Warning : Acid Reflux May Seem Like A Cold Or Allergy With A Scratchy Throat
What may seem like a cold or allergy with a scratchy throat that just won’t go away may not be your run-of-the-mill cold. It may be something much worse– acid reflux.
Bonnie Cano, a patient:
“You always feel like you have something stuck in the throat, a lot of hoarseness, a lot of post nasal it’s not fun.”
And when allergy medicine wasn’t making it go away– Cano headed in to see her Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. With a scope, Dr. Pandit could see it wasn’t a cold or congestion causing her discomfort, but acid reflux.
“What happens is acid comes right out of there and spills over onto the voice box.”
And doctors are seeing more cases just like Bonnie’s.
Dr. Pandit:
“50% of the people that we diagnose with acid reflux have no heartburn.”
Because stress can be a trigger, doctors say they’re seeing younger people with A-Typical acid reflux. The prescription for bonnie… 3 months of medication. Within just two months there’s signs of improvement.
Dr. Pandit speaking with Cano:
“The areas of redness are gone, the swelling is down.”
Cano:
“It’s nice to know I can actually do something to get rid of that throat problem I had.”
Doctors say cases like this can be cleared up with a few months of medication and a change in diet. That means not eating within three hours of bedtime, and avoiding spicy foods, caffeine and peppermint.
(info from http://www.kten.com/article.asp?id=9991)