Home Remedies for Swollen Uvula | Causes, Treatment for Swollen Uvula
The uvula is the one part of the body that is often confused with several other body parts, especially the tonsils. Although the two are close to each other in the mouth cavity, they are not in any way the same. However, the misperception persists, and often people seek remedy for treating the uvula by seeking for a treatment of the tonsils. This misconception has countless of times resulted in missing the point of properly treating the disorder.
The uvula performs a lot for the human body. It is critical in vocal modulation, and it serves as a “screen” for anything that is taken in through the mouth.
There are many reasons why the uvula can become swollen. In any case, once the uvula is swollen, the result is that the person has difficulty in swallowing and in modulating his voice. As a matter of fact, singers are taking a lot of caution into properly protecting their uvula to help maintain their vocal quality.
Causes of Swollen Uvula
Various reasons have been put forward to explain as to why the uvula becomes swollen. The most common causes are the following:
- Dehydration. Dehydration is the most common factor causing uvula swelling. This happens when the body gets little liquid and forces the uvula to soak in saliva.
- Smoking and inhalation of pollutants. Smoking can dry up the uvula, which makes it itchy in the process. As a result, the uvula swells as a natural reaction to the pollutants.
- Allergic reaction and viral and bacterial infections.
Home Remedies and Treatment for Swollen Uvula
Although not life threatening in itself, a swollen uvula can be annoying and in cases of people who speak a lot, the disorder causes a lot of concern. As such, the following are the most recommended treatment for a swollen uvula:
- Drinking plenty of water and other fluids. Drinking water helps in “refreshing” the uvula, allowing it to perform well, despite being strained to usage. This also helps in keeping the body well hydrated.
- In cases of viral infection, gargling lukewarm water with salt is the best home remedy. Make sure that the water is not too hot so as to scald your uvula (and the mouth cavity in general). Lukewarm water will suit the purpose just fine.
- In some instances, although rare, people with history of recurring swollen uvula needs to inject medications just when the problem is about to take place again.
Leave a Reply