We do n’t require to think about most of the substantive actions that our body set about to keep us alive and well . You do n’t postulate to remember to breathe in and out . You do n’t postulate to think about how often you should twinkle to keep your eyes moist . And for most people , you do n’t need to focus on how you ’re going to swallow .
But for some , the lively throat - close action that moves food for thought and liquid out of the mouth and into the physical structure is a minefield of complications .
AtDigg , writer Bryn Nelson tells the story of an Australian cleaning lady who , at 39 years previous , stir up up one sidereal day suddenly ineffectual to immerse her pledge :
It ’s call dysphagia , and it affects an estimated13 percentof the population , particularly people with neurological condition , Parkinson ’s disease , or acid ebb disease , or who ’ve had separatrix or undergone chemotherapy focused on the fountainhead and cervix .
Swallowing is the result of a complex fundamental interaction between boldness and muscles — as many as 22 brawn pairs and seven cranial mettle , accord to Nelson . Yes , you may opt to swallow consciously , as you do when you run through , but you also live with all the clip to keep your lip and air lane from filling up with spit and mucus . When your body stops swallowing on its own , it can experience like drowning .
“ It ’s like being perpetually waterboarded , ” one doctor toldDigg .
When you ca n’t swallow , feeding becomes fraught with danger . Dysphagia can chair to choking , but it can also cause patient role to catch one’s breath in food and piddle , lead in pneumonia . Without the normal round of spittle move debris out of the sassing , tooth decay is coarse . And of course , if you ca n’t swallow , it ’s really hard to eat . patient suffer weight and become dehydrated .
But researcher are working on dependable treatments , both to help affected role swallow and to deal with the psychological shock of not being able to get together in on that most common of communal experiences — sharing a meal . Taste strips that excite salivation and evoke the sense of taste of doughnuts or turkey can simulate the delight of really eating . A new case of lolly that is engineered not to assimilate saliva is easier to swallow . Some companies have pop three-D - printing foods in easy - to - sup gels . And some research worker are try out with face aids and mechanical devices that can help patients retrieve control over their throats , though these are still in the observational phases .
learn more about the struggles of mass with dysphagia ( and some incredible descriptions of how the throat works ) fromDigg .
