Pain lets you know that health trouble has arrived. But sometimes pain won't go away after delivering the message.
But with these tips from top medical experts, you can learn to control pain, not be a slave to it.
A scorched mouth (pizza burn)
Understand it: "The tissue in the roof of the mouth is very thin, so it's sensitive and prone to a painful burn when hot food meets your palate," says Michael W. Smith, M.D., chief medical editor for WebMD.
Stop it: Pop an ice cube for damage control; you're numbing the area and reducing swelling. Anbesol or another oral-use topical anesthetic can help, too. Still hurts? After eating, rinse with a solution of 1/8 teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of warm water. The salt will help disinfect your mouth. Just don't swallow.
Prevent it: Be careful with foods coming out of the microwave. "While the outside may feel just warm, the inside may be scorching hot," says Dr. Smith. Let any nuked meal rest for at least a few minutes before digging in.
Heartburn
Understand it: Stomach acid spills into your esophagus, burning like a forest fire.
Stop it: Reach for an over-the-counter acid blocker such as Pepcid AC or Zantac 75, or chew sugarless gum. A study in the Journal of Dental Research found that chewing gum for 30 minutes after a high-fat meal lessens acid reflux by generating enough saliva to make you swallow more and push acid back down.
Still hurts? You might have gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. See a doctor; GERD can lead to esophageal cancer.
Prevent it: Make stomach acid work against gravity at night by placing 2-inch blocks under the legs at the head of your bed, says Ted Epperly, M.D., president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Also, if you're a smoker, here's one more reason to quit. "Nicotine relaxes the LES valve, the muscle at the end of the esophagus, which usually opens only to allow food to pass into the stomach," says Dr. Smith. "Once it's loosened, acid can shoot back into the esophagus."
<<More good tips in the full article>>
But with these tips from top medical experts, you can learn to control pain, not be a slave to it.
A scorched mouth (pizza burn)
Understand it: "The tissue in the roof of the mouth is very thin, so it's sensitive and prone to a painful burn when hot food meets your palate," says Michael W. Smith, M.D., chief medical editor for WebMD.
Stop it: Pop an ice cube for damage control; you're numbing the area and reducing swelling. Anbesol or another oral-use topical anesthetic can help, too. Still hurts? After eating, rinse with a solution of 1/8 teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of warm water. The salt will help disinfect your mouth. Just don't swallow.
Prevent it: Be careful with foods coming out of the microwave. "While the outside may feel just warm, the inside may be scorching hot," says Dr. Smith. Let any nuked meal rest for at least a few minutes before digging in.
Heartburn
Understand it: Stomach acid spills into your esophagus, burning like a forest fire.
Stop it: Reach for an over-the-counter acid blocker such as Pepcid AC or Zantac 75, or chew sugarless gum. A study in the Journal of Dental Research found that chewing gum for 30 minutes after a high-fat meal lessens acid reflux by generating enough saliva to make you swallow more and push acid back down.
Still hurts? You might have gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. See a doctor; GERD can lead to esophageal cancer.
Prevent it: Make stomach acid work against gravity at night by placing 2-inch blocks under the legs at the head of your bed, says Ted Epperly, M.D., president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Also, if you're a smoker, here's one more reason to quit. "Nicotine relaxes the LES valve, the muscle at the end of the esophagus, which usually opens only to allow food to pass into the stomach," says Dr. Smith. "Once it's loosened, acid can shoot back into the esophagus."
<<More good tips in the full article>>
-
-
-
-
- ClipsFC
- added this
