HEART DISEASE: HOME TREATMENT – AIR SWALLOWING
Posted on Feb 20, 2011 under Cardio & Blood-Cholesterol | No CommentThis odd-sounding habit is common among cardiac sufferers. It seems to give a temporary easing of distress, but in the end it merely aggravates it. While difficult to describe, the action is easily’recognized once one knows what to look for. The patient makes a swallowing movement, much as the normal occasional swallowing of saliva, but with a peculiar extra exertion so that a bubble of air is driven down the gullet. The air usually reaches the stomach, where it remains for a few minutes, then is brought up again. Occasionally, it only stays in the gullet for a second or two before being released. In either case, the patient believes that he is bringing gas up from the stomach, and complains of having poor digestion accordingly.
Poor digestion he may well have, but the gas does not come from fermentation. By filling the stomach with air, in a succession of swallows, pressure is exerted upon endings of the vagus nerve. A reflex effect produces a brief feeling of relief, but this counter-irritant action quite soon begins to cause further distress by overdistending the stomach. The air-swallower is usually quite unaware of his habit, and even when his attention is drawn to it he may find it difficult to break. He may continue to produce an abnormal condition in his stomach, with the same distressing mechanical effects as true gastric flatulence. An observant and candid friend can help!
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