When people struggle to swallow food and beverages, it can make eating and drinking a difficult experience. Thankfully, treatments are available to improve the quality of life of those who suffer from dysphagia. These treatments can help to bring back the comfort in enjoying eating and drinking by recovering physical abilities or making food and beverages easier to swallow. Reaching out to professionals to discuss treatments when dysphagia is interfering with daily life can be highly beneficial. 

Speech and Language Therapy

Depending on the cause identified, exercises, techniques, and positioning can be productive in providing relief for those finding swallowing difficult. This treatment is typically carried out by a speech and language therapist, who is qualified and trained in the area. The exercises, techniques, and positioning will be tailored to specific patient needs to achieve success in improving eating and drinking. After being taught these methods, sufferers can adopt habits into daily life for long-term benefits. 

Liquid Thickeners

Thickened liquids are much safer for those dealing with dysphagia, and this is because the liquids can travel slower when swallowing and restore a level of control in the process. The starches and gums commonly used in products like SimplyThick gel have a long history of being effective at thickening food and beverages and are safe for consumption. Healthcare food service professionals commonly prioritize changing the consistency of food and beverages as part of a treatment plan for patients suffering from dysphasia as it can reduce anxiety surrounding eating and drinking, and minimize risks of malnutrition, aspiration pneumonia, and choking. 

Feeding with Tubes

Dysphagia can become so severe that eating and drinking are impossible to do. In this case, feeding with tubes is the only solution to avoiding complications like malnutrition and dehydration. During recovery, a nasogastric tube (enters through the nose) or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube (enters through the stomach) can provide nutrition and medication if needed. Feeding with tubes can be used as an effective short-term or long-term treatment but does come with risks of infection and internal bleeding. 

Surgery

Difficulty swallowing has multiple causes, one being an abnormally narrow esophagus. To best treat these problems, surgery is often necessary. There are two main types of procedures for addressing a restricted esophagus:

• Endoscopic Dilation – a small balloon or medical instrument is passed through the esophagus, gradually inflating to widen the passage. 
• Inserting a Stent – if there is an elevated risk of perforation of the esophagus, a stent tube (usually a metal mesh tube) will be inserted to gradually expand the passage.

The most suitable option will be recommended by the treatment team following an internal examination.

Symptoms of dysphagia can cause a lot of suffering, but thankfully there are treatments available to eliminate them as much as possible. Depending on the needs of the patient, effective treatments can include speech and language therapy for exercises techniques, and positioning, liquid thickeners for changing the consistency of food and beverages, feeding with tubes to provide nutrition and medication, and endoscopic dilation or inserting a stent with surgery to widen the esophagus. Each option offers different pros and cons, but there is a treatment plan available for everyone. If you are concerned about dysphagia and feel that treatment is needed or would be beneficial, reach out to a healthcare professional.