stuck in your throat or chest or behind your breastbone 
• Drooling
• Being hoarse
• Bringing food back up (regurgitation)
• Having frequent heartburn
• Having food or stomach acid back up into your throat
• Unexpectedly losing weight
• Coughing or gagging when swallowing
• Having to cut food into smaller pieces or avoiding certain foods because of trouble swallowing 
• Clearing your throat frequently

If you have any of these symptoms it is recommended that you speak with your doctor immediately and tell him/her what foods trigger these responses. Your doctor can then give you a referral to a speech-language pathologist and in some cases may suggest that you have a Videoflouroscopic Swallow Study (VFSS), a moving x-ray that gives your doctor real time information as to how your muscles are moving. During this examination the speech-language pathologist will give you different foods to eat, all of which are coated with a special substance called barium that allows the food to be visible during the x-ray procedure.

There are some preventative exercises you can do every day to keep your swallow muscles strong and healthy. Here are some examples: Say “KA” as hard as you can ten times. This will exercise your pharyngeal muscle. Say “GA” as hard as you can ten times. This will exercise your pharyngeal muscle. Hold tongue between your teeth and swallow without letting your tongue out between your teeth. This will exercise your laryngeal and pharyngeal muscle. Take a straw and cotton ball and put cotton balls on a table. Try to suck the cotton balls into the straw and try to keep the cotton ball on the end of the straw as long as you can while sucking into the straw. As with any condition, early intervention is the best defense in helping to improve or prevent a chronic condition.

To learn more about speech and language consult your speech language pathologist or ask your doctor for a referral. The American Speech-Language and Hearing Association is another great resource to learn more valuable information. You can visit their website at ASHA.org.

Lucy Sanchez is a Speech-Language Pathologist at Easy Speech Communication Center and can be found on the PRO website in the WELLNESS VILLAGE. Lucy and Easy Speech Communications Center has been a member of the Wellness Village since February 2015. PRO Members rave about her professionalism, knowledge, and compassion.