21Eating and swallowing is a complicated procedure in the human body. We use approximately 50 muscles at one time when we eat. There are a lot of nerves around the stomach and mouth area that work simultaneously. Therefore, food stuck in throat is a very common problem that you can suffer from.
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How do You Swallow Food?
There is a three step procedure that is involved when eating a solid food.
- The solid food is first chewed inside the mouth prior to swallowing. This way the food gets mixed with saliva and becomes a puree inside our mouth.
- You usually swallow the food when the tongue pushes it back of the throat. At this time, your windpipe closes and the breathing stops momentarily. This way the food easily goes into oesophagus.
- The food comes inside the oesophagus and now slowly goes inside the stomach.
You feel that the food is not going all the way down, it usually happens because the food stuck in oesophagus. You will not face any problems in breathing because the food has not entered the windpipe. However, you may experience uncontrollable cough or gag reflex.
Symptoms of Food Stuck in Throat
If you have food stuck in throat then the symptoms will show almost immediately. Chest pain is common. Drooling is also common in people suffering from this problem. However, there are lots of ways to treat it at home rather than visiting a doctor at once.
Choking or food getting stuck is common among children and elderly. There are many among them who die due to food stuck. Therefore, this is a problem that needs to be attended to almost immediately.
If the food caught in throat, then people will be
- Incapable to speak
- Cough
- Become flushed
- Have problems in breathing.
- Become unconscious
Food stuck is an emergency and if you or your family members experience any of the above symptoms then you need to contact the local medical emergency services immediately. You can also give chest compressions or Heimlich manoeuvre as an immediate remedy.
What you should do?
There are lots of causes why does it get stuck in throat. Your question about the food stuck in chest how to get it out is common. You must understand that most food particles get easily dissolved with time.
Therefore, if the stuck particle does not cause much of a problem you can just ignore it and let it get dissolved with the help of saliva.
But if it is causing problem then you can try the home remedies given below:
Home Remedies For Food Stuck In Throat
1. Salt And Warm Water Gargle
You may have been drinking warm or hot water to dislodge the food caught in throat but if it fails then you can try salt-warm water solution.
Gargling with salt water can help you dislodge the food particle. But you will have to be absolutely careful as extra sodium may kick in nausea and vomiting.
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 glass Warm Water
Method:
- Mix the salt and water together till it gets dissolved completely.
- Take a sip and gargle carefully.
- Repeat till you feel that the food particle is no longer stuck.
Why Does It Induce Vomiting?
Extra salt or sodium kicks in a gag reflex when you gargle with it for a long time. Extra sodium causes a reaction in your stomach and induces nausea.
2. Hydrogen Peroxide Solution Gargle
If salt and warm water solution is not of much help then you can also try gargling with other liquids like Hydrogen Peroxide.
This is a chemical solution and must be used under proper care. It can be pretty nasty if you drink it undiluted. Therefore, follow the recipe given below for proper gargling with this chemical.
Ingredients:
- 1 capful of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide Solution
- 1 capful of Warm Water
Method:
- Mix these two to form a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution
- Gargle with it for 45 seconds and then throw it out.
- It will dislodge the food stuck in back of throat.
- Rinse your mouth very well after the gargle because it can erode enamel easily.
3. Eat Anything Soft
This is a great way to dislodge chip stuck in throat. This method is very simple and you can actually continue eating your food. This is because the next food that goes down the throat might help you to dislodge the food stuck.
But here the circumstances will be pretty different and swallowing the next food will not be easy.
Sticky rice, soft bread, soft cake and cookies are some of the food items that will go soft once you start chewing it making it easier for you to swallow.
When eating bread, you can dip it in milk, soup or coffee before eating it. Sticky rice, cake and cookie will make their own way in your mouth.
4. Honey
When food stuck in throat but can breathe honey can be of great help. This is because while it is stuck, it is causing a rash inside and you duly get pain. To soothe the pain and heal the inside rash, honey can do wonders (1).
There are times when you will have to spit the food particle outside because of its size or texture. Here you will have to be very careful as to not choke yourself if you are trying these remedies.
5. Cough It Off
If you are thinking of how to get food out of throat then you can try this remedy. It is safe. All you need to do is to try and cough slowly and in a controlled manner.
When coughing, our throat gets constricted and the food particle will naturally fall off and out through your mouth.
Method:
- Take in deep breath of air and then try to contract the muscles of your throat.
- When you do this the abdominal muscles will try and push the air outside.
- This air will push the stuck food from its place causing you almost cough it out.
Note:
Do not try to do this lot of times as it can be dangerous.
