Every 3-9 December is the observance of Ear, Nose, and Throat Consciousness Week under Proclamation no. 501. The proclamation aims to highlight the significance of early detection, prevention, and treatment of ear, nose, throat, including head and neck disease.  

Like any other organs in the body, our ear, nose, and throat (ENT) also need to be taken care of through proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. Mostly, ENT is affected by stomach acid reflux. Stomach acid may leak out of the stomach and into the esophagus and throat, which causes irritation and muscle spasms in the throat due to the mucosal acid burn. 

Patients with ear, nose, and throat symptoms from stomach acid have no indigestion as well. Some of the symptoms include sore throat, hoarseness, throat clearing, excess mucus, lump in the throat, bad breath, ear pain worsening asthma, phlegm, recurrent bronchial, sinus, and ear infections.

Here are more health and nutrition advice to consider: 

• Consume whole grains; a high fiber diet can absorb stomach acids and reduces symptoms of reflux.
• Choose foods with low fat and low sugar to reduce stomach acid. Also, prepare lean meat by steaming, grilling, broiling, baking or any cooking methods that limit the use of oil. Replacing saturated fat to polyunsaturated fat like olive oil, canola oil, and other vegetable oil, avocados, and walnuts can be beneficial to avoid reflux.
• Limit eating citrus fruits. Instead, eat more of non-citrus fruits such as watermelon, bananas, apples, and papaya.
• Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine since they irritate the stomach and trigger acid reflux.
• Pinggang Pinoy must always be considered as a food guide to attain all nutrients needed by the body. Avoid large quantities, but instead eat in small frequent feedings. Three meals and two snacks can suffice.
• Maintain a normal body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 kg/m2 to 24.9 kg/m2. Exercising 30 minutes to one (1) hour a day can help in achieving normal weight. Doing household chores is also considered a physical activity.
• Always be hygienic. Avoid touching or picking the nose with unclean hands. Ideally, ear canals do not need cleaning but you may wipe the external part of the ear with a clean and damp cloth. Earwax is normally produced by the body to help protect and lubricate the ears. 

Let’s us not be easily persuaded with healthy lifestyle recommendation or fad diets we hear from social media and self-proclaim nutrition expert. Besides, hearing healthy foods through an advertisement could probably be pricey and may cause you to decide on a cheaper yet low nutrient-dense food. Why don’t you hear it from a professional nutritionist-dietitian to help you come up with a budget and nutrition friendly meal planning? 

The smell or fragrance of the food is another factor that affects our food choices and is equally important to taste. The connection between the roof of the throat to the nose can reach the sensory cells found in the nose so, with a smell, we tend to enjoy more our food. 

A healthy lifestyle should be enjoyable and most of all palatable. Often, we judge healthy food being unpleasant. Fact check, we can prepare nutritious and delicious meals at the same time. 

Our body functions as one system, thus all of our organs and body parts must be taken care of in order for the system to run well.

Remember, discipline is the key to proper nutrition, start having a healthy lifestyle now! (ND II Angelique Jean Maggay)

References:

Proclamation no. 501. s. 1989. EDP/IT Division of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO). Retrieved from: https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1989/12/04/proclamation-no-501-s-1989/

Washington Township Medical Foundation (2016). Head and neck problems. Retrieved from: https://www.mywtmf.com/Services/Ear-Nose-and-Throat-Otolaryngology/Our-Services/Head-Neck-Problems/Acid-Reflux.

WebMD (2005-2020). How to clean your ears. Retrieved from: https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/how-to-clean-your-ear#1

White, D (2020). Nutrition to prevent ENT symptoms. Retrieved from: https://www.entinstitute.com/nutrition-to-prevent-ent-symptoms/