How can I help myself?

Changes in posture and swallowing can be very beneficial. Below are some suggestions you may find useful:

• try to sit upright
• keep your head up so that saliva more naturally flows to the back of your throat to make swallowing easier
• make a conscious effort to swallow saliva often. Using a special badge or button or brooches that bleeps discretely to remind you to swallow may be useful
• drink more frequently so saliva is ‘washed down’ with fluids
• avoid sugary foods as these encourage saliva to develop

• some people find they get an increase in mucous from dairy products. It may therefore be worth trying reducing dairy in your diet. However this needs to be balanced with the fact that milk provides calcium and other nutrients, which are beneficial

• if your swallowing reflex is good suck on sweets, ice chips or chew gum¹ to encourage more of it
• clean your teeth and mouth regularly, particularly after every meal, to guard against infections that occasionally result from stale saliva.

You may also find these simple exercises helpful in improving lip seal. For each exercise hold your lips in position for a count of four, then relax and try to repeat at least five times:

• close your lips as tight as you can
• hold a wide smile
• hold your lips as if you are going to kiss someone or blow a whistle
• hold your lips together as if smoking a pipe.
• try sitting for five minutes with a lolly stick or pen held between your lips and swallow every 30 seconds.

1. Gum chewing improves swallow frequency and latency in Parkinson patients: a preliminary study. South AR, Somers SM, Jog MS. Neurology. 2010 Apr 13;74(15):1198-202