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6. Swallow Raw Egg
If you think it properly, it is almost impossible to eat or swallow a raw egg. But it is this technique that will help you remove the food stuck in throat. People usually find it disgusting. The egg mixture can actually be of great help in removing the food particle from throat.
Raw eggs are not bad for health, but they do carry a minor risk of bacterial infection that can lead to diseases like salmonella etc. though this condition is rare. It is because only 1 out of 30,000 eggs are usually contaminated.
But to further lower this risk, it is highly recommended to rinse the egg shell well before you crack it open as the bacteria can also be stuck outside.
7. Heimlich Manoeuvre
If you think that the situation is pretty serious then you will need a more radical solution to the problem. If you have anyone at home by your side then you can take their help in how to dislodge food stuck in throat.
The Heimlich Manoeuvre has to be performed by a different person on your body
It is a way where you will have to pressurize the abdomen of the person to push out air from his body.
This is the best way because here the pressure is increased and the food stuck is sure to get dislodged. It is identical to coughing but here the pressure is greater.
8. Vomiting
If there is no one in your house and you are all alone then you can also try this technique. Vomiting forcefully is a way to remove the food stuck in throat but not choking.
Method:
- To do this you have to use your fore-finger and middle finger and move it slowly down the tongue till you are able to reach the back of your throat.
- Repeat this several times till you get a gag reflex from your stomach.
- The forced vomiting will cause the food stuck automatically come out of the mouth.
9. Drink ‘Coca-Cola’ Trick
There are many researches that suggest drinking aerated beverages like Coca-Cola etc. These carbonated drinks can easily dislodge food caught in throat pockets. This is a simple yet effective solution that many doctors and emergency professionals advice.
How It Works?
Doctors consider that the soda and carbon di-oxide gas help break up the food faster into fine particles. This way the food gets dislodged from its place.
However, if the food has not broken down effectively, then drinking soda usually helps in releasing gas from the body which may release the food particle too.
Note:
You can always try and drink few cans of soda or aerated beverages as soon as you find food stuck in throat.
10. Simethicone Medication
If the home remedies do not offer much help and you are finding way of how to get food out of your throat then you can easily opt for over the counter medicines. The medicines that treat gas pain are of great help here. This is because they work almost the same way as carbonated drinks.
The gas pain medicines contain simethicone that helps your stomach to produce the gas and release it (2). The gas produced puts pressure on the oesophagus and loosens the food particle. It is always recommended to follow the dosage instructions given on the tablet pack.
11. Take A Big Gulp Of Water
Have you ever taken a big gulp of water accidentally? Well, if you have then you would know what the remedy is here. When you accidentally drink a big gulp of water it puts immense pressure on the oesophagus.
This pressure will help in releasing how to dislodge food stuck in oesophagus. The food normally slips down the oesophagus because it receives enough lubrication from saliva. But if the food that you ate was dry or accidentally swallowed without chewing then it may get stuck.
A big forced gulp of water will do the trick of washing the stuck food particle down the throat and in your stomach.
12. Eat Banana
Banana is a naturally soft food that helps in moistening the throat. It also attracts the other food particles and takes them down in the stomach. Many doctors often prescribe their patients a banana as an instant solution of how to get food unstuck from throat.
Banana can easily slide down the throat and attract the stuck food along with it. It will also heal the area instantly providing you with relief.
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13. Alka-Seltzer Or Baking Soda
Well this is a safe drug that most people use when they suffer a hangover. Alka-Seltzer is a fizzy drug that breaks down the food stuck into minute particles.
This tablet gets dissolved when mixed with a liquid and acts almost like soda to the person. Thus when searching how to dislodge food in windpipe this really acts best.
The bubbles produced by the liquid help in breaking down the food. ? You can also use 1 teaspoon baking soda in place of Alka-Seltzer if you do not have the medicine at home. For the medicine you must follow the instruction given on the tablet pack.
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14. Butter
When searching for ways about how to relieve food stuck in chest. Butter may just be the medication that you are looking for. There are times when the food needs extra lubrication to move down the throat and in your stomach. If it is not provided then it can get stuck.
Eat one tablespoon of butter then it will moisten the throat area and move the stuck food down the throat easily.
If you really have food stuck in throat then most of these home remedies should work for you. But, if it does not then you must visit a doctor and get your throat checked properly. This is because the food stuck cannot stay in the place for a very long time as it is bound to get disintegrated due to the saliva.
If you have food stuck in throat then the first thing that you must be careful about is not to choke yourself. Follow the home remedies for quick relief.