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    Swallowing Difficulty (adjunctive care)

    Also known as: dysphagia, swallowing difficulty, food sticking

    Dysphagia is trouble moving food or drink from mouth to stomach. Any new or worsening swallowing problem needs medical assessment first — causes range from reflux and anxiety-related globus to strictures or tumours. After causes are excluded or treated, Chinese medicine works on the throat constraint (phlegm-qi binding), stasis or yin dryness to support comfort and nutrition.

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    Lifestyle & Diet

    • •Seek medical assessment before any complementary therapy for new dysphagia.
    • •Follow specialist texture and posture advice when given.
    • •Eat slowly, sitting upright; remain upright 30 minutes after meals.
    • •Keep a symptom diary of foods and circumstances.

    Cautions & Contraindications

    See sources
    • •No acupuncture until investigations (endoscopy) are complete.[]
    • •CV22 must be needled shallowly, never deep toward the trachea.[]

    When to reassess or seek care again

    See sources

    Review after investigations and every 4–6 weeks: swallowing level (solids/liquids), weight, diet adequacy.

    Explore more diseases

    Achilles tendinopathy (adjunctive care)Acid reflux (GERD)Acne vulgarisAcute bronchitisAcute cystitisAcute gastritisAcute lumbar sprainAcute otitis media

    Sources & Further Reading

    Clinical guidance, red flags and safety notes on this page draw on the following current sources alongside the classical references above.

    1. Dysphagia — NHS
      NHS · 2024
    2. Swallowing disorders — MedlinePlus
      National Library of Medicine · 2024
    3. Speech Pathology Australia — swallowing
      Speech Pathology Australia · 2024

    Educational reference for licensed practitioners. Not a substitute for individual clinical assessment. Refer to conventional care for any red-flag or undiagnosed presentation.