I chew gum as therapy for speech and swallowing?


heres the article -
Swallowing Therapy :
How can it help?

By overcoming swallowing problems, you can help your body get the energy, vitamins, minerals and fluids that it needs. Swallowing therapy may also make your mealtimes safer and more enjoyable.1


Why should it work?

The muscles in your jaw and face can become weak if you have Parkinson's. You may have less control over your teeth and not be able to close your lips tightly. This makes it hard to chew your food and swallow. Food and saliva may collect in your mouth and in the back of your throat, causing you to choke or dribble.

Although the drug levodopa can improve your swallowing speed, drugs don't help much with these swallowing problems.2 So therapy is used to improve how you swallow and to strengthen the muscles you need for swallowing. Other advice, such as changing the texture of your food, may also make swallowing easier and safer for you.

For some people, though, swallowing therapy may not be enough. They may need another way to nourish their body, such as a feeding tube through their nose or directly into their stomach.


Can it be harmful?

Probably not. But we can't say for certain since there's no good research on swallowing therapy for people with Parkinson's.


What's the evidence?

What's the evidence for swallowing therapy?

Sources for the information on this page:
Parkinson's Disease Society. Eating, swallowing and saliva control in Parkinson's. Information sheet FS22, 2006. Available at http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/pdf/is_swallowing_06.pdf (accessed on 18 September 2007).
Deane KHO, Whurr R, Clarke CE, et al. Non-pharmacological therapies for dysphagia in Parkinson's disease (Cochrane review). In: The Cochrane Library. Issue 1, 2005. Wiley, Chichester, UK.

http://besttreatments.bmj.com/btuk/c...ons/16813.html