Should I
worry about a burning throat?
The burning
throat can happen for a variety of
different reasons. Many people experience a burning
sensation and since it does not happen very often they
might not realize what is causing it. If it happens
frequently and is starting to create anxiety and disrupt
your daily life, it might be a good idea to visit the
doctor and receive a
diagnosis.
There
is a difference between having a
burning
throat and a sore throat. When you catch a flu or a cold, one
of the symptoms of the illness might be a sore throat. It
might last for a couple days and during those you may be
coughing up green
or yellow mucous, have a difficulty swallowing your
meals and also be accompanied by high fever. A sore
throat and cough is rarely dangerous but always keep an
eye out for strep throat as it has known to create
complications. Many things such as a
bacterial
infections, chemotherapy, tonsillitis or dry air may cause the symptoms of a sore
throat. However, none of these should cause any
burning.
A burning sensation in throat is very often a
sign of the acid
reflux disease or heartburn. You will often feel it more in the morning
as most of the damage that is done due to this
acid reflux
symptom occurs during the night, as your
esophagus is very vulnerable when laying down.
Check your pillow for any
drool marks as
the stomach acid irritating the throat causes the release of
tons of saliva in order to try and neutralize the acid. This is
a natural response of the body in order to prevent any long
lasting damage to the throat area as the saliva will coat your
throat.
You
might also feel stomach pains and the need to vomit when
you first wake up. If you actually do, you will feel a
burning sour taste in the back of your throat and a dark
green type of fluid coming out. This is the stomach acid
which is causing the problem in the first
place.
Although some people recommend this, do not
drink milk right before going to sleep as it is heavy and also
induces acidity in the stomach.
Additional signs of this illness will come as
a persistent cough,
dysphagia, bad breath, scratchy throat, voice changes, gas,
mouth pain, post nasal drip, inflammation in the throat,
feeling of food stuck in the back of your throat as well as a
sour taste in your mouth. If you are having one or more of these
symptoms it is very important to contact a doctor and get some
tests done. There is no other way to find out if this is really
the cause of your burning, but a long term effect of this can
be pretty bad. You might completely lose your voice, develop
throat polyps or throat ulcers and even
cancer.
The problem with this disease is that it can
easily get confused with something else especially if you have
another condition present such as allergies. These both cause
post nasal drip and can easily create an infection within the
sinuses which leads down to the throat. That is exactly why it
is virtually impossible to correctly diagnose it by yourself.
Some people never feel the actual heart burn or any of these
other symptoms other than a burning
throat as
their illness likes to act during the
night.
You might always have something more serious
though and if you experience respiratory
problems,
wheezing, bleeding or lung pain get yourself to the emergency
room.
My friend's mom, for example, had this going
on for years without even knowing what is happening as all she
went through is a slow
voice change. Her
family and friends thought that this was due to her age or
simply something genetic. One morning, she woke up and her
husband asked her what that thing is in the back of her throat
upon her smiling. There was a huge lump which has grown and
develop due to the continual attack by the acid which even
caused some of her teeth in the back to start
rotting.
There are many ways to keep this disease
under control but do not expect a simple miracle pill or
surgery to do the trick. I would only recommend
surgery as a last option out, as many people who undertake it
have complications and have to get it done again and again.
Each time the results are less beneficial and by the end you
might end up only able to eat soft baby food out of a
jar.
Some of the most common ways to help and curb
reflux are the introduction of dietary and
lifestyle changes. Forget the spicy foods, fried foods, citrus fruits,
caffeine, alcohol, tomatoes and other fatty
meals. All of these do
nothing but create the problem and create an acidic environment
within the stomach.
No one understands exactly why some people
are more prone to reflux
than others. There
are so many factors involved, but by looking at your past
and your lifestyle/eating habits you might be able to
pinpoint where this could have started. There are cases
with infants and kids which are very hard to deal with
and these need constant medical
supervision.
There are over the counter and
prescription
pills which help
and control the symptoms or the actual acid production. Most
people with GERD will have to take these at some point
in their lives but it is very important to keep them to a
minimum and find one which comes with the least side effects.
My body works well with Nexium, as all of the other pills make
me feel sicker and that outweighs any of the benefits that they
bring.
Try to
start an exercise routine and by that I do not mean that you
should be a weekend warrior. A simple 30 minute of moving
around every day will work. I have purchased a stationary bike
which is really comfortable and allows me to get the 30-60
minutes in every night as I watch some TV. If you prefer to
run, swim or do aerobics that is fine as well, basically
anything that works for you. If you haven't been able walk up
the stairs without getting tired for the last couple of years,
do see a doctor before starting anything and get some advice on
the best way to proceed.
Although
a burning
throat does
not seem dangerous, if it lasts longer than a few days it
should get checked out.
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