Throat obstruction- home remedies

Have you ever been in the middle of a delicious meal of chicken or fish only to have a bone lodge itself in your throat and thoroughly destroy your dining experience? Well help is at hand. Our simple and easy to follow home remedies will tell you what actions to take when a foreign particle such as a chicken or fish bone gets stuck in your throat.

Fish Bones: If you have a fish bone stuck in your throat, you could try swallowing a lump of boiled rice. The rice is sticky and adheres to the fish bone. The added weight on the bone helps to dislodge it from your throat and it goes into your stomach where it is eventually digested.

Chicken Bones: If you have a larger sized bone stuck in your throat, such as a chicken bone, try gargling with some vinegar. The vinegar slowly softens the bone. This can then be removed by swallowing rice or bread. The action of vinegar may take some time but it will eventually soften the bone. You could also try the “Root of Clematis”. This is a pale brownish-yellow colored herb which you can obtain from your nearest herbalist. Decoct this herb with vinegar and brown sugar and slowly sip it while the decoction is still hot. This will help dislodge the bone and also provide relief from the irritation that is caused in your throat.

Choking: If you find that someone starts choking during a meal, it could be either because a bone or some food particle is lodged in larynx. This will restrict the patient’s air-flow which causes the patient to choke. In such a scenario you must act immediately as that person’s life is in danger. If you suspect the choking is due to a lodged bone, sit the patient up, grasp his tongue and pull it forward and at the same time hook out the bone with your finger. Do ensure that your hands are clean before performing this maneuver and wash your hands immediately afterwards as well.

If the choking is due to food particle, you will have to perform the Heimlich maneuver. Stand behind the person and make a fist with your thumb side against the patient’s upper abdomen, below the ribcage and above the navel. Grasp your fist with your other hand and press into the abdomen with quick, upward thrusts. This will rapidly compress his lungs and cause the food particle to be expelled.