Men's Health: Analysis of the Causes of Chronic Pharyngitis and a Guide to Multidimensional Dietary Care

Chronic pharyngitis

Chronic pharyngitis is a diffuse inflammation of the pharyngeal mucosa, submucosa, and lymphoid tissue, often part of chronic upper respiratory tract inflammation. Its causes are multifaceted. Local factors commonly include recurrent acute pharyngitis that transforms into chronic pharyngitis. Other factors include rhinitis, sinusitis, dental caries, chronic tonsillitis, and respiratory diseases, which often affect the pharynx and lead to pharyngitis. Furthermore, smoking, alcohol consumption, dusty or irritating environments, and excessive loud talking or singing can all trigger this condition. Systemic factors include various chronic diseases such as anemia, constipation, chronic lower respiratory tract inflammation, and cardiovascular diseases, which can all secondary to this condition. Symptoms of chronic pharyngitis are varied, commonly including a feeling of blockage in the throat, dryness, itching, or burning, accompanied by excessive secretions, cough, and nausea. Symptoms worsen with excessive talking, exposure to cold, or irritation of the throat. Patients often have a habit of dry coughing and clearing their throat. Some people always feel discomfort in their throat, as if there is "something" but they cannot cough it up. This is more noticeable when swallowing saliva, but they do not feel any blockage when eating or eating other foods. Chronic pharyngitis mostly occurs in adults, has a long course, and the symptoms are often quite stubborn. Although it does not cause great harm to the body, it feels very uncomfortable. In traditional Chinese medicine, chronic pharyngitis is classified as "throat obstruction," caused by deficiency of the internal organs and upward flaring of deficient fire. The main clinical manifestations are throat discomfort, slight pain, and a foreign body sensation. Clinically, there are common patterns such as wind-heat throat obstruction, wind-cold throat obstruction, and deficiency-fire throat obstruction.

Dietary therapy

(1) 4 salted olives, 30 grams of Ophiopogon japonicus, and 30 grams of Phragmites communis (60-120 grams for fresh products), decocted in water, strained and drunk. Decocted twice a day and drunk in divided doses.

(2) 1 pear and 1 gram of Sophora tonkinensis powder. First, wash and peel the pear, slice it, place it in a bowl, add 100 ml of water and simmer until reduced to 50 ml. Add a suitable amount of white sugar to taste, then mix in the pear water with Sophora tonkinensis powder. Take 3 times a day.

(3) Two scallions, 6 grams of Platycodon grandiflorus, and 3 grams of Glycyrrhiza uralensis. Boil Platycodon grandiflorus and Glycyrrhiza uralensis for 5-7 minutes, then add the scallions, simmer for 1-2 minutes, and drink while hot. Take once in the morning and once in the evening.

(4) 15 grams of ginger (sliced), 6 grams of Platycodon grandiflorus, 3 grams of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, and 30 grams of brown sugar. Boil Platycodon grandiflorus and Glycyrrhiza uralensis for 5-7 minutes, then add the ginger slices and brown sugar, boil for another 1-2 minutes, and drink while hot.

(5) 30 grams of lily bulbs, 50 grams of mung beans, and a suitable amount of rock sugar. Add water and cook until done. Drink slowly after cooling. Take twice daily for 5-7 days until healed.

(6) Take an appropriate amount of fresh, plump lotus root, wash, chop, mash, and extract 100 ml of juice. Add 30 ml of honey, mix well, and take once or twice daily for several days.

Applied Plaster Therapy: Grind 20 grams of Evodia rutaecarpa into a fine powder, add an appropriate amount of vinegar to make a paste, apply to the soles of both feet, and fix with gauze bandage. Apply once daily. Alternatively, cut a 2 cm diameter round piece of analgesic plaster and apply it to the Tian Tu acupoint (only one acupoint at a time, disinfect the area with 75% ethanol). Change once daily, 10 times for one course of treatment.

Drug Therapy:

(1) Infection Control: When complicated by bacterial infection, especially during acute exacerbations of chronic pharyngitis, antibiotics such as cephalosporins, spiramycin, etc., should be given orally, or penicillin, gentamicin, etc., injected intramuscularly. Compound sulfamethoxazole and other sulfonamide drugs can also be used. If it is a viral infection, antiviral drugs such as morpholine biguanide, amantadine, and interferon should be administered.

(2) Vitamin supplementation: Patients with chronic pharyngitis often have poor lifestyle habits such as picky eating, leading to a deficiency of vitamins and trace elements in the body. Therefore, appropriate supplementation with vitamins A, B₂, C, and E is necessary to promote the growth of the mucosal epithelium and repair the damage caused by inflammation.

(3) Local treatment: For simple pharyngitis, gargling with compound borax solution, furacilin solution, 2% boric acid solution, or 3% saline solution is commonly used. Applying 2% iodine glycerin to the throat or using iodine throat lozenges, menthol throat lozenges, or Liushen pills can alleviate symptoms. Watermelon frost can also be sprayed locally 3-4 times daily. For hypertrophic pharyngitis, in addition to the above treatments, medication (20% silver nitrate) or electrocoagulation can be used to cauterize the hyperplastic lymphoid follicles, but the cauterization area should not be too wide. Cryotherapy can also be used. For atrophic pharyngitis, applying iodine glycerin can promote glandular secretion and improve local blood circulation, thus alleviating dryness.

Lifestyle Management: Chronic pharyngitis is a difficult disease to treat and has a long course. Therefore, eliminating various pathogenic factors and strengthening the body are of utmost importance, supplemented by patient and persistent treatment, to achieve results. Regular physical exercise is essential to strengthen the body; adequate rest is crucial, ensuring sufficient sleep time and improving sleep quality; maintaining a cheerful mood and avoiding excessive worry about the symptoms of chronic pharyngitis; keeping the indoor environment humid and clean; wearing a protective mask when working in smoky or dusty environments; maintaining regular bowel movements; and a regular lifestyle, avoiding unhealthy habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption. If symptoms such as fever, constipation, or severe cough occur, antipyretics, analgesics, laxatives, and antitussives should be administered accordingly.

Treatment of Systemic Chronic Diseases: Actively treating chronic inflammation of the nose and nasopharynx can alleviate or eliminate symptoms. Furthermore, chronic insomnia can lower a person's resistance to disease, diabetes can prolong pharyngitis, and heart disease can lead to impaired blood circulation in the pharynx, causing chronic congestion. Therefore, actively treating these systemic chronic diseases is often key to treating chronic pharyngitis; as the systemic diseases improve, the pharyngitis symptoms will also be alleviated.

One must have confidence, perseverance, and determination in the treatment. Because the course of treatment for this disease is extremely long and the effects are slow, patients often easily lose confidence. Moreover, the disease may sometimes temporarily subside, providing temporary relief, leading to a relaxation of treatment. Therefore, confidence, perseverance, and determination are essential for a cure.

The throat prefers moisture and dislikes dryness. A light diet is recommended, with plenty of sweet and sour foods that nourish yin, such as fruits, fresh vegetables, red dates, and green plums. Drink plenty of soup, fruit juice, and vegetable juice. Avoid spicy foods such as garlic, mustard, ginger, and pepper, as well as fried snacks like sunflower seeds and peanuts. Quit smoking and drinking alcohol, as these can easily irritate the throat mucosa. In summer, drinking large amounts of cold drinks immediately after sweating can easily damage the throat and stomach; therefore, cold drinks should be consumed in small amounts and slowly to reduce irritation. You can also use throat lozenges, eucalyptus oil, watermelon frost lozenges, or menthol throat lozenges to prevent this condition.