Recently, the topic "doctors remind not to clear your throat frequently" has appeared on the hot search, arousing everyone's attention to "throat".
This organ with a sense of presence controls the body fortress, leading to the nasal cavity and mouth at the top, and the entrance to the esophagus below, which has both swallowing function and the portal of the respiratory tract...
An uncomfortable throat is most likely a sign of illness in the body, and "clearing your throat" alone will not solve the problem.
Experts interviewed
Lei Wenbin, chief physician of the Department of Throat Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University
Lv Dan, deputy chief physician of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University
Qu Yue, attending physician of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tsinghua Chang Gung Hospital, Tsinghua University
Every time I clear my throat, my vocal cords collide violently
What happens in the throat when speaking normally vs. clearing the throat?
When speaking normally
The mucosal waves of the vocal cords fluctuate regularly, and the two vocal cords gently contact to produce sound.
When clearing your throat
Both vocal cords can hit each other violently, causing a sore throat and voice changes.
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Frequent and forceful throat clearance may also cause problems such as vocal cord bleeding, hoarseness, hemorrhagic vocal cord polyps, throat mucosal edema, and acute and chronic strep throat.
Some elderly people with loose ligaments may even dislocate the circumular joint located in the larynx after vigorously clearing the throat.
Most people repeatedly clear their throat because they feel uncomfortable in the throat, and clinically this throat foreign body sensation or mucus sensation is called "pharyngeal dysesthesia"; Anxiety, depression, nervousness, etc. may also cause throat clearing.
Hoarseness for more than 2 weeks to be vigilant
The larynx is a motor organ, and some diseases of the nervous system, digestive system and even endocrine system often affect the larynx initially and manifest themselves through voice diseases, so do not ignore throat discomfort.
Common causes of hoarseness include lesions of the larynx itself, such as acute and chronic inflammation, vocal cord polyps, etc.; laryngeal trauma, such as soft tissue or cartilage damage; There is also the most common malignant tumor of the larynx, laryngeal cancer.
Because the initial symptoms of laryngeal cancer are similar to laryngitis, it is easy to be overlooked, and many patients often find it in the advanced stage.
Hoarseness for more than two weeks, be sure to see a doctor
1. Hoarseness due to inflammation tends to disappear within two weeks, and hoarseness beyond two weeks often indicates organic lesions.
If it is caused by colds, chronic pharyngitis, etc., the symptoms will gradually relieve with medication or over time.
2. In terms of severity, hoarseness and progressive hoarseness that are not relieved by the "resting voice" also indicate that there may be organic lesions and require medical attention.
3. If hoarseness is accompanied by other laryngeal or systemic manifestations, such as sore throat, fever, difficulty breathing and swallowing, easy choking on food and drink, etc., it is more necessary to see a doctor in time.
7 things to increase pharyngeal comfort
Throat discomfort can occur at all ages, teachers, announcers, customer service and other people who often use their voices should pay more attention to the following points to make the throat more comfortable.
Avoid overusing your voice
Moderate reduction of speech volume, teachers and other professional voices are encouraged to use microphones. Pay attention to controlling emotions, shouting, crying, and laughing for a long time hurt the vocal cords.
Quit smoking and alcohol
The age of onset of laryngeal cancer is concentrated in 40~70 years old, and there are more men than women, and the incidence of laryngeal cancer is high in smokers and drinkers.
Benzopyrene produced by tobacco combustion can cause cancer, and smoke can cause mucosal edema and hemorrhage, thickening and scaly epithelium. Long-term drinking can easily irritate the mucous membrane and denature it.
Slow down your speech
Adult women speak about 200~250 times per second vocal cords vibration, adult men speak 100~150 times per second, if you speak quickly for a long time, the vocal cords will also be very "tired".
Eat less irritating foods
Such as spicy food, fried goods such as melon seeds and peanuts, barbecue, too sour, too salty, too sweet food, etc.
Adjust your lifestyle
Long-term irregular life and fatigue can cause the body's immune system to be dysfunctional and cause inflammation. To avoid staying up late, physical fatigue, pay attention to timely stress relief.
Keep the ambient air fresh
Open more windows for ventilation to ensure indoor air circulation in the working and living environment, and reduce the need to go to places where the air is not circulating. When outdoor air quality is poor, wear a mask when going out to block dust or allergens.
Pay attention to throat discomfort
When the pharynx has a foreign body sensation, itching, hoarseness, frequent cough or choking, a foreign body sensation when swallowing, blood in the sputum or coughing up blood, you should seek medical attention in time, early diagnosis and treatment can help recovery. ▲
Editor of this issue: Xu Menglian