How to Recover From Neck Radiation & Thick Mucus
Neck radiation therapy can damage saliva cells, which may cause you to experience excessive, thick mucus or limited saliva. If you're plagued by extra mucus after radiation, considering getting fluoride treatments and making diet changes to help reduce the mucus.
Things You'll Need
- Water or other liquids
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Ginger ale
- Chewing gum
- Fresh, whole foods
- At-home fluoride treatments
- Hydrogen peroxide
Instructions
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Drink at least six to eight cups of liquid daily to help thin mucus. Make sure you're drinking nonalcoholic and noncaffeinated liquids. Before and after eating, rinse your mouth with a salt and baking soda solution. If you find this aversive, simply use plain water to rinse. The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania suggests gargling with ginger ale. Between meals, chew gum to stimulate saliva.
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Eat whole, fresh foods to help curb mucus production. James F. Balch and Mark Stengler, authors of "Prescription for Natural Cures," suggest eating a wide variety of raw vegetables and fruits, lean poultry, fresh fish, whole grains and seeds. Some foods, they say, might actually make mucus worse. Watch how your body responds to dairy and fried or refined foods. Chemical additives in foods could also make mucus worse. The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania suggests eating soft, moist foods. If, after your radiation treatment, you're receiving nutrients from a tube, speak with your doctor about an appropriate course of action for your situation.
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Focus on your dental health with regular fluoride treatments. Because saliva glands are affected during neck radiation, your teeth might not receive fresh saliva to keep them clean. Certain cancers that require radiation also compromise the mouth's ability to make saliva. Speak with your dentist about fluoride trays for your upper and lower teeth. Do at-home regular fluoride treatments twice a day during your radiation treatment and even for a few years after.
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Treat sores in your mouth caused by excess mucus. The National Cancer Institute says that mucositis---an inflammation of the mouth's mucus membrane---is normal during radiation therapy and chemotherapy. For mouth sores, try a salt-water mouth rinse or make a rinse mixture of half hydrogen peroxide and half water.
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Tips & Warnings
For alternative therapies, the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania suggests acupuncture may help alleviate your symptoms.
