Having Trouble Swallowing? Barrett’s & Motility Issues Explained

Author's Bio: Katie Bailey, MS, RD, LD, FNC

If you've ever felt like food gets stuck in your throat or you have to wash it down with water just to get it to go down, you're not alone.

Difficulty swallowing, also known as dysphagia, can be a frustrating and sometimes alarming symptom. Chronic trouble swallowing often points to underlying issues that can impact digestion and long-term health.

So in today's video, I'll be discussing what is Barrett's esophagus?

What are esophageal motility issues?

What are possible root causes for trouble swallowing and esophageal dysfunction?

And lastly, what strategies can support individuals with Barrett's esophagus and motility issues?

Hi, I'm Katie Bailey. I'm a gut health dietitian at Oswald Digestive Clinic, where we help individuals improve and resolve their bothersome gut issues.

If you're interested in learning more about gut health, I'll link our free guide Five Ways to Improve Your Gut Health here. All right, let's get started on today's topic.

[Video Transcript Below Video - it is the same information]

What is Barrett's esophagus?

Barrett's esophagus is a condition where the normal lining of the esophagus undergoes abnormal changes. Typically, it's a result from long-term acid reflux or gert. The normal flat pink tissues or cells that line the esophagus are replaced with thicker red tissue that more so resembles the intestines. This change is the body's response to chronic irritation and injury from repeated exposure to stomach acid.

Now, although Barrett's esophagus itself doesn't cause symptoms, individuals with this condition often experience symptoms of gerd. So heartburn, regurgitation, chest pain, trouble swallowing, and a sour taste in the mouth. Some individuals say they don't experience any symptoms at all, and this is something referred to as silent reflux. Though the tissue rarely itself obstructs swallowing complications like inflammation scarring or strictures, which is narrowing, can cause difficulty swallowing.

The main concern that we have with Barrett's esophagus is that it increases your risk for developing esophageal cancer, although the risk remains low at 0.5% per year because of this. Individuals that have been diagnosed with Barrett's esophagus are monitored regularly with endoscopies and biopsies to check for pre-cancerous cells. Risk factors include chronic gerd, being male, being older, obesity, smoking, and then a family history of Barrett's esophagus or esophageal cancer.

What are esophageal motility issues?

Esophageal motility issues, also known as esophageal motility disorders occur when the muscles and the nerves in the esophagus are not working properly to be able to move food from the mouth to the stomach. Normally, the esophagus uses coordinated wave-like muscle contractions called peristalsis to move food down. It also uses two muscular rings called sphincters at the top and the bottom to control the passage of food. When this process is disrupted, it can lead to a variety of symptoms and complications.

So common symptoms we see with motility issues include difficulty swallowing, chest pain, and pressure that's often mistaken for heart problems, heartburn, regurgitation, choking on food, hoarseness or coughing, and then having a sensation of a lump or tightness in your throat.

There are a few different types of motility disorders

The first one is called Acia, where the lower esophageal sphincter fails to relax and the esophagus loses its normal peristaltic movement. The second is esophageal spasms, which is when there's uncoordinated, sometimes painful contractions in the esophagus. And the last one is ineffective esophageal motility or IEM, which is a weak or ineffective muscle contractions in the esophagus.

What are possible root causes for having trouble swallowing and esophageal dysfunction?

So having trouble swallowing and esophageal dysfunction can arise from many different root causes, but typically they fall within a few different categories, neurological and muscular disorders, structural and obstructive problems, and inflammatory and systemic conditions. So the first is things like stroke, Parkinson's disease, ms, muscular dystrophy, and a LS and other conditions that are similar that affect the brain, the nerves, and the muscles that are going to impair the coordination and the strength that's needed for swallowing.

Another thing is vagal nerve dysfunction. So stress or trauma or neurological imbalances can affect vagal tone, which in turn is then going to affect motility. Chronic GERD can lead to scarring or strictures in the esophagus, making it difficult to swallow. And this is oftentimes triggered by low stomach acid, scleroderma, and other autoimmune conditions can lead to stiffening and dysfunction of the esophageal tissue. And then lastly, infections, radiation therapy and side effects from some medications can inflame or damage the esophagus and swallowing muscles.

Alright, now let's talk about

What strategies can support individuals with Barrett's esophagus and motility issues?

So supporting those with Barrett's esophagus and motility issues involves a combination of dietary lifestyle and behavioral strategies aimed at reducing reflux and protecting the esophageal lining and improving swallowing function. Dietary wise. Overall, we want to eat a well-balanced whole foods diet, limiting our consumption of processed foods, excess sugars, and alcohol, which can help to lessen reflux symptoms that are associated with both conditions.

Next, you want to make sure that you're chewing your food thoroughly, eating slowly and mindfully in order to optimize digestion as well as prevent food from getting stuck.

Next, you want to address root causes. So this doesn't necessarily mean just using an acid blocker, but really look at what the root cause might be, whether that's considering low stomach acid or h pylori infections. Other GI conditions that drive inflammation.

Next is to support the vagus nerve. So techniques like deep breathing, garing humming cold exposure can all help to tone the vagus nerve, which in turn is then going to improve swallowing optimized digestion. So digestive bitters enzymes or HCL under the care of a practitioner can help to improve the body's ability to break down food and reduce upstream pressure on the esophagus.

And then lastly, use supportive nutrients. So supplements like slippery zinc, Carine L Glutamine, and DGL can all help to soothe and heal the irritated esophageal lining.

To wrap up our topic for today,

Difficulty swallowing can be a sign of deeper imbalances that may need to be supported or addressed, whether it's Barrett's esophagus or a motility issue, or even something a little bit more subtle, like poor vagal tone or inflammation. The key is to look beyond the surface in order to decrease the risk of further complications and to help bring lasting relief.

So that's it for today's video. If you liked this video, please hit the like button and subscribe for more nutrition videos. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments. And if you're interested in working with our clinic, you could click the link here to schedule an appointment. We do take insurance. You can find more information about that on our website.

Thank you for watching. I'll see you next time. Bye.

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